Look Both Ways Before You Double Click

I'm going to be serious--yes it's possible.

In case you hadn't heard, there is this revolutionary thing called the Internet. If you haven't heard of it, how in the heck did you get to this blog? Anyways, like all things, if it is used correctly, it can be a great thing. Mankind has a habit of taking things that can be beneficial and also making them destructive. As an educator, I would be a fool to not realize two things: (1) The potential abundance of learning resources found on the Internet and (2) The potential abundance of danger found online.

This week's assignment I found quite necessary--not that I like to work mind you (I'm a man--it's in my DNA). The reason it was necessary is it reviewed the basics of internet safety and addressed how to approach my students with its use. One part of the assignment asked me to respond to the following 4 requests.

Why we should or should not use the Internet in education? Well, we want to learn stuff, and there is stuff on the Internet. Any educator out there will tell you that there is good stuff and bad stuff to learn. There are good books, good magazines/periodicals, good films for education, and bad ones. The Internet is no different. There are good websites and bad ones. Unless you want to completely shelter a student from both the good and the bad, the Internet should be used as a learning source.
Why we should evaluate the sites we use? We evaluate the sites we use because as a general rule you should always validate the sources you are teaching from. You could be a master of logical fallicy, but eventually you will get asked "How do you know?" If you don't have a fool-proof answer, you aren't validated in your teaching.
The questions you would ask yourself to evaluate a site. I would ask the following questions: Does this site enhance or detract from the lesson I'm teaching? If I were the parent/guardian of a student looking at this website, would they be ok with it?
Ways you can keep your students safe while surfing. First and foremost, always keep the computer they are using in a public area. Second, review with the students all the traps, pitfalls, do's and don'ts of browsing, etc. Finally, if you can, install filters to prevent not so nice websites from being accessed by them.


The Internet can be a fun and safe place. Again, I repeat, it all depends on how you use it. For example, check out this video link: http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=6882&title=We_Didn_t_Start_the_Fire


Did you enjoy that? Of course, it's Billy Joel for crying out loud. Did you notice you were learning something? I know it wasn't intentional, but I bet you learned a thing or two. That was 4 decades of review set to music with visual aids. Videos can stimulate both visual and audio senses, both handy in teaching. Guess what? Here's the kicker--you found it on the Internet (gasp). Don't you feel good about that? The great thing is that there is more where that came from.

Just watch where you click--there is a lot of #$%*&! out there.

I Must Have Done Something Wrong. . .

In the past, when I’ve had instructors with enough nerve to make their students actually do work, I learned quickly what the warning signs were for those assignments from Hell. Such things they’d say like “divided into groups” or “research project” always raised a red flag. Once in a while the teacher would say “if your family has a history of medical problems, you may not make it through this assignment.”

This week, I was told that most people take more than 6 hours to complete the assignment I was given. Where I come from, that’s cruel and unusual punishment. I must be getting punished for something.

Ever since the assignment was dished out to me I’ve been wracking my brain. What have I done to upset the Gods of Academia? Was it the time I tricked a kid into sitting on my sharpened pencil? Or maybe it was my made up “works cited” page for my research project? I think it is most likely the time I told a teacher I hoped I didn’t see her again.

By the way, those things I just wrote—they’re all true.

I thought I’d already served my penance, but apparently karma has a lag time. A note to my parents and detention wasn’t enough, so I’m paying for it now.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, I haven’t finished the assignment yet. What assignment is that you might ask? Well, there is the website thingamajig for Utah teachers called UEN. You can use it to make a website for your classes and also take a look at resources other teachers have posted (I believe that is called “mooching”). In order to get better acquainted with this website, we were given a scavenger hunt to do. To me, a scavenger hunt is one where you use the clues given to you to find the treasure at the end. Not this time. I already asked; no treasure.

I guess this is one of those things were you work hard just to persevere over an unbeatable task so that you can have a feeling of victory when you beat the odds. I hate those. But I guess this will help me in the long run (it better or my instructor will have some explaining to do). I’m okay with mooching—less work for me and if it works, hey, it works. Plus, there’s no better way to get a feeling of omnipotence than creating a website that your students have to go to if they want to do well in your class (dance, my little children, dance!). Oh, and heaven forbid they actually use the web stuff I got and learn something. Actually, I bet half of them already can do all the stuff I’m doing right now. That ain’t fair—these kids have had the Internet around since they were born. Me? When I was a high school freshman the Internet was brand new. If it wasn’t for the fact that I know I’m a superior human specimen, these kids might make me nervous.

