I'm concerned about the money I do not even have (and two tech projects due next week does not help)

Well, the economy is teetering off the cliff of depression. It's early Thursday morning and I cannot sleep. Reading mass media reports on the Presidential summit featuring Bush, Obama and McCain is actually refreshing - it's about time some of those archaic, party boundaries are dissolved, even if it is only temporary and in their best interest.

On today's class, there were some interesting topics discussed. I definitely was not impressed with eprintable.com just because I know I would never use it. Selfish, absolutely.

We talked about it in class, but veditor.net was certainly practical. However, it is a dangerous tool. It's along the same line as sparknotes.com in that it does all the work for you. There has to be some brain activity taking place, especially in the correction of papers. That is how mistakes are learned from.

I respectfully disagree with the notion that Microsoft Word is actually beneficial to the student as a speller. Personally, I feel as if I have become a worse speller since computers have become the norm for writing. Sometimes, I wish that typing on a computer was not so efficient.

Komando.com was a resource. And I really cannot hate her for wanting to make the most money and live the American dream. Her site offers the convenience of having a variety of tech tips even though you can no longer search the archives for free.

Email marketing was an aspect of technology I never even considered. I figured that whichever school I worked at would provide general services for students to get grade updates and school reminders. However, how applicable would this be at Central High School. I always return to my experience there because it is one that I will never forget. I cannot understand how a school can be that poorly run, that obsolete and that helpless.

I was not remotely impressed with Discovery Education United Streaming. Maybe that was because the internet was kinking out during class or there weren't enough servers or whatever it was. All I know is that the videos were on par with bad utube and the videos seemed outdated.

Anyway, as I stir in bed and wonder what the economy will yield tomorrow, I realize that I'm still a student. And I despise politics. A LOT.

I didn't want to think creatively, so I went on sloganizer.net instead (NOT!)

Once again, I put off homework that I should have been doing last week. I'm surfing the internet and looking at unnecessary sports fodder. The internet offers a wide variety of opportunities and resources; it also has A LOT of senseless junk.

Class today touched on an eclectic amount of information. As the title may suggest, I thought sloganize.net was one of the laziest concepts I have ever heard of. And all of the slogans were recycled, so there was an overlap.

A L is really petty. There is no reason not to offer free trial access. What good is the website if you can't see it and try it out before purchasing an account? It's all about money, which is a shame.

Mybib is the most user friendly bibliography site I have ever seen. I'm actually giddy in anticipation for when I use it for a bibliography. I especially like that it does all of the work for you - I always felt like it took too much time to create a bibliography. Between looking the information up and using the right style, it was a hassle.

I do not know when I'll use Internet 4 classrooms, but, it's a resource.

I've put off learning about Microsoft Excel all of these years; I think it might be time.

A Neanderthal could have used Weebly. It is so simple and it prompts everything you do. Love that.

There is a wealth of information the internet offers. While I might think sloganize.net is a waste of time that drains any creative effort, others might feel that it is efficient. My point is that maybe the internet has outpaced the people; why bother thinking if there is a website that can do it for you?

it's raining, i'm smoking a cigarette and i can not taste that new Microsoft commercial (or my cigarette forr that matter)

Microsoft has been pimping itself all over the TV recently with an advertisement that features Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. It is brutal. Not only does Bill Gates look like ET, but Jerry is chubby and not funny. If you're going to be chubby, it's fine; but, if you're not making anyone laugh, then what good are you? Just ask Jason Alexander. Loser.

The discussion in class was interesting because I never realized what an asset Answers.com can be. I always just thought it was another crappy search engine. In truth, though, the page summaries that were returned looked to be glorified Wikipedia pages. Which is OK if that's what you're looking for.

Edutopia, George Lucas' educational initiative was intriguing because who would have thought that the Star Wars guy was such an education buff. Good for him, because not enough celebrities care, whether it's education, AIDS or reading programs, there is never enough.

"Start with the Pyramid: Real World Issues Motivate Students" was a wonderful article. I have always thought that the manner in which school runs is a bit archaic. And I do not mean that in a bad way. The world is advancing, however, and schools are being left behind.

I particularly liked the architecture project by Mountlake Terrace High School, in Washington, where students developed a futuristic classroom for the year 2050. Their research proposal/scale drawings/budgets were then submitted to a panel of professional architect where a winner was chosen.

What it comes down to is that there is only so much book work that can be done. After a while, you just have to get out into the field and do it. George Lucas is doing it because he cares. And because his pockets are just a little bit bigger than his stomach.

Bill Gates' new commercial, however, does not get it done. At all.

He's losing his mind, and I'm reaping all of the benefits (said in creepy Jon Lovitz voice from The Wedding Singer)

I was watching The Wedding Singer the other day, and I realized two truths.

1. It's an awesome movie
2. The eighties suck

As far as this class goes, it is something different, which, as a Senior, I can appreciate. I also like that the class is very hands on; while I am a novice with technology, I expect the class to challenge me.

I found the article from class on educational technology intriguing simply because I did not realize that schools were so lacking in the area. I always thought that the rich schools had the technology and the poor schools did not. That line of thinking still applies today.

It is 100 % true that many teachers are ill prepared to assimilate educational technology and interactive learning into their classrooms. However, I do not believe that a classroom should be solely run with educational technology. There needs to be some book work, not busy work. I remember the computers in elementary school being an absolute waste of time, but that was only because they were old and the teachers were inept with them.

Just from my observations at Central High School in Bridgeport, the students have few opportunities to broaden their horizons. The Tech Labs are always booked and the Tech teachers are seldom at the school, yet they are paid like full time teachers.

What place does technology have in the classroom? It should be a strong influence, but it should not be the only means of learning. If the students were able to utilize modern technology, they would have more interest in school. The quality of their work would also increase.

As we discussed in class, educational technology is essentially useless unless it is taught properly to the students. Various forms of mass media consume the time of every single American.

Turning some of that time into productive time is the first step.

First post

This is a test post - i hope it works.

and a nap would be nice too.