One Last Thing

Despite all my whining, I have enjoyed this experience immensely. I would argue the statement that it doesn't take much time because it does (unless, of course, you do have 3-4 hours a week to spare). Unfortunately, if I could find a way to buy extra time to complete everything I'm expected to do (at work and home), I would (my fault not that of the class). My favorite part has been the blogging, which I hope to continue doing. I've veered off the educational path pretty far in most of my posts as it is, but I hope to continue the thread on a more personal vein. And, while I don't know how or when I will use many of these skills in my classroom, I treasure the knowledge of knowing how to do them and want to pursue more experimenting. Somewhere in my bones is a love of graphic design/marketing/visual art and I'd like to spend a little more time with Flickr and some of the "manipulation" sites.

The best discovery of this course (neigh, this lifetime) has been Cake Wrecks. This site is brilliant and having it on my reader has made my day much more complete. I've shared it with countless friends and family (I even spent several hours with my mom on her birthday visiting and laughing until it hurt). So, in honor of this glorious website, Veteran's Day, and the completion of this course, I give you this:


caption: "Because nothing says "America" quite like a dead, blank-eyed dog with a flag stuck in his head. [patting heart] Ah, it gets you right here, doesn't it?"

On another note:

Last week, I was at Target gathering stuff together for a baby shower gift. Inadvertently, I grabbed (and held tightly to my torso) a bottle of baby shampoo that had been slit open by a sloppy stock clerk. Not surprisingly, I my belly was covered in goo (did I mention I was dressed to go to my mother's birthday party and had no intentions of returning home?). Frustrated and sticky, I asked an employee for help only to realize she was more concerned about teaching a new stocker how to clean up than actually helping me (I had to ASK her if I could have some of her paper towel to clean myself off). I then stomped off to the women's department to find myself a shirt and change in the changing room. Before I could get the entire request out of my mouth, the employee, who - like her co-worker - was more concerned with the phone convesation she was having about a cat, cut me off saying, "You have to pay first" and pointing in the direction of the registers. I gave up. On the verge of tears, I trudged off to the register and asked to see a manager.

At this point, you're probably wondering why I'm sharing this story. Well, my point is this: I go out of my way to make sure my "customers" (students, co-workers, parents, etc.) get the very best I can give them. I don't brush them off or ignore their needs. I respond at the earliest moment possible to their requests and my personal life takes a back seat to their needs during school hours. I readily admit that I am a recovering perfectionist, and I set my standards pretty high, but I expect as good as I give. That's why I got so mad about my experience at Target. I shouldn't have been kissing their butts, they should have been kissing mine. I spent quite a bit of time (particularly in the middle of the course) feeling very frustrated. Once the high of learning began to dwindle, the extensive requirements (in addition to the demands of job and family) made the experience much less enjoyable. Granted, I'm an English teacher, but I often felt the instructions were needlessly obtuse and confusing and in some cases, could have used some updating because the programs/sites had changed. I make mistakes, but I feel it is my job as a leader to prepare the path everyday for my students so they can clearly follow it toward their destination. With this said, I felt, especially in the beginning, there could have been better communication between the facilitators and students. There were times when multiple emails were not acknowledged and it became necessary to contact other members of the MISD23Things instructional team in order to have administrative tasks completed so I could continue with my Things. Overall, however, I am very pleased with the experience I have had. I'm even more pleased that this has all been completed on-line at my own pace.

Thing # 7a/b

Many of blogs I subscribe to have had Halloween themes of late (weird, huh?!). It is common knowledge that I have a rather bizarre sense of humor and an over active interest in the more grotesque, morbid and creepier sides of life (death), but this just didn't sit well with me: a Halloween meatloaf hand. Now, I like meatloaf as much as the next person (except my brother who actually loathed it), but somehow, putting it in hand form makes my stomach turn (or it could just be the result of the almonds and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies I had for breakfast). I do have to admit that it looked pretty darned good, though; not "good-enough-to-eat" good, but good in the "realistically-creepy" sense. I particularly approved of the onion "bone" where the hand was dismembered from the rest of the meatloaf body and the broiled mozzarella cheese slices to replicate burnt skin. I wish I'd thought of it myself.

