The Caffinated Carbivore

2013-09-18T15:04:00.001-05:00

Pair this: Time's Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills are Killing us with this video

Sandy Hook Scholarship

2012-12-21T10:08:00.000-06:00

Educators across the globe have been deeply affected by the tragedy in Sandy Hook. We have seen multiple Tweets and Blogs about how to address violence in our schools. We haves seen parents, military personnel, and police officers camped out at our schools to make our children feel more safe. President Obama released a gun violence statement today before the NRA press conference – people are pointing fingers at the NRA, gun salespersons, even Call of Duty. In all the media blitz, we have forgotten that the families who lost loved ones must find a way to put their lives back together; regardless of whether violent games are to blame, they still lost their children. In memory of those students, Aflac has started a fundraiser to create a scholarship for survivors. Please donate today.

Crowdfunding

TransMedia Projects

2011-10-25T23:02:00.007-05:00

This new term has been flying across the internet, from creative to advertising mediums.

So what exactly is a TransMedia project?

A TransMedia project places content on multiple stages, such as Facebook or Twitter, and uses each medium to tell a part of the story. This type of storytelling offers a deeper appreciation for projects because of the varying strengths of these mediums. In this way, viewers often become more engrossed in stories or characters because they can interact with them on Facebook, get live and instant updates via Twitter, and watch new episodes on YouTube. This type of advertising offers strength in its variety; the message is sent to multiple audiences simultaneously and can be altered accordingly.

One new TransMedia project is highly anticipated in the comedy world: I Made America.

Particularly timely in light of the upcoming election, I Made America is a comedy sketch about a few founding fathers stuck in the mire that is our current campaign trail. The fathers have Facebook pages, offering a unique degree of interactivity.

John Adams
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Hamilton

Ben Franklin

The characters will also be appearing in various physical locations, taking TransMedia outside the digital world (CAUTION CURSING):

TransMedia projects such as I Made America truly stretch the boundaries of what is considered "digital media"; with multiple aps (Twitter, Facebook, etc) running simultaneously,viewership rises to a whole new level.

Charles Dickens and the publishing industry figured it out early: publishing in installments increases viewership. Perhaps it's the anticipation. The real new territory here is interactivity. Typically as interactivity increases so does the success of the show. Causality may include increased show exposure, increased/diversified feedback from audiences, wider audiences (internet options allow multicultural audiences to access the show), amongst others. The real success lies within increased audience participation: more audience investment often yields more commitment, and for a TV show, this means a dense and long-standing audience base.

Shows such as I Made America serve as interesting test pilots for the future of programing...keep an eye on these guys.

End foreign oil dependence with our ultimate renewable resource

2011-10-20T14:13:00.007-05:00

The abundant elemental resources available to us often go unused (i.e., solar and wind power. Solar panels are too expensive! We could power most of the United States if we covered the entire state of Nevada in solar panels, but the trade-off between a hot shower for every American and thousands of acres of desert is clearly too much to ask Windmills cause visual displeasure apparently larger than gray smog and smoke stacks).

Teachers complain daily of poor performers, American hunger is on the rise (what's worse, as food stamp usage increases, so does its abuse), 1/3 of foster children are abused, juvenile crimes are increasing, the population is at an all time high, and scientists worry about feeding future generations. The idea of eating our own children is simply barbaric, so I have my own modest proposal*:

Babies.

Crawl, Baby! CRAWL!

Too cruel? Exploiting children to make your clothes cheaper is cruel. Destroying habitats is cruel.

Too illogical? Burning corn when half the world is starving is illogical (not to mention the process to make it into fuel creates pollutants).

Actually, creativity is our ultimate renewable resource. If you can't come up with something more ethical, clean-burning, logical, and renewable than "babies", we really are screwed.

*Created for the purpose of Preventing The Children of Poor People From Being Aburden to Their Parents or Country, and
For Making Them Beneficial to The Public

How the Internet is changing student brains

2011-10-20T13:35:00.005-05:00

There has been a great deal of speculation of the years about how the Internet is effecting the next generation of students: does it shorten their attention spans? Do they expect different lesson plans?