I guess this UEN thing can be a good thing. I’m not talking about the mooching or the beating the odds stuff. I’m talking about if I can do this, then I might actually have a shot at this world domination thing. UEN first, and then the world. Oh yeah—it’s gonna happen.

Google Strikes Again

I have come to the conclusion that Google programs are a good thing. I have seen the light. In other words, I've finally learned how to use these programs.

Not that it was hard or anything. It just takes a college course and 2 hours a week of which I spend tuition money on, nothing big. I think I'm getting the better end of the deal. I have learned how to create my own website using Google Sites and will shortly be able to communicate to a mass audience my devious plans for world domination. In a short while I'll start with my propaganda. I've decided to use Gary Larson's "The Far Side" to win people to my cause.

I can schedule things on a Calendar, pass on Announcements, maybe even post a youtube video of the Numa Numa guy. The possibilities are endless. No one can stand in my way! BWA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!!!

But back in the civilian world where one must have a day job as a cover, my teaching skills can also benefit from GoogleSites. As long as my students don't find the Internet offensive or sinful (which their parents might, but I'm not entering that debate right now), they will have no excuses for not knowing what is happening in my class(es). Well, unless they don't have access to the Internet, but that is a minimal chance so we press on anyway. Say for example Susan is in my class and she, like normal teenagers, has trouble paying attention. I, being the nasty tyrant that I am don't feel like repeating the assignment I just gave. I think I will have to instead use thumbscrews on this student in order to get her to realize paying attention is a good thing. Regardless, Susan doesn't need to fear just yet. If she forgets that her merciful instructor (that's still me, if you've forgotten) has given her access to a website she can view the assignments and announcements I've posted, then she's in trouble (make that TWO orders of thumbscrews!).

If you are a teacher, you will always have your fair share of Susans in your class. Don't kill them when they don't remember what you just asked them to work on. Wait until they've gone to your website you posted about their class showing all they need to know. If they forget to go there and therefore still don't remember what it is you assigned them, then you will most likely have a reason to take them out. But in the meantime, enjoy your website. Just a click here and a typed-thingy there, and "Voila!" You've got a new classroom organizational tool.


Now if only you could remember your Google username and password . . .

Enter the Techno Geek

Google is trying to take over the world.


For those of you who are able to, go to google right now and take a look at their stuff. I mean it. Go ahead. I'll wait.













See what I mean? What are the makers of Google up to? Why in the world would you need all those applications? They have calendars, places to make and store documents, you can start your own web page even. Impressed? You should be. Scared? I sure as heck am. There's no telling what they'll come up with next.

Now I know what their real scheme is. Apparently I'm not the only one with ambitions for world domination. Google is just doing a better job at it than me. My options are as follows:

(1) Go to a different planet and start plotting from scratch.

(2) Find some way of buying all of Google's shares so that they work for me. I don't have that kind of cash, so I'll probably have to open up a lemonde stand or two.

(3) Change my name to "Bob" and wipe away all records of my true identity.

(4) Use these Google apps to further my own ambitions while I pretend to be submissive to their will and when the moment is right, take 'em out!



For those of you who are wondering, options 1-4 can be done using Google anyway.

Option 4 is the most plausible and less complicated option. I shall therefore apply the Google propaganda into my Drama class. How, you might ask? Simple . . . just use the darn thing.

Stop laughing; I actually have a point here. What amazes me is that as you start to use the applications one realizes how your day to day activities can be served or even enhanced by Google's services. As a teacher, handouts are my primary weapon of choice. I figure the more papers you hand to a student the more likely they'll get a papercut (that'll learn 'em). Google has this app called Google.docs (by the way, their applications will begin to sand like Batman's toys: Batarang, Batmobile, Bat-Shark-Repellent-Spray and no I'm not making that last one up). Basically anywhere I go where there's an internet connection I can work on my paper handout missiles for my targets, I mean students.

We teachers (and teachers-to-be) must use all of the tools available to us if we are to use all of the teaching methods available to us. Quick example is one Mr. Duey, a Math Teacher/Rapper (no, that ain't no typo) who posted a music video teaching some basics about fractions. 50 years ago no one would've ever thought to do something like this. That's mainly because there was no such thing as rap or the internet yet (waahh-haaa-haa--I kill myself sometimes). A teacher who can appeal to multiple senses and interests to students will always have a huge impact in the learning process. Which reminds me; I now have to wrap up this post in order to finish my Polka video about the Watergate scandal for my Music/History class.