I had a friend ask me how it is possible to keep up with all the latest technology. She wants to improve her teaching skills. I should mention that she already is a good teacher.

The problem, as I see it, is that most people’s attempts are scattered. People work with many, but dont’ master any. Choose three, really learn them, and that is enough for a year.

For me, in 2010, I would like to improve my skills with:

• SmartBoard technology. I really am not that great with a SmartBoard, but, given my job(s), I really should be. Plus it would be fun to get really good with a SmartBoard.
• Microsoft Excel. I wouldn’t say that I am the worst user of Excel out there, but I may be in the top 10! Well, not really, but I certainly should be better.
• Product that I cannot name. It is a new product that we will be among the first to use. I’m certainly not bad at it (because it does not exist yet), but I will need to spend significant time with it in 2010.

Notice that all three of the pieces of technology I chose are related to my day job and 2/3 of them are not, in theory, related to online learning. Except, of course, in my world, they are.

So what three pieces of technology are you going to learn this year?