While technlogy in the classroom offers new formats for education, not all students are more tech-savvy than their older counterparts, nor do they always prefer to use technology (this is a stereotype of their generation that teachers should avoid).

The implications of technology may extend past new technique or preference, however. Recent studies presented by the BBC found a correlation between a persons' Facebook friends count and the size of the "social", "memory", and "emotional" areas of their brain.

The social impacts of social media may not be suprising.
Dr. Ryota Kanai of University College, London, states, "We have found some interesting brain regions that seem to link to the number of friends we have - both 'real' and 'virtual'."

The "emotional" part of the brain, called the amygdala, is the focus of emotional activity in the brain. While the debate still rages as to its ability to manage "basic" versus "social" emotions, it is still studied as the hub of emotional activity in the brain. The size of the amygdala was shown to be linked to the size and complexity of the persons' real world social networks. This leads to further questions about emotional intelligence (can it be taught? can it be measured? can you increase your emotional intelligence?).

The fact that the internet effects memory may be key in student research. Recently, scientists have found that IQ can change in teenage years, but have not identified the "how" or "why". As social media impact memory, and memory impacts IQ, the need for more long-term internet study is clear; "We cannot escape the ubiquity of the internet and its impact on our lives, yet we understand little of its impact on the brain, which we know is plastic and can change over time," says Dr. Williams, head of Neuroscience at Welcome Trust.

Stimulate your classes' creativity

2011-09-28T15:48:00.004-05:00

Abstract words are often difficult for students to define. Words like "love" change with time, your experiences, and your context. Many reserachers and educators wonder at the impact the recent anniversary of September 11th and the bleak outlook for the American economy has on current students image of America and patriotism itself.

Depending on how you execute this lesson, this activitiy offers a unique opportunity for students to learn and excersise multiple skills:
-Defining abstract words: Understanding that a word can have multiple meanings (both to themselves and others) and learning how to negotiate words' multiplicity.
-Creativity: Understanding that words do not appear just in letters, but also images. Learning how images impact the viewer.
-Basic letter writing skills (no, they are not a foregon art): Learning how to write a saluatation, introduction, and conclusion (this is also helpful when learning to write a self-narrative and basic paragraph).
-Civic Engagement/Community service: Learning how each person can impact another.
-Self-awareness: Learning a little bit more about themselves and how identity is created.

Opperation Gratitude Lesosn Plan
Before the lesson:
-Order FREE flat rate envelopes (so you don't have to pay for the envelopes, and no matter how much you include you don't pay for weight). Find out how/if your school will reimburse you for postage.
-Decide if you want to include your personal/school email for feedback. This may or may not establish a connection between your class and soldiers stationed abroad.
-One blank envelope per student
-Printed letter explaining the class activity for each envelope. Decide if you want to sign it or have the students sign.
-Find a few video/sound clips of America/Patriotism (suggestion: find a few examples from different time periods to show the class how Patriotism has changed over time).

The day of the lesson.
1. Show the Americanism clips you've chosen.
2. Ask the students what they think an American is. Get them into image mode by asking questions like "what does an American look like?" "What adjectives describe an American?" etc
3. Provide the students with markers, crayons, paper, etc. NO GLITTER. Ask them to draw what an American looks like.

OR
1. Show the Americanism clips you've chosen.
2. Ask the students what "patriotism" means. You will get many answers.
3. Tell the students there are many meanings for this word, and that is okay. Patriotism means a lot of things to a lot of people, and the meaning of this word has changed over time.
4. Explain that not all words have one meaning. Give examples: Love.
5. Have the students draw "love". Choose a few examples to share, expalaining that each option is correct.
6. Now ask the students to draw "patriotism". Explain that these pictures will be sent to soldiers abroad, who are executing their version of "patriotism" through self-sacrifice.
7. Help each student place their picture in the evelope, then place the envelopes in the larger flat rate envelope. Do NOT seal the individual envelopes.
8. After class, mail large envelope to:
Operation Gratitude
17330 Victory Blvd
Van Nuys, CA 91406

Lesson Extention Ideas
-At the end of the year, ask students if their idea of patriotism has changed
-Keep up correspondance with any soldier who replies

*Operation Gratitude sends letters and care packages to Americans stationed abroad. You can also donate beanie babies and care items. Check out other information on the project here.

