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Pinterest.com

Source: amerrierworld.com via Andrea on Pinterest

Example from Pinterest.com - an online pinboard to capture all of your interests

Newspaper Clippings!

Created using the Newspaper Clipping Generator. Although I used this to reflect on a few new Web 2.0 tools I learned while attending the MassCUE 2011 Conference, I think this could be a great way for students to share their writing.

Too much technology?

After reading the article "Booting Down", it got me thinking... is multi-tasking between so many different pieces of technology distracting me from my real work? Am I just like the students in the article referred to as the "dumbest genreation" made up of "multi-tastking slackers"? Nahh.... not me :P

Well, maybe.

I currently have countless Internet Explorer windows and tabs open and another handful of programs running as well. My school email is a must to have open... I need to be constantly checking it throughout my day along with trying to move ahead with the other countless tasks and projects on my "To Do" list. Then there are the other interuptions... "excuse me, can you...?" If I didn't know how to multi-task, I'd be in big trouble. And probably in a different job and line of work right now.

However, when it comes down to wire and I have a deadline for something due... I find myself shutting out all of my districtions and buckling down to the task at hand... well, except for maybe my iPod playing music or listening to some Jazz hits on my Pandora station... I find music helps me to focus on the task at hand-- just music and not music videos. (YouTube, you are a horrible distraction to me!)

Of course hands down, my number one distraction is my cell phone. If I hope to accomplish anything, I have to shut it off or put it on silent and force myself not to look at it. I have three different email accounts hooked up to it along with all of the apps... what happened to phones being just phones?

I think it is important to be able to recognize what you need to do to get a task/project done. If you need to shut off all electronic devices, do it. If you can manage to still be connected to the world while completing tasks/projects-- go for it. I think that students probably need to do some self-reflection in order to recognize how much technology they are able to use while still be productive.

Oh, and Jetta guy this morning I saw on the highway who was texting and gently swerving around his lane, stop it. That's just too much technology.

Add a Dash of Humor...

Technology not working? Frustrated? Don't worry about it...

Reach for the stars with technology and you may come up short...

Be nice to the techie... they suffer thru a lot...

Just a few tid-bits of humor to brighten your day... it'll be fine and yes, we are past the halfway point.

Overcoming road blocks: Technological Problems

So the issues surrounding commenting on our colleague's blogs continues! As of today, people still were having problems adding comments to posts. After joining my own blog, I still continued to have the problem of adding a comment to my own blog as well. W.T.H. I just want my technology to work and I want it to work now.

So, I decided to bring in a consultant who knows way more than me: Google. Whenever I run into problems, I do a Google search to see if someone else has had the same problem. I'm hesitant to say always, but almost ALWAYS, there is someone out there having the same technological problems as me. And bingo! I have my solution.

First, I changed the Settings of my comments to only allow users with Google accounts to post comments on my blog. Next I signed out of my Blogger and then I cleared the cache (memory) of my Internet Explorer. I actually ended up Deleting everything-- page history, Temp files, forms, passwords-- everything. Go to Tools --> Internet Options --> Click DELETE... and then click DELETE again.

I then logged back into my Blogger using my Google account. I UNCHECKED the box to remember me. And VOILA! I am successfully able to post comments on my blog and others! YAHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I do love technology when it works!!!!!!!! :)

Our Comfort Zone

Ok, stop... think... and try again!

I think of myself as a pretty calm person, but when things don't go the way I plan, I get flustered. Simple case: key goes into your car's ignition and you expect it to start. When it doesn't, what do you do? Now add in that you have to be at work within 30 minutes for a meeting. I was finally able to get a very nice neighbor to jump my car for me as I had very stupidly left the car's light on all night. These things happen and what else can you do, but to try to move on with your day? As I left my parking lot, I tried to leave behind the feeling of frustration with it. The day could only get better.... but then again, it could be a lot worse. My car could have blown up on me like in those action films where the villian gets blown up when trying to start his car. But I digress...

My cluster from this morning reminded me of how other people must feel like when they are trying to use a piece of technology for the first time. I spend my whole day using technology and assisting others in the use of technology. My patience is normally tried by the end of the day, but I can honestly say that I love my job. I get to work with adults and use technology. It's the best of worlds for my geeky self and social self. The humor piece to the whole scenario is probably the best part. Adults get sarcasm, which I am versed extremely well in using on a daily basis.

At the best of times, technology tries us and pushes us way outside of our comfort zones. And when it doesn't work, we want to inflict severe violence on the computer and/or piece of technology that is refusing to cooperate with us. But it's okay. And it will be okay.

If technology is not working right for you, then I would suggest to stop, take a deep breathe, and try it again. Ask for help from your colleagues and students. Most students today are digital natives- not immigrants and they know the language of technology extremely well. They have that second nature ability to just "figure it out". Don't worry, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we try our hardest to deal with life's curve balls. But every once in awhile isn't it nice to understand what the student feels like to be frustrated that he can't do long division? Or that she just simply can't write a thematic essay? I, for one, am hoping that I never stop being the student and learning as much as I can in life... no matter how frustrated I get.