Also in the holiday spirit, NPR podcast George Romero (of zombie-movie fame) playing Wait, Wait. Don't Tell Me's "Not My Job" game. Did you know, at the beginning of his career, Romero was hired by Mr. Rogers to film his tonsillectomy for the ever popular Picture,Picture segment? Neither did I. NPR also reminded me I need to get a copy of the new Call of Duty 6 for Paul for Christmas - nice of them don't you think?

I also discovered my reader's "Recommended Sources" folder. I was surprised to find Four Wheeler Magazine listed with my other subscriptions. I was even dumb enough to think "How'd they know I off road?" Kind of like the time not so long ago when I realized half and half is called this because it's HALF cream and HALF milk. Yes, I really am that stupid.

Thing #23 - It's a Ning Thing; You Wouldn't Understand

One of the AP sample tests I give my kids each year has to do with educational marketing: Should we allow companies to brand our schools and students as a way to supplement our funding shortfalls? This is exactly what I thought of as I read the Thing #23 blurb on Ning. I was really pumped and planned a whole post in my head discussing the pros and cons of requiring students to use a site that contained third-party advertising . . . And, then, I kept reading. Ning has developed a non-ad version just for education. Obviously, this was designed by (or the idea of) an actual educator. One thing I've discovered about the "real" or "civilian" world of non-educators . . . they do not have that built in preemptive filter that we educators do. How will this affect my students? What are the possible repercussions of this? Are there any potential problems associated with it? Etc., etc. I don't think most people realize the extent of the politically correct world we live it . . . and, it bleeds into our personal lives as well. I'm regularly shocked by what comes out of my friends' mouths. I have to remind myself they actually can say that or do this. Maybe that's why I am so careful about my social networking profiles; I don't want anything to find its way back to me that could potentially hurt my job or professional reputation (although, as much as I may want to, I'm not doing anything truly reprehensible).

I have been noticing just how repetitive of the educational application aspect of the web 2.0 goodies is. Like many of the other things we've looked at, Ning has many educational applications predominately collaborative in nature: online discussion, research, etc. Not a bad thing, just something I feel I've discussed a bazillion times already. And, there's the time issue. I haven't had a moment to myself since last Wednesday, and, while I like the idea of getting together with like-minded adults for a good ol' intellectual discussion on Gather or any other social networking site, I just don't have the time. However, social networking is an awesome resource; the more information and connections at one's fingertips, the easier to solve problems, improve methods, and enhance projects. Whether it's done for the classroom or for professional advancement, social networking is an awesome resource and having education specific resources is important for the sheer fact of having others who understand the specific needs of educators.

I realize this is not one of my better posts. I'm sleep deprived and running purely on caffeine. As I've been writing, I've wondered at the exact number of times I've used the words or derivatives of the words "education" and "things". And, thank god for spell check; my spelling is frightening on a good day and down right horrific today.

Thing #22 - MyBook & FaceSpace

I have both a MySpace and a Facebook account. The first profile was actually created for me by Paul so that I could access the MySpace page of our dog Barney. I've been there a total of maybe three times. As a matter of fact, anyone visiting my MySpace page who actually knows me can tell I didn't set it up because it's decorated in fuchsia and bubble gum pink hearts (so not me). I've also found that it's a little awkward to negotiate using my Macbook at home . . . like most of the world, MySpace doesn't speak our language.