Dress For Success

2011-06-20T14:52:00.003-05:00

Dr. Scholl's For Her (they sell those cushy high heel insoles) is sponsoring a $25,000 shoe donation to Dress For Success, a company devoted to providing underprivileged women with business attire.

Women are STILL under-represented in many higher level positions, and worse, STILL make less money than men. In recent news, the Supreme Court threw out the largest sex discrimination case in history this week. Needless to say, this campaign is timely and desperately needed.

You can vote for the shoes you want donated here. However, the shoe selections leave something to be desired. While I believe a woman doesn't have to hide her curves at the office, there is a certain sort of decorum that must be maintained in an office setting. This is important, as there are so many other things working against promoting women (they're too emotional, they'll get knocked up, and other ridiculousness) their dress should not be one of them.

Thus, a short blurb on office dress code for ladies in the summer.
DON'T:
1. No bare shoulders. I know it's warm outside, but the office is not the place for your cute beach wrap. Bring a sweater for the office.
2. No flip flops. EVER. Wear them for the commute and change in the lobby.
3. Dear Dr. Scholl's: Extremely high, strappy, and otherwise loud heels are NOT professional. They don't have to be black, but please no animal print!
4. No revealing tops or slitted skirts.
DO
1. Play with the cute floral patterns of summer. Pair these blouses or skirts with a more quiet jacket, blouse, skirt, etc
2. Open-toe shoes are becoming acceptable in some offices...get that cute pair! Better yet, embrace the new style of flats-they always seem more professional than the GaGa sky-high heels
3. Enjoy your music-with your headphones.

The words "Facebook" and "Twitter" banned from French Airwaves

2011-06-04T14:54:00.004-05:00

The French have quite a few odd rules, as Matthew Fraser points out, but this one strikes us Social Media bandits to the core: Not being able to say Facebook or Twitter on air?!

The social media hold a great deal of power in today's society:
1. Political power, as evidenced by the Obama campaign and the rallies in Egypt2. Social power (how many couples meet or maintain relationships online?!)
3. Educational power (interactive lessons, teacher immediacy...studies show that students may even learn better with social media. How many times has Google gotten you over that brainfart, "Who was the director of that movie...gosh I can't remember...this is going to keep me up tonight...better just Google it.").

The evidence is in our culture. Language serves those who use it, and social media have certaintly taken the driver's seat in creating new turns of phrase like "I'd "Like" that","Tweet this" or "Facebook me". An even stronger example is how text/twitter lingo has impacted our everyday speech (LOL). These social mediums have become regular parts of our daily lives AND our language...how can the French exclude them?

Simple: fair business. Sometimes we forget that Facebook and Twitter are companies (worth billions) and by saying "Follow this story on Twitter", the news network is basically providing free advertising for the medium.

However, this ban may be short-sighted. Many people don't "stay tuned" for the entire news program, and head to Twitter or Facebook for more in-depth information. Further, Facebook pages serve as a community network for a lot of fans or locals. Facebook and Twitter serve to humanize the networks, allowing the viewer to connect with their daily TV personalities in a more intimate way (the 21st century media demanded interaction (i.g, Dora tells you to speak to her, American Idol tells you to vote), and now we expect it). Without the visitors, community activity attendance may fall, and veiwership may follow.

Clean water efforts...you can help!

2011-06-04T03:48:00.004-05:00

Imagine if this was floating at the bottom of your glass of water:

PUR is running an interactive campaign that your kids can play, and with parent's permission, donate to the cause. Click here for more details!

Graduation Day for the Armed Forces

2011-06-04T02:31:00.005-05:00

Graduation day brings all kinds of new assignments, especially for recent ROTC grads. Many of them will be reporting for duty very shortly.

Mom gets her wings from Air Force graduate

*Copyright Stephanie Bushman

This image captures the sacrifices of the American community. While the armed men and women are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, their families are sacrificing, too.

