When we first got to Wal-mart, we expected to see her sitting out front like people do when they are giving away kittens. She was nowhere to be seen. We went inside and inquired about her. Wal-mart employees knew who we were asking about and had already done several things to try to help the woman. The customer service rep said she had called the Salvation Army about the woman, and Wal-mart had let her stay overnight in the parking lot. Another Wal-mart employed told us to look for her under a tree down by the road.

Once we knew where to look, the family was easy to see. They had put a blanket out under a tree by the opposite entrance from the one we had used. A not noticeably pregnant woman sat on the blanket with a three year old boy, a one year old girl, and a puppy while a man (presumably her husband) held a “we will work for food” sign near the road. The woman spoke Spanish better than she spoke English, but she was really Romanian. Her husband spoke a little English. He had recently lost his job, and was trying to get to New York where he had the promise of another job. They had a van, but no gas.

While we were talking, two men from the Journey church showed up and bought the family a tank full of gas. My friend from My Father’s House collaborated with the Salvation Army to get the family a free night in a hotel. And car after car stopped to hand over some cash or carefully chosen groceries. A construction worker who had stopped by to get his groceries after work dropped off a bag of sandwich stuff and commented “it ain’t much, but it’s something.” A former My Father’s House resident pulled up with another bag of food. Several moms stopped after picking their kids up from school and made sure to include diapers in their donations.

People clearly had seen the family on the way into the store and bought things on purpose to pass along on the way out. I am very proud that when we Miami Countians had a chance to look after strangers in our midst, we brought them food, shelter, and gas. We said by our actions, “we know you don’t belong here yet, but you could if you wanted to.” In the not too distant past, homeless strangers in Miami County were driven to the county line and dropped off with only our good wishes. But this week, we got a chance to become the generous, giving, inclusive community we all would like to live in.

But these flowers and that cross make me pause

Was it your fault or the road’s?

Perhaps you were angry with your boyfriend

And sped away absentmindedly, the curve sneaking up on you

Or perhaps it was late

And you were on your way home to meet him

And tell him how deeply you felt

Or how sorry you were about the things that happened

You knew everything would work out

so your mind drifted away from the road

I’m sure you loved your car

And were proud of who you were becoming

I’m sure your family misses you desperately

And wishes you were more than a sign on the side of the road

Now that you’re gone

At least you remind us how quickly things can go wrong

If a 400lb man can climb 2000 vertical feet in 4 hours, what kind of unnecessary limitations can you overcome?

A year ago I got this brilliant idea to hike a 14er in Colorado with my best friend, his family, and mine. A 14er is a mountain that reaches 14,000ft in elevation or more. Last year I got freaked out when I topped out on the scales at 450lbs. Holy crap right?? Yeah, that’s about what I said when I saw those numbers for the first time. I decided it was time to stop screwing around and get healthy. I needed a goal to work towards to reward myself with, something I would be proud of. So I called my buddy up in Colorado and told him I wanted to hike to the top of a 14er. Instead of laughing, he said “Let’s do it”.

I made a training log to figure out how many miles I needed to work up to in order to make it to the top of my mountain. At first I tried walking around my neighborhood. My wife was a big help in starting out as my training partner, and suggested we try going for a mile walk. I scoffed and said not a problem. Boy was I wrong….a mile!!! Holy Crap!! (Yes, this phrase keeps popping up in my story so get used to it…) At the end of my first mile, I was thinking to myself, “How the hell am I ever going to make it the top of a mountain?”

But the key here is that I did not quit. You see, so many times I have tried to diet and exercise, but I was not ready mentally to do so. I was finally ready to make lifestyle changes and not look at it as a diet. This time, I gave myself no choice to back out. I made plans with other people to do something on a vacation so I would have to go through with it. I stuck with it and slowly built up my endurance to where I was able to hike 3 miles out at Hillsdale Lake. Once I hit 3 miles, each week my mileage increased to where the Saturday before we left, I was able to hike 8 miles. At this point, knowing I was able to hike 8 miles when a year ago I struggled with walking a mile was huge for me. Oh, and I forgot to mention at this point that I had now lost 50lbs. This was a big achievement in a year.

