I am an unabashed admirer of new technology gadgets. To me, these new gadgets represent the best of our American spirit – we see a problem, and we find a new and creative way to address it. I love all the fresh and sometimes bizarre attempts out there, even the crazy ones that don’t really work. What can I say, it makes me happy!

Finally, finally, I have acquired a new bit of technology that I have been craving for years now. It’s a new Roomba, the robotic vacuum cleaner! Now, before we start with the “nature abhors a vacuum” jokes, know that I hate vacuuming with nearly the same degree of passion that I hate leaf blowers and other such noisy everyday equipment. BUT, I have 4 cats and a large dog, and I live to be outdoors. That means regular vacuuming is an avoidable necessity in my house. Enter, the handy-dandy robot that buzzes around and gets all the grit, fur and dust that I’d otherwise be walking around on barefoot. Ew. Does it work perfectly? Not really, as I have to unstick it from something every 15 minutes or so, but it does a reasonably good job and frankly, it’s kind of fun to watch it scurry about on it’s strangely effective little algorithmic path. Bonus: The animals are all fascinated by it.

What does a Roomba have to do with educational technology? Maybe not much, other than providing me more free time and a better quality of life, which makes me a better educational technologist.