Should I use Silverlight

Now I’m a Windows developer but always worked behind the scenes. I never had to design any externally facing interfaces until SecondTeacher and this poses plenty of cost and problems. I discovered Silverlight about a year ago and was hooked it is built for someone like me who doesn’t want to learn all the intricacies of design on the web and just wants to build application.

The biggest problem I have with Silverlight is the user adoption rate. I worry that it will put people off using the site because of the need to load another plug-in with only between 25% - 40% depending on who you listen to already using it. That is a large chunk of people who are without. For me in the end I went with the logic that Silverlight is the future and for me to replicate the functionality I can achieve in Silverlight is going to take me an age and cost me a fortune. I know it might put a few off short-term but long-term it opens up the possibilities of what we can deliver and also makes delivering a quality experience much easier.

Just my thoughts

Rob

Teachers Rule the World!

I have had a great experience this week in visiting classrooms and  learning how teachers teach the curriculum.
First off I think our system is not right we have students pressurized into learning lists of information and then regurgitating in an exam. The kids who can remember the best are the brightest!!??!!
When did this happen we are not preparing our kids to enter the world with a broad range of knowledge to act as a foundation to support them in the choices and decisions they will need to make.
We also have some fantastically dedicated and brilliant teachers and then we have well some who aren't. The teacher is a vital element in society and we’ve all heard “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”, but teachers are actively instilling in our kids the educational experiences that will see them through life, they are nearly as powerful.
Teaching is a hard job but it should be a vocation not a job and the best teachers love doing it, which is true in most areas of life.