So we get out to Colorado Springs on a Friday, stay there for 3 days, getting acclimated to the altitude since that was going to play a huge factor in climbing my mountain then we pack up and head out to camp. The first night we camp at an elevation of 7000ft. The headache started the first night we got there. Simple reason was I was not drinking enough water. My wife and my buddy forced me to drink so much water from that point on, my bladder about to go on strike. The next day we drove about an hour and a half to our base camp which was at an elevation of 10,000ft or so. Let me state here that I did not drink hardly any water that day while we were in the car, and I paid for it dearly. As we get to the campsite, it starts one of those mid-afternoon mountain rain storms. Already my attitude was starting to sour, being cold, damp and having a raging headache that at times was making me want to vomit. I tried to cheer up and look on the bright side that I wasn’t in Kansas when it was 107 and hasn’t rained in 6 weeks. So forcing more water into my body from that point on was a necessity. In the middle of the night, I almost woke my wife up to tell her I was done and we were packing it up and heading back, the headache was that bad. I’m glad I didn’t.

We woke up and my headache was much better so we decided to go for a short hike to work on getting used to the altitude. At this point we were 24 hours from “the big hike” and I was starting to get my confidence back. I was going to own this mountain.

We start off at the grizzly gulch trail and the scenery is beautiful. We hike up the first 200 ft or so and I had to sit down and catch my breath, thinking to myself “Holy Crap!! There is no freakin’ way I am making it to the top of the mountain tomorrow”. Right there the mental challenge kicked in and I had a hard time battling the negative thoughts and negative attitude.

I think the mental challenge was just as tough as the hiking was. But I did not give up. You see, giving up was not an option. Right there when I decided that, I won that battle. We ended up hiking to about 11,400ft that day and when I got done, the leg cramps started and the soreness set in.

So we get up the next morning at 5 a.m. to start the hike by 6 so we can get off the mountain before an afternoon storm hits. It was slow going, but I listened to my body and stopped when I needed to and moved at the pace that I felt was comfortable. My wife and youngest son hiked with me while the rest of our group went on at a little faster pace. We reached about 11,700ft when all of a sudden my legs seized up and the muscle cramps were so bad, I couldn’t move an inch without screaming. And that’s just what I did. I yelled and cussed at that mountain because I felt defeated at that moment.

I was pissed because I knew there that I would not be making it to the top of my mountain. For about fifteen minutes my legs cramped until I was able to walk about 100ft to where my wife and son were waiting for me. They never heard me scream or yell because I was so close to the river and the noise from that drowned me out. I told them I was finished and could not go on. Sheri (my wife) radioed ahead and told the rest of the group that she was sending Matthew up to them and that I was done.

My buddy Dave told me he was proud of me and that I accomplished new goals. He mentioned that they were about 300ft above at 12,000ft of elevation and if I could make that far, I would see some beautiful scenery. After my son left to join the group, we sat there for about fifteen minutes till I felt I could walk again. I looked at my wife and said “Let’s get to 12,000ft.” So it was slow and painful, but 45 minutes later, we got there. We made it above tree line. Was I disappointed that I didn’t make it to the top? Of course I was, but I was proud of what I did do, and it just gives me motivation to go back and get to the top someday.

When the cop arrived at My Father’s House, a homeless shelter in Paola where I volunteer, I was shocked to find out he was there for me. What unfolded afterwards was equally surprising.

See, I was negatively profiled this week. On Monday I paid for my gas at the pump at a station across from the shelter. I did not get a receipt, because I never do – I just write down the amount and move on (less paper to waste). Then I went inside where my family was purchasing drinks, poured myself a cup of coffee, paid for the coffee, and went across the street to the shelter.