My Facebook page, however, I set up specifically for keeping in touch with a good friend in Georgia. I hadn't really intended to go crazy with the cheese whiz or anything, but, before I knew it, I had like 100 friends. Okay. Not THAT many. I don't actually know that many people I'd want to keep in contact with. But, it did help me find a few people I had lost contact with and wondered about over the years. For those of you who don't really know me, my family moved A LOT when I was younger. By the time I started teaching, I had lived in six different states (one of those I'd lived in twice). Needless to say, I've had quite a few lost friendships over the years and it was really confidence boosting to know so many people not only remembered me, but wanted to know what I was up to. I will say, it was hard for me, at first, not to write a book and include every little detail when someone asked me how I was doing. What I realized, eventually, is that people on Facebook do not necessarily want to converse; they want to talk about themselves and allow friends to keep versed via those updates. Only one or two people do I really "talk" to beyond reading each others' updates. And, I've found, that while I started out visiting daily, I hardly ever go anymore. My boyfriend and our group of friends use it to organize events (the boys even have a special profile set up for their 4x4 Fridays - see the "White Trash Weekend" post). I really think I would use it more if I had an iPhone. Both Paul and our friend Vanessa use their iPhones to instantaneously post pictures and blurbs about their goings-on. If I had that kind of access, it would be fun to stay connected, but I just don't have the time (nor do I remember to) log on and post when I get home. Fortunately, I can live vicariously through Paul, who is also into the Farmsville application on Facebook. Being a farm girl myself, I really think this would be fun, but I just don't have the kind of time to take care of virtual pets (I can barely take care of the live ones I've got some days).

Now. Here's where I may get into some trouble with this post (and if that's the case, I hope xxx let's me know and I will rectify the situation). I am REALLY weird about who I accept as a "friend". I try to keep the circle very limited and I NEVER allow students (past or present) on. Most of my students seem to understand this (as I think most of my teacher people do) and we agree to keep in contact via email instead. When I post, I want to feel I can be myself and this just is not possible if I allow certain people on my profile. I also want to keep this blog as annonymus as possible with the hopes that I will be able to continue it after this course is over and no connection can be made between me and my alterego. Whith that said, I am not going to provide a link to either my MySpace or my Facebook. I want to receive credit for this thing, so, if I have to, I'll create a blind profile, but I'd really not have to waste the time if I don't have to. Those of you who do want to "friend" me can contact me privately about that. I know it seems odd, but I'm really very careful about not letting my personal life into my professional one.

Thing #21

An old friend of the family, Google Earth has saved my butt many a time by giving me a bird's eye view of, well, the Earth via satellite. For the visual learners among us, this is key to getting anywhere. How do I get to Los Lupes (my favorite Mexican restaurant) from Mesquite? Where exactly is Cromwell St.? Haven't a clue how to tell you, BUT I can get there. Now, thanks to this awesome ap, I don't have to know street names to go ANYWHERE (ok. Maybe a couple street names); all I have to do is look it up on Google Earth (which is even handier if you have an iPhone or internet capable gadget), pick out the streets I do know, anchor my barrings with a couple land marks and go. This is especially great when I don't have access to our TomTom (another great invention for the directionally challenged like myself). It's also kind of cool just to look up places you know: your house, your parents house, the childhood homestead, the vacant lot that is now a megaplex, etc. Many times Paul and I have used this to acclimate ourselves to a new and undiscovered (by us) part of the Earth. If I were a world geography teacher, I'd be so stoked by this ap. Add to that the ability to project "live" maps via the ceiling mounted projector and there are endlessly fun ways to integrate it into the classroom. Way cool!

Considering I spend most of my day next to a computer, Google Update doesn't really appeal to me (if I want to know something, I just look it up the old fashioned way), but I can see this being quite addictive for the sports fan forced away from the TV/radio during an important game. As a matter of fact, I sat behind a couple guys yesterday at a yoga competition (don't ask) that did just that (received updates not yoga). They were there to support their wives but were missing out on some game (no clue what . . . I'm nosy, but not THAT nosy). Not wanting to miss out on a single basket/touchdown/goal/homerun/whatever, the used their internet capable cell phones to receive email updates. Again, I'm not nosy enough (nor, at the time, did I care enough) to find out if they were using Google Update, but the idea is the same. They had their cake (keeping their wives happy) and ate it too (didn't miss a single play all afternoon long). I guess it's kind of like Twitter (or what I think Twitter is supposed to be if I cared enough or had enough time to find out). Immediate gratification. Not my thing, but I can see where it would work for some.

