New Years Resolutions

1. Get back to maintaining this blog - be thoughtful and witty (these are supposed to be big plans right?)
2. Be thankful and happy - remind myself and others that I am doing so
3. Start a lending library for my GED class - more information to follow
4. Work out - just kidding, that one is obligatory

Skeptical about the iPad

To be entirely honest, I still don't understand the purpose of an iPad. Is it a laptop or just an over sized iPhone? It seems awkward and bulky, which is very unlike most Apple products, and all around kind of unnecessary. I would like to play around with one to see what the hype is about - if anyone can explain it to me, be my guest. It is really too bad because Apple is very much a company with its finger on the pulse of the next big thing. I guess every single product can't be a huge success. Here is a really interesting article I found by an Education student suggesting ways the iPad could be used in classes. The biggest problem I have with most suggestions for technology integration in classrooms is the complete disregard for issues of funding. Of course I want every one of my students to have a laptop to do in-class research, but realistically I am planning on working in districts that currently have textbooks that are years out of date, so no matter how much I would like to incorporate technology, it just isn't feasible. Such a frustrating dilemma! iPad Stand - Flickr Photo

Hmm..

I thought this video was really interesting! I'm not 100% sure if we should trust all of the statistics because I'm not entirely sure where it came from but it is thought provoking and definitely something to think about - enjoy!

Fools!

Happy April Everyone - you know what that means...watch out for pranks all day! Leave it to Google, who have a monopoly over most things on the internet, to pull a trick on all of its customers. Not that it was super convincing, but fun nonetheless. Google claimed ot have changed their official name to Topeka to honor the city in Kansas that wants to change their name to Google.

Just for fun and in case you didn't know, the history of playing jokes on April 1st is thought to have come from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Check this out for a list of classic pranks that TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers have played on their viewers.