Twenty minutes later I was being escorted back across the street by a police officer and accused of skipping out without paying. I asked the obvious questions – why did the gas pump allow me to pump gas if the card didn’t work, why didn’t you say something when I was inside – and received vague answers. Then I was presented with the bill and it was seven dollars higher than my purchase. But, as I am often wrong, I just paid for the gas and moved on.

The next day I went to the bank to check my transactions. As it turns out, I did pay for the gas the first time, so I paid twice. The manager of the station was very nice to me when I went back to clear up the mess. I got my money without incident, and moved on. But why was I accused? Why were the cops called? I was accused of skipping out because the cashier lost seventeen dollars and panicked. She assumed the issue was my fault and could come after me because I went to the shelter (and because I have tattoos and a bushy beard?) I know this because the manager told me, and because of the notes written on the receipts I was given.

Everyone told me that I should go “give her a piece of my mind” and “demand justice!” But, instead, when I went back to get drinks at this same station, and this same cashier was working, I simply smiled and informed her she was out of 32oz cups, and asked for more. She seemed shocked. But why would revenge or vengeance get me anywhere? How would that change the stereotype she has of people who are associated with My Father’s House? Easy – It wouldn’t. It was just as easy to be nice to her and hope that she would realize that all homeless people are not sneaky crooks or deviants. I tried to love her like Christ loves her, and acknowledge that she simply made a mistake.

I think this same philosophy applies to those who are reacting one way or another to the Chic-fil-a issue. On one side, some Christians (as well as non-Christians) are being insensitive to the LGBT community by blindly supporting an organization without considering the ramifications to everyone involved. On the other side, Christians are blasting the first group and saying how appalling their actions are, and how they don’t want to be associated with them.

But, how does this change our perception of Christians? How do any of these actions help further the cause of love that Christ called for? As I see it, it is easy to love an oppressed group or a group facing discrimination, especially if they are being oppressed or discriminated against by a group we are associated with. But what about loving those who oppress? What about praying for those who don’t realize what their actions are doing? What about standing with them, not against them, as fellow travelers rather than setting up false hierarchies and divisions. Rather than disassociating ourselves with Christians who we think failed or made mistakes, perhaps we should simply pray for them and love them the same way we want them to love others. Perhaps they view others as we view them, but we want them to change instead of us. This unnecessary division will cause nothing but more issues and help nothing.

See, we all suck. We all make mistakes. We all do things without realizing how they hurt other people. We all fail. But the answer isn’t more unnecessary divisions. The answer is love. Love for the hurting, love for the healthy, love for those who we think are right, and love for those who we think are wrong. There are not divisions, there is only us.

As for the LGBT community, I will try to love them like Christ loves them. As for Chic-Fil-A and those who support Chic-fil-a, I will try to love them like Christ loves them. As for those who speak out against supporters of Chic-fil-a, I will try to love them like Christ loves them. Nothing else matters and nothing else will make anything better.

As I stood at in the bathroom of Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City, the urgency of the upcoming election became unavoidably clear to me. This year there are many important issues being discussed by politicians, news writers, and everyone who has the ability to project an opinion: gun control, health-care reform, the economy, and welfare. While these issues are quite important, I am calling for a focus on what I see as a major issue in today’s society – paper-towel dispenser consistency. Any politician who can promise a change in this area will have my vote (as many times as I can provide it).

There I was at Kaufman Stadium, having just washed my hands like a good citizen, waving madly underneath the towel dispenser, yet not getting my towel. A fellow baseball fan took pity on me and showed me the roller on the side. I nodded a quiet thank you to the man, rolled the dispenser a few times, dried my hands and went on my way.

But I should not, nor should any other citizen of these great United States, be fearful when entering a public restroom. We should be confident that when we need a towel we will know how to get it, yet this basic freedom still eludes us. Are we to dispense the towel ourselves, as was the case at Kaufman? And if we are to go the do-it-yourself route, are we to reach around the side of the dispenser and turn a wheel, or do we reach underneath and push or pull a lever? If we push a lever, how many times should the lever be pushed? Will one push do the trick and dispense an adequate amount of towel, or do we need to push multiple times in order to satisfy our dry handed dilemma?

