Thanks for Being Insanely Great

Steve Jobs is one of my heroes.

Credit: Jonathan Mak

Steve's genius and vision has touched my life for more than a quarter century. He brought us the best damn pieces of technology on the planet, and disguised them as works of art. He breathed joy and wonder into otherwise dull, utilitarian objects. When I imagine a world without Steve Jobs, I see a world where technology lacks heart and soul — a DOS-colored landscape of intolerable digital devices moldering in the dusty recesses of our lives.

I cannot help but smile when I reflect on the influence of Steve Jobs and Apple in my classroom. The attention to detail and the audacity to "Think Different" have made huge, positive impacts on my students:

• Grape iMac = coolest, most enticing computer ever
• Stickies = most elegant, colorful, and simple text display utility
• Keynote + beautiful fonts + stunning transitions and animations = rapt audience
• iTunes + iPod = musical therapy
• iPad + NASA = wow!

Thank you, Steve, for being insanely great…