live LARGE

In February of 2008, I attended the I.C.E. (Illinois Technology Conference for Educators), which I feel privilege to attend every year. I attended the conference for three days and had many wonderful experiences.

Day One: I was on the I.C.E. Tech Support Team with a great group of people.

Day Two: Attended an all-day workshop using Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 to develop database-driven web applications.

Day Three: Along with our Technology Director, MJ Warden and Network Administrator, Nick Peronti, we hosted a poster session showcasing our District 74 website and Drupal. I think I speak for the three of us when I say how proud we were to show what we have done as a team and as a district.

This is just a brief outline of my three days, which also included other mini-sessions and listening to keynote speakers. Besides all the incredible technology that was bouncing around this conference...I think the most captivating and inspiring for me was listening to one of the keynote speakers, Dan Buettner.

I am always amazed at the keynote speakers this conference showcases. Their use of technology and education is so fabulous and innovative. Listening to Dan Buettner was no different. Dan has many accomplishments that include three Guinness World Records for cycling six continents, and he is also the founder of Quest Network, Inc.

Dan Buettner introduced to his captivated audience, the Blue Zones. The Blue Zones have been defined to be areas in the world where people live the longest and healthiest lives for 100 or more years. Dan joined with experts from National Geographic, Universities and Medical Institutions creating the "Blue Zone Exhibition Team" in search of these areas. So far, they have defined these areas as "Blue Zones":

• Sardinia, Italy
• Okinawa, Tokyo
• Loma Linda, CA USA

The Blue Zone quests have reached an online educational audience of 12 million students in 80,000 classrooms! There is an entire Blue Zone Program for educators on the website which consists of: Quests, the Blue Zones Challenge, Legacy Project and Financial Challenge. Students don't just read reports or view videos; they can actually vote each day to direct scientists where to look for clues to answer their questions. Here students are in control of their learning environment.

After explaining all these facts in detail, Dan then listed to us, "Power9" which are the nine common denominators that the people of the Blue Zones share:

1. Eat a plant-based diet (beans, tofu, nuts)
2. Move naturally - make our homes inconvenient so you have to get up and move. No need to join expensive gyms - enjoy gardening, walk with a friend, and play with children.
3. Invest in your family (not with an ATM), put your loved ones first.
4. Belong to a religious community - come together as a community, schedule meditation.
5. Ikigai - know your purpose now.
6. Downshift - relieve pressures everyday.
7. Hara Hacki Bu - stop eating at 80%, don't fill up your stomach, this helps you to be fit and trim.
8. Drink 1-2 glasses of red wine daily, responsibly.
9. Build a personal longevity culture - hang with people that have the same values.

This was a very moving and educational talk that I will remember. I will keep going back to the Blue Zones website for new information and updates. I have told most of my friends about the Blue Zones and what I learned about taking better care of ourselves and living longer lives. There is a newsletter to sign up for and a Vitality Test to take on the Blue Zones website. Check it out at the Blue Zones!