Though these questions deserve an answer, we cannot even be sure to encounter a manual dispenser, I’m sad to say. No, often times the dispenser will do the job for us. However, the auto function only adds to the issue. Will the dispenser need to be triggered by waving a hand underneath? If so, how many towels will be issued, and how long must one wait before waving again if the amount of towels is not adequate? If the dispenser is triggered by motion, and a towel is issued by merely walking towards the dispenser, is it polite to take a towel, back up, and re-approach to get more towels? After leaving, if the dispenser provides an additional towel that is not needed, should it be taken and thrown away or left for the next person? If it is taken, the dispenser will inevitably produce another towel, that if taken will leave the handwasher in an infinite loop of infiniteness.

These are the issues that need addressed this election year. I call for reform of our paper-towel dispensers in public places, so the public can rest easy knowing that, when we have wet hands, we can safely and effectively get a towel to dry them. The time is now. We cannot wait another year for this scourge on society to be addressed. Join with me and cast your vote for those who will stand with us, not against us, and provide calm in our time of distress. What do we want? Consistent towel dispensers! When do we want it? When our hands are the wettest!

Running is an addiction. For me, however, running is more fun when I worry less about my personal times and focus instead on supporting other people. Don’t get me wrong, I love to train hard and push myself to go longer distances and at faster times, but I think when we do that it is easy to miss out on some amazing experiences because we are too inwardly focused. This year’s Psycho Psummer trail run served a perfect illustration for this philosophy.

In 2011, after completing one agonizing 10 (11? 12?) mile loop at the Psycho Psummer, my wife, Beth, set a goal: run three in 2012. After that one loop she said she felt as bad as she had after any road marathon, and wanted to exact some revenge on the trail. Knowing her as I do, I knew that the trail didn’t stand a chance.

She developed a training plan and stuck to it religiously, asked advice from several knowledgeable runners, and never let her goal get too far out of reach. She asked my assistance as well, which I gladly provided. I have completed several ultras, multi-hour mountain bike races, and long distance adventure races, but what I really enjoy is running with her. We have completed two marathons together, and do most of our long training runs together. Nothing builds a strong marriage like running together for hours and hours. Beyond that, I know what it feels like to finish the first ultra, and I wanted to share that experience. I decided that I would run the entire course with her to provide what I call conversation and support, and what she calls distraction.

During the year since she decided to run the 2012 Psycho Psummer, we hosted a trail race of our own at Hillsdale Lake in Kansas, developed a small but faithful running/training group, and convinced four other local runners to join us at Wyandotte, including our fourteen year old son, Israel. Our training runs were mostly successful, with the exception of a few falls, hurt knees, and twisted ankles. Despite some lingering injuries, on race day we both felt good.

The forecast for the day was easy, and fitting with the forecast for the past few weeks: hot and dry.

We knew that the first lap was crucial, since it did her in the previous year, so we planned to take it slow. We ended up near the rear of the pack, and walked more than we planned due to people stopping in front of us to walk “hills,” which we had planned to run. This was aggravating at the time, but was, perhaps, a blessing instead – as it allowed us to save some energy for the other two laps. Regardless of the time spent walking, the first lap was successful. Beth’s training included fueling and recovery, and this training served her well during the run. We ate at every aid station, drank the right amount, took a shot block every half-hour, and popped s-caps like they were the source of life. We finished the first lap in about 2:30 and felt as good as could be expected, and certainly good enough to run two more loops. First goal accomplished – kick the first loop’s butt.

The second loop was much more interesting. Though we felt good, the signs of fatigue were all around us. At the second aid station, several runners were in obvious distress and the volunteers had their hands full taking care of them (which they did with éclat). One of these runners was a man I have known for several years, and is as experienced and knowledgeable as anyone. If he succumbed to the heat, I thought, anyone could.

