"For what we are about to see next, we must enter quietly into the realm of genius..."

This will be a very short post, for I have not much to say on Friday's class. I very much liked the idea of using a webinar in the classroom, but for very different reasons. Now, I am going to say what is on my mind, without taking into consideration the funding that it would require, or the practicability of it actually being able to happen. But, this is my blog, and I am going to just say what I think- if you don't like it, and if you want to tell me about the money issues or the absurdity of it, than we can argue about it in Shari's class with all the other educational issues ( I am just joking, because as I learned in Shari's class during conflict resolution, I am a chameleon and I don't do conflict).

My idea is for students (first my students, next students from all over the united states) to begin a common day pen-pal-like conversation with someone from another state or another country. The idea is for two people to talk who have nothing in common except for their age and their status as a student. They will have different backgrounds, different traditions, and even different ways of life. These students will talk via Skype or even email (now, remember what I said: I am dreaming, and my dreams exclude reality (which means money)). Students will be able to learn from each other and to teach others about themselves. It is a lesson in finding yourself, as well as understanding others.

So this ties back into class, I promise! First, the idea of the webinar sparked my interest in using Skype. However, if I were to use this type of technology in my class, many changes will have to be made. This is because I had a very hard time concentrating in class during the webinar, and I cannot imagine what high school students would be like in that situation. First, whether it was the connection or not, I found it very hard to hear what the two educators were trying to say. I think, out of that whole conversation, I caught every six words. Second, the connection was bad, since during the middle of the webinar, we lost contact. On Friday, people were able to use their own computers to catch the webinar, so there wasn't a heavy reliance on the main screen. Yet, I do not know if I am going to allow students to bring laptops into the classroom. Therefore, I will need to make sure that the technology works by doing a test run. I will also make sure that students are paying attention by having them either answer questions on a sheet or having them prepare their own questions to ask the students on the other side of the screen (or both). I will want them to be able to discuss and explain the culture they have learned about.

I am going to end my blog here, because any more would require me to write about twitter. I am not sure how I feel about twitter and my being forced into using it for graduate school. I have decided to leave my mind open when it comes to twitter, and try to learn about and (one day, hopefully) appreciate the benefits it has to offer for learning. When looked at this way, twitter is not a site where I can read about celebrities excellent, worry-free, high-class lives (while I sit in my un-air conditioned apartment), or post exciting tidbits about my wonderful day in grad school (where most of my time is now spent). I am now using it as a site to find other educators, learn from their wise words, and use this information to shape my curriculum and teaching methods.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday! If my post seems too much like a long, miserable rant, it is probably because I spent my night watching Woody Allen's newest movie, Whatever Works. Two hours of Larry David will have some effect on the brain! Though, if you are a Larry David fan, I recommend the movie!