I will admit (and my friends will confirm) that I'm an organizational freak. I can't concentrate if my desk is too cluttered (or my brain for that matter). I've been keeping a notebook of "To Dos" since elementary school for that very reason, and, under normal circumstances, the idea of Google Calendar would thrill me to no end. But, in this day of over-abundant techie gadgets, I just don't know how practical this ap would actually be. Every gadget I regularly carry on my person has some sort of calendar application. My crappy, non-internet capable cell phone, my Kindle II, and even my digital camera all off some sort of calendar and/or memo function I can use to keep track of various activities. And, because I don't have an iPhone, I don't have instant internet access to Google Calendar wherever I go. So, while the idea is great (and was probably awesome a few years ago), it's just not convenient for me now, and probably even more impractical for our tech savy students. HOWEVER, like teaching students how to use note cards for researching, everyone must start somewhere and for the right person, this may be the perfect solution for organizing their homework/meetings/obligations/birthdays/etc.

Thing #20

I really can't believe our facilitators asked for only one collaborative idea for using Google Docs because, it seems to me, the collaborative ease of it is what makes it so freakin' cool. Goodbye are the days when students ask for another copy of the assignment; now you can require them to just download another from the internet. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I HATE repeating myself or having to do something again after I've already done it (like making the bed, coloring my hair, getting a hair cut, etc). And, now, I can hold on to my temper just a little bit longer.

My three groovy ideas:
1. As already stated, my favorite use for Google Docs is the endless copies it puts at a student's finger tips mostly because I no longer have to keep messy stacks of "extras" lying around my room (an English teacher's classroom is messy enough), but also because students can't complain that it was "lost" or, my favorite, "stolen". All they have to do is download and print a new copy. Depending on the assignment, because it is an electronic document, students could download, complete, save and then email the results back to the teacher. And, dogs don't usually eat computers, so no more eaten homework (although I did have a dog that ate a bible).

2. Having a department meeting? Don't have time to make copies? Upload to Google Docs and ask the members of your department to print them out and bring with to the meeting. This works especially well for cross-discipline meetings (hey! Inks expensive! Let some other department pay for it and/or the copies).

3. And this could be the handiest of all my ideas: the ability to pull up your work no matter where you are or what computer you're using. We have all gotten to our destination only to realize that the document we need is neither physically available or is on the thumbdrive we left at home/work/the computer of the international spy from whom we were stealing documents. NOW, however, we can have our paperwork within a finger's reach (assuming we have computer access that is . . . but, who doesn't these days with iPhones and laptops?).

Frankly, I think these are rather ingenious ideas, but I'm biased.

Thing #19 - My White Trash Weekends

As many of my colleagues know, with in the last year, I have been inducted into the ranks of white trash sports . . . also known as off-roading. It started simply enough. A friend with a Bronco and another with a four-wheeler invited us to join them for a weekend in the East Texas mud (actually, it was dust. Red dust. LOTS of red dust). We borrowed my "brother-in-law's" four-wheeler and had a great weekend. This, however, spawned. We now own an 87 Jeep Wrangler (our 4th vehicle), take at least a day trip into the backwoods once a month, and are now part of what the boys in our group refer to as "4x4 Fridays" (my favorite part because I get the house all to myself for an entire evening every other Friday). I'd like to somehow differentiate what we do from what Rednecks call Muddin', but it's the same damn thing (sometimes there's mud, sometimes not). In all truthfulness, I do enjoy riding the trails with Paul and hanging out with friends; I'm also an undercover gearhead. I even like the parts where we have to winch others out of precarious predicaments; it's just a lot more fun to pretend I suffer through to make my man happy.