We slowed down.

We drank a lot.

We walked the hills.

We laughed and talked and enjoyed ourselves. We forgot about hitting a certain time and focused on finishing. We knew that we had to finish the second loop before we started the third, and made each moment count by eating, drinking, and staying as focused as possible.

We finished the second loop at 5:33, under the cut off and still feeling good. We reloaded and headed back out. The third loop was a success from the beginning. Not that it wasn’t difficult, but Beth said that her goal for the race was to start the third loop. “If I start,” she said, “I’ll have no choice but to finish.” Starting is one thing, however, but finishing was a whole different story. It’s difficult to express how hot it was out there, but to put it in scientific terms, it was really, really hot.

By the time we reached the first aid station, we were miserable. The volunteers at the aid station, however, changed our attitudes. Actually, we were surprised that they were still there because we thought were the last runners to hit the time cutoff. But they had plenty of aid left and met us with smiles. They grabbed our water bottles and refilled them, gave us s-caps and watermelon, pickles and Pringles, and of course – ice. “You look great,” they said, “you’re going to finish strong.” For some reason, we believed them.

On our way to the second station, we passed a few people, which raised our hopes. Then we came upon the miracle man. He was sitting on the trail, crippled by cramps. He said he had been there for a while, but was planning to finish. I put some ice on his legs, Beth gave him some Gatorade, and I gave him the last s-cap I had. I tried to help him up, but he couldn’t. He asked that no one come back for him, but we didn’t see how he was going to make it on his own. We told the volunteers at the next aid station about him, and they said they’d take care of him.

We finished our loop, together, like we have on every training run for a year. We were hot, we finished much slower than anticipated, but we finished. At the finish line, our running group was waiting for us, cheering us on. Our ten year old son was also there, with a coffee mug for me and flowers for his mom. Ben Holmes put the medal around our necks and I told Beth that she was now part of the club. It doesn’t matter what the time is, running an ultra-marathon is an accomplishment to be proud of. In this race, 61 people dropped from their target distance due to the heat, the terrain, or both. The race was difficult, but our training paid off and we were not among those 61 people.

As for miracle man – he finished as well – on his own two legs without any assistance. I thought he was done for, but he made it. On races like these, we run to see who has more guts rather than who is fastest. I’d give that medal to him. And me — I got to see a lot of people push further than they thought they could. I got to experience my wife’s first ultra. And I got to witness ordinary people persevere to finish a race for nothing other than pride and self-respect. That’s what this sport is all about.

As a teacher, I am often humbled by my own assignments.

This summer, my Composition II class is spending time at the Miami County Historical Museum. Their assignment is to find something interesting about Miami County and write about it. I asked them to find a new angle if possible, and then make an argument for historical research using their work as evidence.

On Tuesday at the museum, I was privileged to be at the right place at the right time, and got to go through a scrapbook and picture album from the late 19th century that hadn’t been opened for some time. I looked through the book and landed on a picture that was taken in 1902. The picture was of a man about the age I am now. He was with a woman who appeared to be his wife and two small children played in the background. A dog was lying at the man’s feet, and their large home stood tall and elegant behind them.

But I couldn’t help but connect with him — his eyes and the look on his face reflected feelings that I have felt many times – the stress of life, worries about family and finances, and uncertainty about the twists and turns that life will undoubtedly be sending his way. As I stared at the picture, I felt as if the man was begging me to not make the same mistakes as him. “Don’t worry about the little stuff,” he seemed to say, “enjoy your family and your health while you can.”

One-hundred years have passed since that man stood in front of his house and had his picture taken. He, like me (and everyone), stressed over his life more than he should have. But where did it get him? He is forgotten, his photo album stuffed in a drawer in a museum until it was found by accident. All of the struggles and issues he dealt with in his life are long forgotten and don’t matter at all now.

