Well, I learned this week how much I really depend on having a computer in my class. Earlier this week, my classroom computer got sick. Dr. Fisch took care of it, but I was without it for 2.5 days.
With all of my lesson plans currently on PowerPoint, I felt completely helpless. I had to return to my planbook, which if you see it, it is pretty empty because everything is on the computer.
This morning I woke up in a panic thinking I would not have my computer with my overhead projector for Back to School Night. Luckily, my precious computer was returned to me this morning. :)
What an eyeopening experience this week. I don't know. Maybe I have become too dependent on technology because it is so easy to use.

This week has been somewhat crazy, but the PowerPoint agenda has been awesome. I have also added vocabulary lessons for my ninth grade into the agenda, so that I can jsut click to it.

I am a little overwhelmed by the beginning of the schoolyear. I feel like I didn't have enough time to get ready for classes and now I am just running to catch up to do all of the things I want to do in class.

I still have to set up my blogger accounts with my students and I am wondering if they have already emailed me for a distribution list and I have their email addresses, can I just add them to blogger???

Now that Link is off and running, I have had a chance to sit down and decide what I want to do in my classes. I am currently doing an agenda on Powerpoint for all of my classes. I did this last year for Elements of Comp. and I loved having my lesson plans on the computer. I have also had my students email me, along with their parent, so that I can set up distribution lists for email. I have found this invaluable over the years. It is helpful for reminding students of assignments due and contacting the parents if necessary.

I hope to set up my Blog accounts once MAP testing is done.

The World Is Flat

Well, to be completely honest, I have only gotten through half the book. But, I am fascinated by the idea of how much technology is changing the world. Obviously I know that change is occuring. It's everywhere. However, I am surprised to the extent that it is happening.

When I read about Walmart, and the fact that when a customer takes something off the shelf that starts a process to reshelf, I was blown away. I thought the scanner was just a quicker way to get out of the store. :)

I also feel somewhat clueless about how companies are manipulating customers. The Toshiba laptop story comes to mind. Your laptop breaks and you take it to UPS to fix. You assume that it is being sent to Japan to be fixed, when in actually it is being sent to some local shop to be fixed. On one hand, I think this is brilliant. On the other hand, as a customer, I would feel somewhat compromised.

Lots of different ideas to ponder.