Time's Top 50 Websites of 2009

I came across this article today and found some fun sites that I had never heard of before: 50 Best Websites 2009 My personal new favorites are Visuwords, Know Your Meme, Kiva and Boing Boing. Sometimes though, I feel like my mind is on sensory overload. There is so much out there how can we possibly absorb it all, make it useful and continue to lead a peaceful and productive life?

Something to Consider

This video made me re-think a couple of things as I considered the use of ipods and cell phones in the classroom. Who says texting has to be the enemy of the 21st century teacher? How can we use it more effectively? How can I use it in a Spanish class and still keep kids speaking Spanish?

Pay Attention Video

Last night I went to see Rodrigo y Gabriela (www.rodgab.com) in concert. I managed to snag a spot on the third floor which I personally feel has the best view since it's amazing to watch their hands fly. As I looked down at the crowd below I couldn't help but think about how different concerts are now compared to ten years ago. I saw a sign that said "No flash photography" and thought about how once upon a time we had to wear the camera around our necks to get it in. Now it's not necessary since you can't find a phone that doesn't have one. I experimented with my Blackberry and was able to take and upload pictures as well as (poorly) record video all without anyone asking me to stop. Is this legal? Are there copyright issues? When reading about multimodalities and the multitude of examples given to motivate students and teach them media literacy skills...what are the implications for copyright laws?

Venezuela, Chavez and Education

I came across this article today about Hugo Chavez issuing a new educational law mandating that politics be taught in schools. It struck me as interesting to compare it to the fallout of President Obama's national speech to schoolchildren last week. There seem to me to be some similarities in the way that the message was delivered and also in the way that citizens received it. Hopefully, though, the differences outweigh the similarities...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/america_latina/2009/09/090916_venezuela_clases_amab.shtml

(Sorry, I tried looking for it in English but couldn't find anything related.)

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The $150 Space Camera: MIT Students Beat NASA On Beer-Money Budget

The $150 Space Camera: MIT Students Beat NASA On Beer-Money Budget

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Oh what dreams may come!

The Machine is Us/ing Us

We didn't get to talk about this video in class tonight...yet it really made me consider the ways in which communication has changed throughout the last 15 years. While I was studying for my undergrad degree, email was a novelty sweeping through college campuses. Now, I'm trying to embrace technology and change my thinking about what literacy means. Which brings my thoughts back to the video...we seem to be in a constant state of creating new gadgets and applications to do more and share even more. We are connected all the time. Is this how we are the machine? Or is it how the machine is using us?