As for me, in 2102 I will be gone, just like the man in the photo. All of the issues I face will be gone with me. The things that I stress over will be forgotten. All that will be left of me will be the stories that my friends and family pass on, and perhaps what I communicate through my eyes to those who look at my picture in a photo album.

The little things don’t matter as much as we think they do. That’s the point. We should make our photos real and alive and enjoy ourselves while we can. It’s not a fact that one day we’ll be just another photo in an album somewhere because we can be so much more if we don’t take ourselves too seriously and learn a lesson from history.

Going to watch fireworks on the 4th of July, eating fried chicken with family, and swimming at the lake, these are all 4th of July week traditions people enjoy. My own family engaged in several of our favorite traditions this week, too. We rented a car, drove to St. Charles, Missouri, and stayed at our favorite hotel along the Katy Trail. On the second day of our trip, we got up early and drove to the St. Louis Zoo. Once there, we made sure to see the penguins, the elephants, and the giraffes. That night we ate dinner at the same Bob Evans we always stop at in St. Peters.

These traditions make us feel safe, and they bring back good memories. Other traditions, like walking the dog on Sunday morning and then eating cinnamon rolls, help us to know where we are in time. On the other hand, if we let our lives become so cluttered with traditions, we won’t have time to try anything new.

In order to not get stuck in a rut, we also tried a few new things this 4th of July week. We repaired all of our bikes and took an inaugural family bike ride along the Flint Hills trail. We tried a new restaurant in St. Charles called Lewis and Clarks. And in the heat of the day on Friday afternoon, we stopped in at the St. Louis Art Museum to enjoy works by Matisse, Degas, and Monet as well as a stunning display of arms and armor.

Traditions are great, but at some point we tried something new in order to create the tradition. Life seems sweetest when it is a balance between honoring tradition and trying new things.

For the last ten years, a friend of mine has been working with his dad on a twin engine plane. They have rebuilt, painted, fixed, and tweaked it, going through ups and downs, good days and bad days, but did it all together.

This week, they took it up in the air and flew it for an hour and a half. He has been in planes before, but said it was different because he had never been in one whose screws he had tightened, whose landing gear he had assembled, or whose engines he had bolted down. But they made it. When I asked my friend how it felt, he said, “it feels good to be alive.”

I thought about his statement, and realized that it is times like those, when we are faced with a real chance of dying, that the joys of life are the greatest. When we push ourselves to our boundaries we become cognizant of the beautiful world we inhabit, and the little things seem to just fade away.

When I told another friend about the flight, he said, “why the heck would he do that, he could die.” I said that the chance of death is exactly why he flew the plane. He had to see where his limits were, he had some questions that needed answered, and he had to see what he was made of.

“Besides,” I said, “you could die just as easily driving your car on the highway. If you want to be completely safe, you are never going to be happy.”

But how often do we play things safe in our lives and think we’re doing the right thing? Too often, I think. As a teacher at a small community college, and pastor at a church that meets in a homeless shelter, I am told constantly why something can’t be done, why something won’t work, or why something should be done a different (safer) way. But that’s rubbish. We can’t win what we don’t put in the middle, and we can’t prove that we are alive if we don’t test the theory once in a while.

My suggestion: start something new and scary – study a language, run a race, forgive someone, talk to someone new, take art classes, volunteer, skydive, mountain bike, ride horses, travel, or all of the above. We only have one chance to get it right.

When people think of the iPad, they seldom think about a multitude of classroom uses. Or library uses. Or museum uses. Most people think iPads, and they immediately see individuals in coffee shops hunched over or leaning back in a relaxed fashion reading.

But picture a small scale technology easily used for preparing presentations in class or for large training sessions; collaboration within class among students; sharing notes/lessons/responses back and forth in the classroom; importing photographs/research in collaborative projects with instant access; editing and revising pretty much anything and the possibilities go on endlessly…

Or being visitors and using them to view and learn about exhibits in a museum, such as the Miami County Historical Society Museum in Paola. Or being able to check out an iPad from a Miami County library or museum…

The potential uses are endless, which is what brought educators and library personnel from both Miami and Johnson Counties together at Fort Scott Community College (FSCC) last Monday.