So where is this story going and what does it have to do with Voicethreads? Well, this: for some unknown reason (and for probably the same reason young men video tape themselves doing stupid stunts that result in broken bones - see my post for Thing #18), off-roaders frequently take one guy with them to hold the video camera. They then take it home, mess around with it in iMovie (or the equivalent), drop in "Sweet Home Alabama" and then post it on YouTube. We haven't gotten to that stage yet (thank God!) but Paul is a gadget junkie so the Voicethread video is inevitable. As I mentioned in Thing #17, I'm not real keen on my recorded self, so I'm not really looking forward to the day when my fat butt ends up in one of these things.

The bottom line is this: Much like the infamous Summer Vacation slideshows of the 60s & 70s, we can now torture our guests with the slide's modern cousin (and, thanks to HD TVs that hook up to the home laptop, we can take them with us to friends' houses - They think they can avoid us, but HA! They are wrong). Any time and for whatever reason you might create a video, you have an excellent opportunity to create (a) Voicethread. As a matter of fact, many people are already doing so and they don't even realize it. Assuming one has the technology at hand, one can easily create his/her own presentation whether for personal, professional, or spousal abuse use. Groovy the things you can do with technology now-a-days ain't it?!

Thing #17 - Check. Check. Sibilance. Sibilance.

Remember when you were a kid and your dad let you play with his 10 pound portable tape recorder? Ok. Maybe you don't, but my brother and I spent HOURS recording ourselves doing everything from singing songs, to recording our own radio shows, to actually recording the audio of our favorite TV shows to listen to later at night when we were supposed to be sleeping. I even have some of those tapes, but I'm not sharing my portion of our recordings with anyone. Why? Because I hate the sound of my own voice. I cringe when my boyfriend plays aloud my voice mails I've left for him. I sound so stupid! And, frankly, this is my greatest fear about creating my own podcasts. Well, that and the fact that in my head I'm 5'9" and rail thin; reality is just too cruel. I have, however, subscribed in the past to several other peoples' podcasts through both iTunes and NPR. My first attempt was with Garrison Keillor's Tales from Lake Woebegone. Each week, there would be a new update waiting for me on my iPod (assuming I remembered to plug it into my computer once a week for updating). I ran into two problems. First, I never got around to listening to a podcast until after it had been deleted (Mr. Keillor only shares his stories without charge for about a week). I had hoped that they would just keep piling up until I got around to listening to them all and then I could have a Lake Woebegone marathon. Second, I, unfortunately, have never taken the time to actually master the workings of my iPod. I mean, I know how to work it, but it gets a little more complicated in my car which is where I do most of my listening. As a result, I had trouble actually finding the stupid podcast nestled somewhere between Guns N' Roses and Ella Fitzgerald on my iPod. My boyfriend just dies when I say this, but, it just isn't important enough to me to spend the time figuring it out. If only I could pay Mickey to do it for me . . .

Anyway, although I hate my recorded self, I have no qualms about making my students do podcasts. Unfair, but the world is a cruel, cruel place. :) Anything I would require a video for would make an excellent podcast: presentations, scene re-enactments, well that's about all I require, but the possibilities are endless. I guess, technically, I could even have them discuss via podcast: one posts a question and others respond via their own podcast.

Sadly, I had trouble subscribing to the podcast I really wanted: Grammar Girl. For time's sake, I've decided to skip it for now and return to it at a later date. I also chose NPR Books, which happens to be one of my favorite parts of the NPR lineup anyway. I chose not to download iTunes for the simple reason that I rarely work on my 23Things on my personal computer. As I've already mentioned, I'm not very good about "listening" to things (ironically, I do listen to TV, however). I rarely even listen to music (again, Paul is cringing), so this makes a podcast kind of awkward for me. Considering how much I've complained about my lack of time, one would think podcasts would be my dream come true. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I even tried subscribing to the transcript of Grammar Girl (forgive me Father, for I have broken the commandments of Web 2.0). I promise, however, that I will make a concerted effort to listen to a podcast BEFORE I write Thing #7B so I can include it in my post.