God Bless.

Remember, just because you don't support the war doesn't mean you can't support the troops.

Found Poetry

2011-05-19T17:36:00.005-05:00

At first I was a little worried that I was the only one to notice the 475th anniversary of Anne Boleyn's beheading. Then I signed on to Tumblr.

Images of Showtime's The Tudors, The Lady of the Tower, and even replicas of Anne's necklace flooded the pages. I'm glad to see, despite the hate campaign of Henry VIII, she is still beloved and not forgotten.

Some credit her as the impetus behind the English Reformation (not just as the lustful inspiration, but the provider of philosophy and insight. After all, Henry DID respect her knowledge, not just her looks). She gave England a lot more than Elizabeth I. Today, she still stands as a symbol of the oppressed feminine voice. Even today, she may have been seen as a shrew instead of as a scholar.

Flowers adorn her grave in England today, as does poetry much like the works of her one-time lover Wyatt. Inspired, I have combined pieces of her final speech on the scaffold, love letters written to her, and historic documents to make a new poem to commemorate her life's last moments.

The Found Flowers of May
Written For, By, and About Anne Boleyn

The Most Happy
My mistress and friend
Seduce me…ravish me with your words.

he had been seduced
by means of sacralige and
charm

I and my heart put ourselves
in your hands, begging you
have them suitors for your good
favour

despite the threat of war and excommunication

These bloody days have broken my heart

What she had that was so unique for a woman
at that time
was also her undoing:

treason,
adultery,
incest
witchcraft

For your wit alone many men would bemoan,
And since it is so, many still cry aloud.

The Lady in the Tower

I am come hither to die

These bloody days have broken my heart

And if any person will meddle of my cause,
I require them to
judge the best

But since it pleases the King,
I will willingly accompany them in death, with this assurance:

To everything there is a season, a time to weep and a time to laugh

about the throne
the thunder rolls
and to God I commend my soul

The Cultural Implications of a Burial at Sea

2011-05-02T22:11:00.004-05:00

The timeline of Osama Bin Laden's terror extends far beyond September 11th. His death does not mark the end of his impact in the United States, either.

Osama's burial at sea today does not mark the end of the War on Terror. Obama states that the rallies have brought temporary unity to the US:
"I think we experienced the same sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11," said the President.

"We were reminded again that there is a pride in what this nation stands for and what we can achieve that runs far deeper than party, far deeper than politics," (cnn.com).
However, there may be larger implications to celebrating Osama's violent death.

1. The first negative ramification is the bonding that occurs over such a violent event. There is a big difference between cheering "USA!" and "F*uck Osama".

2. The ideology lives on...someone else will take his place.

3. The cultural ramifications of Osama's burial. According to Islamic tradition, Osama should have been burried facing Meca. With an underwater burial, this is difficult to ensure.

4. Relations with Pakistan, particularly in regards to our close relationship with Israel. How does Pakistan feel about its portrayl in this whole ordeal? How about its people?

Political Engagement and Social Media

2011-05-02T01:25:00.003-05:00

Prior to the White House address, Facebook statuses were speculating as to what the President would announce. Within minutes after the speech had concluded, students swarmed the ISU campus, cheering and shouting. The mob grew to over 2,000 students by its conclusion after 1:30 am.

Many speculate that student political disinterest is a type of epidemic in American society; without educated voters, democracy cannot continue. However, the quick and passionate student response to this news may indicate the use of social media to spread awareness. After all, a presidential address at 1030pm would be difficult to catch otherwise, especially with finals coming up this week.

With the help of Facebook and Twitter, students became aware of the event. They shared their congratulations and concerns via social media; social media allows all of us to become news reporters. In a few hours, videos and pictures of the rally will begin to flood Facebook as the students capture their place in American history. These simple actions make students more politically engaged, and hopefully will spark further interest in following political movements.

Communication Theory of Identity

2011-03-11T18:45:00.000-06:00

Egypt Lesson Plan

2011-02-08T22:30:00.003-06:00

Everyone loves a good story.
In fact, we love good characters so much that they often re-appear. The step parent was evil in Cinderella, and that hasn't changed much in the new blockbuster Step Father.

