Futuring

Fox Becomes a Better Person is an outstanding example of storytelling using technology to the fullest. That is my first impression. Second, I think most of my highschoolers would struggle to do the same thing, partly because the availability of access to good technology is not readily had, or at least unseen by me. I think Hannah does an excellent job narrating the story and is animated throughout the whole performance putting on a show that is worth the time and I think that the presentation of a story using digital narration and traditional storytelling is a definite success.

School Train is an amazing piece of work by a class of young students. the special effects are fantastic but sometimes visually epileptic. The connection to trains was very cool and it was great how the students made connections between that and there class work, homework and books. I understood what was going on after I thought about it for a little while and maybe they were trying to be subtle with an overall deeper meaning. On the other hand there was a lot of special effects that had absolutely nothing to do with the material they were trying to relay.

But is this an easy to come by use of technology for most students? as far as grading goes I am not sure how I would assess these two entirely different uses of technology. I know that I’m avoiding the question. Ha. I think that to fairly assess these, they must be rated on a system that takes into account the technology available, the time invested, the quality of other projects of peers (if any), presentation, and the content knowledge. With the most important being the presentation of the content in an orderly and understandable manner. Crap, lets just give em A's, they both looked pretty good to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQDBhg60UNI

Epic2015 portrays the end of news as we know it. A shift to sources that have less to do with the world and more to do with personal opinion and the ability of computers to make choices as to what is newsworthy for the minions who lack the foresight to question the data that streams into our homes and lives via 21^st century technology. If we look at Wikipedia we can see this shift beginning to happen. The definition by any and all as to what is truth. Students need to be concerned as to what they ingest when surfing and taught to question any and all sources. What is mostly honest, reliable, and trustworthy and what is junk? But how does this apply to the classroom? If things continue on and progress they way that Epic2015 suggests it will be my students creating the news. I believe technology is becoming more and more relied upon by the younger generation and that the students who have it at their fingertips will be better equipped to take over and write the future.

I really enjoyed the SabrinaJourney and while it seems rather basic I think that it is extremely effective and could very easily be applied to any number of assignments or projects in my classroom. I have been having students do power point presentations for a few of my classes and I think that these projects could be converted to Pod cast format. Two concerns would be the amount of time invested in creating these as I try to limit the amount of time that is needed outside the classroom for homework and the other being the horrible access to any type of useful technology in the school. A little explanation: Wasilla High – old school, on average two computers per classroom, very restricted access to the internet (most anything useful is blocked by the district), promethean boards in most classrooms (this is great but one can still barely scratch the surface because of censorship). Maybe I just need to re-learn how to use a card catalog in the library to find pictures that I can then trace onto a blackboard using an overhead projector. Volumed encyclopedias are good too. Other than that I love the pod cast and think it can be a great tool. I will find a way, just maybe not the one I originally had in mind.

Fuel The Burn - My Carbon Footprint

I love to ride bikes and cannot remember a time in my life that I have been without one. As important of a role as the bicycle has played in my life it has fallen by the wayside in my hometown. Living 6 miles out of town makes driving that much more convenient and my bicycles have become more of garage coat racks and shiny ornaments that lean against the shed.

For my energy conservation project I plan to rescue my bicycles from a life of neglect and see what kind of fuel savings I will have in commuting to school on two wheels instead of four. I anticipate saving money and creating less carbon emissions. Come rain, snow, or sun I plan to compare driving and fuel consumption to a life at the cranks of spoked wheels and a greasy chain. The big question and challenge: can I ride to work as many or more days as I drive. I think its gonna be a long winter.......

The data for milage will be recorded for commuting to school and back as well as errands around town. Like many Alaskans I own a big truck, a 2000 Dodge 2500 (3/4ton) diesel which actually does well on highway mpg (19-20). At the time of purchase a truck sounded like a good idea, looking back I probably should have gone with the subaru. Recently, some unforseen mechanical gremlins, of the large sort, have kept it parked in the driveway with parts and pieces filling the bed. So my nice big truck has been relegated to being a shiny flower pot. Perfect. To begin my study I am driving an '89 Nissan pathfinder which in its current state maybe, and I stress maybe gets 11 mpg. Both vehicles are high mileage, 167,000 on the truck and 196,000 on the pathfinder. As I will continue to explore the cost and emission savings associated with the manpower vs. fuel power I will watch to see what kind of differences the cold makes and record warm up times.

So.... can I get to work using nothing but self propelled power as often as I burn fossil fuel or will I give in to the comfort of a heated cab, good tunes and leather seats and console my attempt with "it sounded like a good idea at the time"?....