Two iPad labs will soon become available for everyday class work at the Miami County Campus of Fort Scott Community College thanks to two grants totaling $15,718 awarded by the Baehr and the Jewell-Roman Foundations.

Each Miami County library has received a grant, said Buddy Jo Tanck, director of the Miami County Fort Scott Community College campus in Paola, for iPad labs.

“I hope we will be able to collaborate some of our training and ideas for the iPads with these groups,” Tanck said about what was an introduction to iPads.

A much better understanding of educational concepts, Tanck said, taught in the classroom will be accomplished with the new equipment.

“I predict these devices will allow much more understanding of concepts discussed in the classroom,” Tanck said.

Along with FSCC instructors and staff in attendance on June 11, library directors and personnel from Osawatomie, Paola, Louisburg, Spring Hill and Johnson County took part.

Because he has already been using iPads at the Miami County Historical Museum in Paola, Joe Hursey, the museum’s director, conducted the training.

“We believe we are the first museum in the midwest to begin using iPads for our patrons, which has gotten us a lot of attention,” Hursey said.

Museum visitors, Hursey said, can be issued an iPad with a QR code, as they view the exhibits.

“All they have to do is turn on the camera function, and the iPad with explain the item on display,” Hursey said.

What surprised Hursey is how the museum’s oldest senior citizens have been attracted to the iPads.

“They have had no problems, and it can get a bit out of hand because they find they don’t want to give up the iPad,” Hursey said.

This is why, Hursey said, the museum plans to have full-time sign out very soon.

As for the FSCC training session, Hursey and Tanck both said the training had been designed for beginners with no experience.

In opening remarks, Hursey said iPads can be used so differently and that there are about 80 different tablet-like devices on the market.

“iPad is the best thing going, which is why he has them at the museum. Kindles and Nooks will do specific things, but the iPad is the most versatile, even with a few limitations,” Hursey said.

As the FSCC campus director, Tanck said she has been able to see, firsthand, numerous potential applications for iPads in the classroom.

“The coolest thing that I have seen is an astronomy application that allows you to hold the iPad up to the sky, and the GPS in the device allows you to find stars, constellations, and even satellite locations,” Tanck said.

Witnessing the use of an iPad for astronomy, Tanck said, was fascinating.

“I thought, ‘What potential there is here for engaging students in learning.’ It definitely sparked my interest in learning more about the stars and the planets. I also thought about how easy it would be to teach this to my kids with my own limited knowledge of the subject,” Tanck said.

Both Tanck and Tricia Sinclair, Paola campus Computer Applications and business instructor, have been discussing a variety of ways to integrate technology into the classroom for students and the instructors.

“We both purchased devices similar to the iPad but which were less expensive. However, they did not work the way an iPad does. We knew that the only way we would be able to use these in the classroom or even educate our instructors on the devices was to receive them through a grant or a donation,” Tanck said.

Tanck said she had to find a means of getting the devices into the hands of students and faculty.

“It is very difficult for students, faculty, or individuals in the community to know how the iPads can be used, if they are not able to get their hands on them and use them. This is exactly what I wanted to do for our faculty,” Tanck said.

This way, Tanck said, she could actually give her faculty and staff an opportunity to get their hands on an iPad.

“Now, they will be able to think about how they can enhance their teaching and student learning by utilizing these devices,” Tanck said.

When talking to the FSCC Director of Nursing, Bill Rhoads, Tanck said she discovered how iPads are already being used.

“They actually integrate iPads into the final semester for the nursing students. This made sense to me since a lot of hospitals are integrating tablets and other computerized database programs at the patient bedside.

“I felt we needed to help train these students on how to use these devices before they went into this final semester,” Tanck said.

Although actual details about use of the labs, said Tanck, are still under discussion, part of the grant included training for faculty, staff, and community resource personnel.