And, for those who don't get my title, it's a Tom Hanks SNL reference (think Wayne's World and the Aerosmith roady).

Thing #18 - I Told You YouTube Was Cool

As much as we complained about the mother who posted her daughter for all the world to see, YouTube is awesome. As a lover of all those home videos of young men busting their butts in attempts to prove just how manly (and stupid) they are, YouTube is a gold mine. Granted, most of the videos I watch are on television (God bless The Smoking Gun and their World's Dumbest series), but at least 99% of those videos started out on YouTube. So many so that I actually recognize videos from YT that I later see on TV.

One of my personal favorites is of this young jackass who, having broken his left arm the night before, attempts to jump two flights of steps on inline skates and with the assistance of his friend driving a JEEP. As he launches toward his destination, common sense seems to grab hold of him, and as he hurtles toward sticking his landing, he decides to try and protect his injured arm only to use his good right arm as a battering ram. As he rolls around on the pavement, grasping his arm in a writhing fetal position and bellowing in pain like a 2 ton holstien, his friends cry out, "Someone call 911! He's broken his other arm!" Both tibula and fibula (as he later refers to them at the hospital) are jaggedly snapped in half and protruding from his skin. Some my find this gross, but I call it Natural Selection and laugh my butt off at his expense.

One of our fellow teachers (Caw who teaches Espanol) uses videos from YT to help his students practice adjectives. The kids watch the video and then yell out the adjective (in Spanish of course) that best describes what they've just watched. And, despite what the institution of Education will have us think about YouTube, it works. The kids are much more likely to remember some chuckle head face-planting off the roof of his bi-level onto the cement pool surround than they are the creepily drawn cartoons found in the text book.

I could never get my YouTube video to embed into this post, so here is my link.

Thing #16 - Library Thingy

Other than being some of the most simplistic writing I've ever encountered in a marketing tool, it really doesn't seem to actually DO that much. Let me start at the beginning.
1) If I'm visiting LibraryThing, I'm probably an avid reader (unless I'm just visiting as a requirement for 23 Things); If I'm an avid reader, I've probably got a pretty extensive vocabulary and a pretty sophisticated reading comprehension; this said, do they really need to sell there product with simple sentences? LT does this. LT does that. With LT, you can x, y and z.

2) My theory behind the above mentioned simple sentences is this: the emptiness of the text is a direct representation of what the product actually offers . . . Little to nothing. If it had something to offer, the description would require in-depth, complex sentences and this tour just doesn't have that.

3) I found the frequent repetition of the mantra "we don't sell books; we share them" rather humorous. This is such a transparent reaction to napster and its legal fallout. I can't say that I blame them, but they are walking a very fine line.

4) My favorite line in the whole tour is "We don't sell books, we just KNOW books". Granted, this is similar to the mantra discussed in #3, but what differentiates this line from the previous is the all caps "KNOW". In actuality, LibraryThing doesn't KNOW books; LibraryThing is nothing more than a complex database that can track trends and find patterns. And, I'm willing to bet, the people behind LibraryThing are not "Book people" but IT gurus who know how to keep the server(s) up and running. If anything, these people know Sci-fi and fantasy (hows that for type casting and racial profiling?!).

5) My bottom line is this: if you are a particularly anal retentive/OCD kind of person (which I am) this service may be just be the greatest thing since sliced bread because it allows us to catalog our personal library. However, back to #1, the techno-readers amongst us are probably reading online of via Kindle already and, therefore, have their literature already cataloged. For those who prefer the smell and tactile experience of reading, a virtual catalog would be unsatisfactory; such people would be much more satisfied with an old-fashioned card catalog (which actually sounds pretty cool).

On a final note, like the rest of the things, LibraryThing is dependent on a students accessibility to technology and, as much as we like to tout our technological prowess, there just isn't the funds to make such tools mandatory. Until then, we will have to continue with the old school ways of doing things.