iPad Textbooks

Sorry - no quick blogger link to this article, but it is one worth mentioning.  As I'm sure you're aware, Apple released two new apps that target the education textbook market.  Click here to read the full article.

I'm excited as a teacher to see how technology is fundamentally changing, not just education, but communication across the globe.  I've read two solid books on the issue (well currently in the second): Groundswell and Public Parts.  Both discuss how digital tools are outpacing traditional educational practices as well as marketing, networking, and politics.  They're chalk full of examples of organizations using technology to "get an edge" in their respective fields.  And yes, blogging is certainly one of the tools - I'd say there's little argument based off the success just from our class (that has moved on from Creative Writing and into Public Speaking but continues to use this medium).

Back to the issue.  Apple's new apps are offering students an interactive textbook that provides much more than informative text and lifeless answers.  Students can zoom on diagrams, take notes, highlight and post inquiries, take practice quizzes with instant feedback, minimize and search for supplementary material, open Skye to address local residential impact, then come to class to discuss their findings.  It's pretty powerful stuff if you ask me.  As a teacher, I view it as "getting out of the way" of our children's education.

Thoughts?  Comment here.

Christmas

Christmas is my favorite holiday, and not just for the obvious reasons.  The meaning of Christmas seems to evolve every year.  Some of my fondest memories are the early mornings, dragging my parents out of bed and running into an over crowded living room with my three siblings.  Santa always made four equal piles of impressive size and we begrudgingly took turns opening presents. 

Now, I look at Christmas through a completely different lens but still have the same ear-to-ear grin - but for different reasons.  For this blog, express when you found out about the truth of Christmas.  What is the meaning of Christmas?

Pike River Mine

Late October, 2005.  The remaining students vacated Rockwell and left the halls an eerie, desolate place.  All but a handful of permanent residents remained on campus and left the dorms untenanted, including the student store.  It’s been nearly two months since I met Mike and George, two Kiwis’ a few years younger than I; we’ve become good mates as it were and were planning on hijacking the school car after raiding the student store for provisions.  Road trip for fall break.

Driving in Europe is equivalent to throwing a football left-handed.  After taking a seat behind the wheel in what I normally deem “shotgun,” reaching up and across with my right arm to grab an imaginary seatbelt, and grabbing the door to shift into first, we speedily drove out to the main drag with a backseat full of crisps and Snicker bars.  First stop – Cork, about a two-hour drive.

One of the other teachers is originally from Cork and put us up for the night.  Being the oldest I had dibs on the couch.  Her family encouraged us to stay an additional night but we had made plans to rent surfboards in Galway.  Our night in Cork, while memorable, would be a footnote in one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life.

The drive along the west coast to Galway is scenic, a dream-like world full of ancient-old stone fences and vast fields of the richest green.  The scenery came and went much too fast – as did Ireland.  We ate lunch in haste in anticipation for surfing in the Atlantic.  After suiting up and snapping a few shots, we took to the cold ocean and paddled out to the surf.

I suck at surfing, but did manage a few waves.

The tidal change came as a surprise as did the peril of exiting the rocky shore.   In what seemed a matter of minutes, the natural rock steps leading out of the water on the elevated shore transformed from a thing of beauty to a gauntlet of crashing waves on resilient stone.  Mike’s ignorance nearly cost him his life.  I watched helplessly from above as he timed his endeavor in between waves.  We socialized over the feat and bragged over who was the best novice surfer.

My recollection of the remaining week is fading now.  My thoughts are full of lesson plans and household chores, bills to pay and calendar dates.  The only reason I strained my mind to recall that week was the Facebook reminder of Mike’s birthday.  I wonder how long I’ll receive reminders before his account is deleted.

You see, it was Mike who persuaded us to borrow the school’s car.  It was he who convinced me that despite receiving a parking ticket and tire boot in Northern Ireland, my teaching certificate wouldn’t be revoked.  Mike had the key to the student store and told me to live a little.  And after paying back the store and realizing the school would never catch wind of the ticket, we were left with memories of driving around one of the most scenic countries in the world, surfing and sharing a few laughs with friends who happened to be in the same place at the same time.

My only regret is that I didn’t take advantage of his offer to live with his family for a while after I graduated college.  Life is short.  I received his second birthday reminder from Facebook a few weeks ago and I hope that I continue to receive them for years to come.  The Pike River Mine accident last November, while occurring literally halfway around the world, stands as one of the most existential experiences of my life.  Rest in peace, mate.  

Narrative

I changed the topic from "personal narrative" to plain old "narrative" because I want you to take poetic license and generate a work of fiction that illustrates your best creativity.  I will maintain that the best short stories are those that reflect personal experience, one that many other people have yet to endure.  Or perhaps, a deep criticism that many people don't contemplate as in "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," one of my favorite short stories.  Today, I challenge you to consider your graphic organizers as a mere springboard of thought, and type up to two pages that engage the reader with your created protagonist.  Make the reader feel like he/she is part of the conflict by sparing no details.  Don't just merely tell me what is going on, but make me feel what is going on through sharing the same experiences as the protagonist.

I don't need to be present to check your work ethic.  Make a timed-goal to write for whatever reasonable and challenging time allotment you create and stick to it.

Time

Everyone has twenty-four hours in a day, yet the old cliche, "There's never enough time," always finds its way into day-to-day life.  Do you think life is too fast? Too chalk full of responsibilities that inhibit one from enjoying life?

I challenge you to find an article that indicates sleep is an overrated necessity.  Football players get home around eleven.  Elementary kids have practice until eight o'clock.  Musical participants pull all-nighters.  I suppose the bottom line questions are as follows: Do we do too much?  Should we slow down and choose fewer activities?

Browse online for ideas and write your thoughts in a developed blog.

Does Money Equal Happiness?

I'm giving you a lot of latitude with today's topic, "Money."  In one way shape or form, think about how money affects your life, your future, your social clique.  I'll offer a few things to think about to get you started:

According to http://www.finaid.org/loans/, the average student loan debt for a four-year degree is just under $30,000.  But wait, calculate an average of seven percent interest on a ten-year loan and you're talking about repaying $41,799.05 at $348.33/month.  Can you make the monthly payments?

I'm curious to hear how money (or lack there of) affects your high school social life or even extra curricular activities.  Now obviously you can spare me the details, but are there activities that are just not possible because of financial constraints?

Is working a minimal-wage job during high school worth the time?

Okay, how much money do you need right now to meet your "wish list"?  How long would you be content?

Anything else?

What Works: Cultivating presence - Busted Halo

What Works: Cultivating presence - Busted Halo


Part of the reason I moved to Alaska is summed up in this article. Think about the idea of taking a step back and, to honor the metaphor, watch the river from afar. There's something to be said about observing many ideas, entertaining them, but not becoming consumed with any one thought. I'd like to hear what you think!