The media has always been a vehicle to tell a large story to a large audience. Now with the dawn of the digital age, we too can become story tellers. We share our personal narratives with our Tweets and add our voice to movements on Facebook and newstories on CNN.
But who's story is NOT being told?
Those without access to technology, either because of their membership in a lower economic group or a higher age group. Aka, those without the skills or the money cannot be cultural storytellers.

This was not the case in Egypt, however.
While the inernet was shut down, only outsiders could tell the Egyptians' story. BBC and American news networks innitially told the tale of the Egyptians without adding individual narratives. Instead, blanket statements about the protestes (not as individual protesters but as a group) were made and few individuals spoke out. The largest issue, however, was that allowing individuals outside of the culture to tell the story automatically seeps the tale in the values the other culture holds. Thus, Egyptian stories were being told with American values.

Now BBC runs a day by day update including blog posts and tweets from a myriad of sources. I have created a lesson plan utalizing this source.
Students will investigate one blog entry, one tweet, and one video clip from one day's worth of coverage.
Students will
1) understand who's story is being told, or left out
2) understand which medium adds or detracts from the story

Students who use social media get higher grades

2010-11-13T18:05:00.004-06:00

A few studies have begun to research the positive affects of students using social media. For example...
From Mashable:
Four sections (70 students) were given assignments and discussions that incorporated Twitter, such as tweeting about their experiences on a job shadow day or commenting on class readings. Three sections (55 students) did the same assignments and had access to the same information, but didn’t use Twitter.

In addition to showing more than twice the improvement in engagement than the control group, the students who used Twitter also achieved on average a .5 point increase in their overall GPA for the semester.

My original thoughts: Awesome-Positive correlation (as social media use goes up, grades go up). After a more critical glance, I noticed that the sample size was a bit small. Further, the study does not explicitly describe the terms it was trying to study, which minimizes the possibility that someone could accurately replicate the study. As if to answer the call, the NSSE came along with not only a larger sample size, but also a 12 month long survey-longitudinal survey
NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) defines its terms as:
Student engagement represents two critical features of collegiate quality. The first is the amount of time and effort students put into their studies and other educationally purposeful activities. The second is how the institution deploys its resources and organizes the curriculum and other learning opportunities to get students to participate in activities that decades of research studies show are linked to student learning.

A few example items from the survey (Students were to answer on a likert scale ranging from "very often" to "never"): How often have you...

a. Memorizing facts, ideas, or
methods from your courses and readings so you can repeat them
in pretty much the same form
b. Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience, or theory, such as examining a particular case or situation in depth and
considering its components
c. Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex interpretations and relationships
d. Making judgments about the value of information, arguments, or methods, such as examining how others gathered and
interpreted data and assessing the soundness of their conclusions
e. Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations

So the survey is measuring "student engagement" by the amount of time spent memorizing? As a good teacher knows, amount of time memorizing is not correlated to the degree to which a student is engaged. "Analyzing" measures the student's critical thinking skills, which research has shown increases student self-efficacy. Now we see a positive relationship: As critical thinking skills increase, self-efficacy increases...but where does student MENTAL engagement (not time engagement) come in? In other words, I think the definition of "engagement" is flawed, and thus the found correlations found are invalid. The study is in fact finding studying the correlation between student's time spent, which is not the same as engagement.

A few things have to be determined before an accurate picture can be painted of students using social media (I see positive effects in my classroom-I want to see this replicated by social science!) The most important of which is undoubted causality (as in, increase in engagement is caused by self-efficacy and not explained by another variable in that study/another variable which was not accounted for in that study)

Make Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits at home!

2010-11-06T16:45:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I find myself more pleased with these starters than with the whole meal! Try this simple copycat recipe to have these carbalicious biscuits at home.

Cooking Time: 10 min

Ingredients
• 2 cups Bisquick
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cooking sheet.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
5. Mix butter and garlic powder. Brush mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

Find more copycat recipes at http://www.RecipeLion.com/.