“The training session in June, Tanck said, was designed to help familiarize participants with the iPad technology. The plan is to offer a second opportunity around the end of July for FSCC instructors to discuss ways we can utilize the iPad in the classroom,” Tanck said.

Tanck said they are excited to have the new labs and devices in their building and for utilization in their classrooms.

“We owe a great debt of gratitude to the Baehr and Jewell-Roman Foundations and their trustees.

“It is also because of all the work you do for the college and for the members of our community that has led us to this success and future endeavor,” Tanck said about the college faculty and staff, as well as the community.

Plans for the iPads at the Osawatomie Public Library will focus on literacy and their Early Childhood 6 by 6 Program said Director Elizabeth Trigg.

“The 6 by 6 program is an early literacy educational tool for parents to use with their children, which involves the six tools kids need to learn by age six,” Trigg said.

By focusing on different books and word recognition and vocabulary parents can pick out important details, Trigg said, and help their children become better readers.

“Brad Debrick, originally from Paola, developed 6 by 6 for the Johnson County Library, where he works, rolled it out to the the state, and it has been a fabulous program,” Trigg said.

The 6 by 6 program has gone on to develop applications for iPads with early literacy tools, Trigg said.

“We have already been looking at those apps, such as the Goodnight Safari iPad App. With this, children and their parents have Read Me directions. Children can move characters around and interact with the story,” Trigg said.

Having already been looking ahead, Trigg said, the Oswatomie Friends of the Library bought 250 picture books with iPad tie-ins.

“Each book is already checked out and with the 6 by 6 program apps tie-in we should be ready to go with the iPads. Parents are so excited,” Trigg said.

Speaking about attending the training session, Paola Free Library Director Rosy King said one of the best things about the class was being able to hear how the college and other libraries were planning to use the iPads within their facilities.

“I think we beginners learned enough about the basic use of the iPad that we could take what we learned and do some learning on our own. We Microsoft users lost our fear of an Apple device,” King said.

Louisburg Library Director, Kiersten Allen, said the training had been a good starting point.

“I’m glad Buddy took on the task. I’m lucky to have a relationship with Joe, so he’s going to come over to the library once summer reading has ended and provide us with a more tailored presentation and kind of question and answer,” Allen said.

The efforts of Blake Heid, member of the Baehr Foundation Board of Trustees, said Allen should be recognized.

“We are so thankful to Blake Heid for pursuing the grant to donate this level of technology to our patrons and staff. We now have the opportunity to explore the devices and really test the limits of the iPad 2, because there are so many things we can do now,” Allen said.

Currently, Allen said they plan to use some iPads for early literacy and others as eReaders.

“But we are keeping our options open. We will have a focus group and encourage those patrons to use them as eReaders, checking them out and taking them home to explore for themselves,” Allen said.

This is a big step, Allen said, but they are working on policies to keep the iPads and our patrons safe.

“We are pretty excited. One of the first things we will do is accept credit card payments and donations. Our patrons will be happy with that, and it’s a relatively small charge. It will be fun to discover all the ways this iPad 2 Learning Center will help the library and our patrons,” Allen said.

Before iPads could be placed in service, Tanck said, WIFI had to be installed.

“This is something the college paid for. Unfortunately, we will not be able to afford WIFI in the entire building, so we had to choose a space that would benefit the most with WIFI,” Tanck said.

The community room, Tanck said, was chosen and will be where teachers can access WIFI.

“If a class like biology would like to implement an iPad application into their course work, they would go to the community room for this part of the class. This will be much like going to the computer lab when working on assignments.

“If we were able to get WIFI throughout the entire building, we would be able to move these devices anywhere. This is what I would like to eventually be able to do,” Tanck said.

Unlike the two rooms set up as computer labs on the Paola FSCC campus, the term, iPad lab, means something entirely different. The two labs are actually two rolling carts able to store, charge, and sync up to 30 individual iPad devices.