The Caffeinated Carbivore

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 ...

New Newscasting. Comedy central is currently the main news source for teenagers. Some are appalled. I applaud it. John Stewart and The Colbert Report give us 20somethings the things we crave: comedy and news combined. Example from Auto Tune the News: Compared to a ethnocentric conglomerate news source, I find comedy central to be a great option. For example. Conglomerate news reporting lacks the ability to question what is being presented; it relates one point of view. Putting Democrats and Republicans on TV to battle it out is not critical thinking. Even with two viewpoints there is no supporting evidence or questioning on the part of the viewer. John Stewart provides critical thinking by asking viewers to question their sources. Watch the Parent Company Trap clip here . Some say that social media are degrading our cultures' knowledge base. First, social media has become news in and of itself. Don't have time to cruise the vast content of YouTube? Tosh.0 on comedy...

Our culture is based mainly on stories. Humans tell stories through vehicles, which can be characterized by: Face-to-face: personalized vocal inflection gesture/facial expression Written: can be personalized or mass produced written description pictures linear (open book, beginning, middle, end, close book), or can be interrupted (open book, beginning, sit on shelf for three weeks...). Visual: non-personal; mass produced vocal inflection gesture/facial expression pictures interrupted thought stream (commercials, banners, etc) We pass these stories down, re-telling them and re-structuring them to our cultures' needs, similar to our re-appropriation of words . The characters change, but usually their traits do not. The hero is brave, honest...the villain is manipulative. The "villain" even has certain physical traits that often carry across narratives. How do stories change when told as narratives or as textbook stories? Here's a great lesson plan . At large, our ...

The "Challenge yourself to blog" campaign has begun! What are the challenges? Learning how to use new gadgets, embedding code, making and editing videos...the list goes on! Besides fun, there are a lot of benefits: Students can 1. strengthen their blogging basics 2. widen their PLN 3. get creative ideas 4. meet other student/teacher bloggers 5. learn about new tools and gadgets 6. register your individual (not class) blog here ! Teachers can 1. submit ideas for challenge activities 2. connect students to an international bloggosphere 3. register your class' blog here First Challenge: One Day on Earth 10.10.10 Students all over the world film their 24 hour experiences. Let's see how different, or similar, we all are. Current global student commitments:

We're educators, not just teachers. We want students to learn how to, well, learn! We won't always be there to remind them of the state capitals, but we can teach them good memorization tips that will help them in the future. A great way to give constant access to knowledge is by building a class blog. This is an environmentally friendly, "I lost it" proof way of preserving class discussions and links for future use. A lot of us are teachers because we like learning. So get educated! Create your own PLN. That means two way communication-comment on others' blogs or tweet your heart out! Our teaching community is passionate about, well, teaching! The Edublogger is a great place to teach yourself how to use new gadgets. My google list is always growing because of the insight other teachers have shared. Create one yourself-organize your knowledge then share it! Create a feasible goal with your students in mind. How will tech benefit them? Which is mo...

And no, that's not a pregnancy prediction. I see children books joining the ranks of "Walden" on your shelf! There was once a time (was it once upon a time?) that I measured the depth of a person's writing abilities by the depth of their reading collection-did they at least attempt Moby Dick? Did they follow Dagney all the way through "Atlas Shrugged"? Now I know better. It's not judging a book by its title-it's judging a book by its audience. I'm not the only one noticing...The New York times has a great article (and hilarious picture) discussing the trend (special thanks to Mr. Farber for noting it). What is it about children's literature that we find so appealing? Is it the pleasant reminder of to bedtime stories past? I think it's because children's lit is able to send us on an adventure without the literary critic, self-assured voice of an adult. And, to an adult with bills to pay and their own blog to write, tha...

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Not always. As good green citizens and teachers , we know how to recycle just about anything. That being the case, you will find that Voki avatars can easily be added to your pre-existing lesson plans. Avatars are good aids for 1. Teaching character development 2. Teaching the meaning of new words via avatar dialogue 3. Giving shy students a voice 4. Decrease gender divide in classrooms The following are a few Voki lesson plans that you are welcome to use. In September, you will find a plethora of Voki lesson plans at Voki.com . Public Speaking Algebra 2 Ethical Communication

I uploaded a section of a previous blog entry, and apparently I I write like Chuck Palahniuk I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software . Analyze your writing! Little did you know, dear reader, that this is like fight club The first rule of blog club is you always talk about blog club. So what about those teachers who want a techy classroom but are about as technical as the printing press? Not to worry- here are a few suggestions. First things first: getting a class blog. Here are a few good examples for all grades and subjects . Now that you've gotten a few ideas, where to go next? First, you want to add these authors to your PLN (Personal Learning Network). This way, you can gather a greater amount of information in a shorter period of time! I suggest Blogger (you are here) or Edublogs because they are easy and offer good access and assets to teachers. Now, how do you write a successful blog? First, don't forget who this blog is for: you and your students. The ...

I've often been told that my personality suits me for the role of "lifetime professional student". Granted, going for your Phd means I'll be a student until age 28 at least, but I don't think those individuals realize how correct they truly are. Though spoken in irony, a teacher really is a "lifetime professional student". I learn a lot from my students; they are constantly teaching me about my strengths, limitations, and sometimes my mannerisms, too. The most important thing they've taught me is how to include technology into my lessons. Last year I taught three classes of introductory public speaking. Most students would rather have lemon juice poured over thousands of paper cuts than even walk into this class on the first day. To be fair, public speaking is one of the biggest fears in America. To lighten the mood, I show the plight of Dwight on the first day. I remind them that they will not sweat profusely or sound like communists (unles...

Dear Reader, Once upon a time, I started a blog. It was the typical High School blog: Guess what I did today?! That's the funny thing about our generation, and our blogs in general: we really do think that our life events are super-dooper exciting, and that everyone would want to, and certainty should, take the time to read them. Don't get me wrong, I believe in the therapeutic and historical benefits of journal-keeping. It's good for relaxation, and I've been told that a soothing habit before bed helps those suffering from Insomia (though I've found the sound of waves works for me). But don't forget, this diary is your totally biased and surprisingly narcissistic hobby. So this is a blog, not to be confused with a therapeutic run down memory lane. I will certainty include personal anecdotes-what's life without a little character?-but they will remain relevant to the topic at hand: bread, coffee, and teaching. Hopefully we can all lea...