Social Politicians

2010-11-04T20:42:00.004-05:00

What place do politicians have on Twitter? The primary one (pun intended haha).

We've heard a lot of complaints about the costs of campaigns, specifically where the politicians are getting their money from. A politician likes social media for two reasons:
1. It's cheap
2. With the help of your Facebook fan list, Facebook offers a highly targeted ad to a highly targeted audience.

Recent research shows that Facebook users may become resentful of the presence of big business on Facebook. The degree to which a politician is considered a big business or a representative thereof has yet to be seen. However, the study did find that young users in particular were open to brands which they felt represented themselves. The takeaway? A politician's ad on Facebook is more likely to be accepted by young users if they seem to be "one of the in crowd"...aka youthful, earthy, and not corporately oriented.

A great example of politics, via social media is Comedy Central's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear". Instead of using social media venues like YouTube and Twitter as bolsters for the campaign, they were the main vehicles of the campaign.

“It’s hard to imagine pulling something like this off where you couldn’t have the underpinnings of Twitter or Facebook to rally the people that are participating,” said Erik Flannigan, EVP of digital media at Comedy Central/Spike TV. “We want to memorialize what’s happening on the [National] Mall, not just what’s happening on stage” Flannigan said.

The goal, it seems, was to make the audience members feel not only involved, but supporters of a bigger cause. With popular spokesman like Colbert and Stewart, participants want to be involved to such a degree that they are willing to check YouTube and further, post their Rally updates on Twitter. In the end, the participants moved the movement.

Colbert and Stewart's successful combination of social media and politics speaks of promise for future use in more serious issues.

Like using Twitter as a learning tool for teachers and students alike :)

But what happens when the media stops making comments about our political reality? The media are supposed to provide insight into the candidates, not their budgets.

Check out Rich Media, Poor Democracy for more insight into what happens when the media forgoes its main job: to report the news, not the sensationalism.

Racism in Education

2010-10-23T15:50:00.001-05:00

I find it interesting that, of all the campaigns, support for the New York City libraries is by far the smallest. I believe this is for a few reasons.

1. Many Americans are taught "rich guilt", or that we should feel guilty for having while others have not. This mentality is supported, and fostered, by charities looking to support children in other countries. They create the image that the suffering in other countries is greater than the suffering in our own country. Children in America need to read just as much as children in Africa.

2. The American Dream. Our American culture teaches us that if we work hard enough we can achieve anything. Thus, we assume that those who have not achieved have not worked hard. The truth is the American Dream is still not equal. Our nation's poverty, homelessness, and hunger are often similar to those countries we seek to help, and yet the support Americans give to other countries far outnumbers the support given to our own citizens.

2a. Environmental Racism: Power plants and other unwanted public buildings often spring up in areas where the population cannot defend itself. Rich neighborhoods are given the libraries, not the dumps.

2b. The cyclical cycle of poverty and poor education. The documentary, "Waiting for Superman" follows poor children who's only chance at a good education is to win the lottery. Winning the lottery? Isn't that a popular saying in this country...basically you have no chance. Why are American children, the ones who supposedly have access to the American Dream, waiting on a lottery system to be educated?

Those who are poor do not get educated. Those who are not educated remain poor.

I think it's time we addressed the racism in our education system.

National Celebration of Reading

2010-10-23T15:33:00.009-05:00

Penguin Books has begun its "Read a book, Give a book" campaign this month. How can you give books to needy children? By reading a book to your children.

Log on and read a book online with your child. Then, you can donate that book to children in New York City, Haiti, or Africa.

There are many separate campaigns this year:

1. Jumpstart Reading Libraries. This campaign helps create libraries in preschools across the USA.

2. The Million Word Challenge.

3. Tinga Tinga Tales: East Africa:

4. Conspiracy for Good: A teacher in Zambia reaches out to seek books for her students.

5. Books for Asia.

6. Family Story Power: Books for New York City libraries:

All of these campaigns offer you the chance to share literacy with children across the world, while also sharing a story with your child!

Historical Fiction and Architecture

2010-10-22T19:20:00.003-05:00

Were you a fan of Pillars of the Earth?

