Alexis Moran
These are the books, movies and TV shows that make me realize what is possible with technology: Alice in Wonderland, Phantom Tollbooth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Star Trek, the Jetsons, and NASA space missions, as well as ROBO Cop and other high-tech action movies.

Technology is like DNA: It connects Generation to Generation.

Julie Botel
Here are some ideas I keep posted in my computer, on my wall, in my palm, etc.

"We must become the change we want to make." -- Mahatma Gandhi

I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them." -- Virginia Satir

The ability of future machines to directly share experiences and knowledge with each other will lead to evolution of intelligence from relatively isolated individual minds to highly interconnected structural entities... The new system will incorporate many of today's structures and will develop new traits transcending the limits of human understanding. Its evolution will evade human control, but relations of descendants of humans and today's machines will be largely symbiotic and will lead to the emergence of a new ecology of intelligence." (Networking in the Mind Age by Alexander Chislenko) "The alternative to giving far more attention to envisioning the future is to squander resources on vainly trying to use new technologies to solve the problems of school-as-it-is instead of seeking radically new opportunities to develop school-as-it can-be. The conversation about technology in schools is trapped in the wrong subject. The talk is all about "does the technology work" as a fix for the old. It ought to be about developing and choosing between visions of how this immensely powerful technology can support the invention of powerful new forms of learning to serve levels of expectation higher than anything imagined in the past." Vision for Education: The Caperton-Papert Platform By Seymour Papert and Gaston Caperton (Essay written for the 91st annual National Governors' Association meeting held in St. Louis, Missouri in August of 1999.)

"Community and construction activities are mutually reinforcing. Working within a community helps people to become better dancers/programmers/designers and better learners. Conversely, working on design and construction projects together helps to form a strong, supportive community." Amy Bruckman. MOOSE Crossing: Construction, Community, and Learning in a Networked Virtual World for Kids 1997 PhD Dissertation MIT Media Lab.

"Logically, all things are created by a combination of simpler, less capable components. Therefore, a supreme being must be our future, not our origin. What if God is the consciousness that will be created when enough of us are connected by the Internet?" (Dilbert) :-) http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/index.html

I also have a wonderful poster in my office called the Wisdom of Women. It has two quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt that I really like and that have personal meaning for me: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

"A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water."

Kathy Conway
When I was a college student I was follower of Star Trek. Now, I look at the early shows of that series and chuckle because we have gone beyond some their technology. True, we do not travel the galaxies, but we have much of the communication capabilities that we just dreamed about in those days.

Having grown up in Ohio I was an avid fan of John Glenn. I can remember sitting in my seventh grade classroom and watching him orbit the earth. What a thrill! How proud we were. This adventure into space stirred my imagination. When looking at all of those computers on the desks of the NASA flight control centers I was determined that some day I would be able to understand what those machines were showing those people and I would have my own computer. Now the computer sitting on my desktop is hundreds of times more intricate that the one that sent John Glenn into space.

When Pablo Picasso said "Computers are useless, they can only give you answers," I doubt he envisioned what computers can do with graphics and simulations and how wonderfully artistic people have been able to use then in cinema and graphic art. My students use computers to find the questions too.

Questions drive our creativity. It is nice to find the answers, but without questions life would be dull. As a teacher I am responsible for encouraging creativity but I spend a lot of time getting students to understand that "If it is to be it is up to me." (Anonymous) A Chinese Proverb tells us that "Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."

Scientists like Einstein and Pasteur knew the value of persistence and tenacity. "It's not that I'm so smart it's just that I stay with problems longer." Albert Einstein "Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." Louis Pasteur

Students can use technology to be very creative. I have seen some very imaginative work presented in Power Point presentations, student-created graphics for web pages, and digital portfolios. As Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Invariably, at some point during the year, students will start to whine about the workload, about the weather, about their grades and so on... I point to a quote on the wall – "While others may argue about whether the world ends with a bang or a whimper, I just want to make sure mine doesn't end with a whine." Barbara Gordon.

Deborah Peek-Brown
I think my ideas about what technology should be came mostly from watching the Jetson's. I was so disappointed when I grew up and realized that I was not going to drive a flying car or vacation on Venus. Now I am more grounded and get my inspiration from real life stories. When I read about teachers overcoming obstacles to use technology in innovative ways it stirs my imagination. When I read about students creating things no one ever thought of before and doing things no one thought they could do, I get excited. It makes me want to expand those experiences to every teacher and every student. My mind begins to race as I start to think, "What can I do? How can I make this happen in my district." After all, that is my job. I am to help integrate cutting edge, innovative technologies into middle school science classrooms. In order to do that, I take inspiration where ever I can find it. Hmmmm... maybe I need to look at the Jetson's again.

Angela Cristini
I have always been somewhat addicted to science fiction – books, film, and TV – good, questionable, and even mystery Science Theater 3000 are all part of the mix of information that has sub-consciously and consciously shaped my thoughts about technology. As a biologist I am naturally drawn to: life on other planets; suspended bodily functions for deep space travel; genetic manipulation; robotics (from Robbie to Data); and especially brain games (monsters from the ID; telepathy, and mind-melds).