This Ken Follett novel took history, religion, and architecture to a whole new fictional level. Readers were able to experience the lives of the cathedral builders.

You can get it on your Kindle

In the car

Or on your TV as a mini series

I recently read Cathedral of the Sea, which was similar in all the good ways. Stories of architects, the Catholic church, feudal lords, and arranged marriages, all set in Spain. Beautifully written with characters I actually missed when the book was done! it reminded me of Pillars of the Earth because of its original focus on architecture, but it soon took a turn of its own, focusing on wars and the Inquisition. Totally worth the read!

You can also get this book in its original Spanish format

Kid's shows for Grown ups

2010-10-21T22:03:00.003-05:00

What child would understand this?
None.
But all of their parents do.

I often find myself being taught new things (or reminded of the things I forgot) by children.
I also often find that I enjoy children's movies more than children do.
Like the original Shrek, and all of its references to music and yes, to brawdy humor.

Waiting for the Super School

2010-10-17T16:34:00.004-05:00

In the past year, a great deal of media attention has been devoted to the increasing cost of education. College education costs more now than ever, and so do text books.

Recently, however, media focus has moved to basic education: failing schools, low test scores, and firing teachers. While the NCLB debate falls to the wayside, we begin to focus on fixing the schools themselves: teachers, bullies, and school security. Is Obama's Educate to Innovate a big deal?

This blog talks a lot about how to make lesson plans more interesting or teaching tools. This entry is going to be devoted to the students.

John Stewart and Steve Colbert focus on National News. It's no surprise that they too have turned their attention to schools. This week, The Colebert Report interviewed the director of "Waiting for Superman", a documentary about our education system, and the few who have access to its good side.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Davis Guggenheim

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

March to Keep Fear Alive

The problem here is that the US spends so much time (and money) developing underprivileged areas...and yet our own students are facing the same crisis: the rich can get the education, the poor can't.

This sounds a lot like the college cost debate, doesn't it?

So the economic divide (the rich can have, the poor cannot) will be even worse in future generations because the rich are getting the leg up: the good education system.

A recent show on NBC is devoted to school renovation. Studies show that the more time or energy invested in something, the more you take care of it...hopefully the students will like their environment more after this:

The media cannot tell you what to think, but they can tell you what to think ABOUT. Is this sudden media attention a positive or a negative? Comments, please-I'm not sure what to think thus far.

The Glass Castle

2010-10-14T02:17:00.003-05:00

Growing up in poverty and constantly on the move, she used her troubled childhood to bring her success as an adult. Author of "Amazon Top 10 Book of the Decade," The Glass Castle has remained on the New York Times best-seller list for more than three years. Soon you can see it on screen-it is being made into a movie by Paramount! Another book to movie and back.

The book describes her life growing up with her family. She had a unique childhood where she spent a long period without indoor plumbing and went hungry on a regular basis. However, her parents still encouraged her to read Shakespeare and dream of the glass house they would one day live in. Walls moved to New York City at the age of 16 to enroll in Barnard College. After graduation, she become a popular columnist for New York magazine and eventually MSNBC.com.

The follow up to this book is titled "Half Broke Horses: A True Life Novel", which is the story of her maternal grandmother's life in the early 1900s.

I'm getting excited to meet the author, so I decided to re-read :)
If you can't make it to ISU for the luncheon, you can watch her interview here.

You can catch both of these books for the Kindle, on CD (to listen to in your car) or in paperback!

Sleeplessness

2010-10-10T18:16:00.003-05:00

Can't get to sleep at night? Some would say that's a direct result of all the stress we're under these days. Others suggest it's the result of our lifeline connection to technology-the constant blinking of lights keeps us up.

With allergies swarming the air, some of us may be having trouble sleeping. Have you tried to combat your allergies? What if you can't afford an air purifier? There's a cheaper solution: your pillow.

First, find out if you're using the right pillow. People who sleep on their stomachs should use a different type of pillow than persons sleeping on their sides. Find your ideal pillow type by taking this test.

Your pillow can act as a dust mite haven, too-you don't want to breathe all of that in!