An archived stack of papers: 'Connections'

Another Way – Delicious

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Aug
  • 17
  • 2008

And that’s when it occurred to me: “oh yeah! I still have a del.icio.us account! I even used it to create a sort of online textbook at one point. Let’s get back to that, eh?” So I did. This helps me stay interested in things other than my job, areas other than writing and reading and... read more

One Way – Google

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Aug
  • 16
  • 2008

I’ve been planning these next two entries for a while now and Dan pretty much summed up my ideas inside of three minutes. If you present the world as if it revolves around your content area, you appear one dimensional and completely boring to students; no one cares as much about your content area as you do. You need to be interested in more things.... read more

As Seen On The Web

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Apr
  • 26
  • 2008

For a variety of reasons, I found myself back on Dan Cederholm’s site SimpleBits. I used to visit that site all the time, but the frequency has dropped off in the last few years. Glancing at the home page, Dan includes several quotations from folks high up in the Web design world. Thing is, most of the... read more

Remember Me?

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Mar
  • 28
  • 2008

You need to be more than just your job. For so many different reasons, you have to be a complete person and that means spending time working on other areas of your life. Remember who you were before you started working? You’re still that person and still have those interests. In all likelihood, that person and those interests are what got you involved in your current job in the first... read more

Swift And Scoble

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Jan
  • 02
  • 2008

“A Modest Proposal” is the classic irony, where Jonathan Swift’s ridiculous answer to a problem pushes readers toward actual solutions. Robert Scoble’s “The RIAA is right” has the same idea, though with more complaints than answers to the... read more

Develop By Distance

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Jun
  • 16
  • 2007

Rolling socks and folding shirts, I’m thinking about what summer break means. On Monday, I’ll get onto a plane bound for Japan with 21 other students and 3 other adults. While I still have a week of work (take a group of kids on a trip for seven days, then tell me that it’s not work), I’m distancing myself from school as much as I can.

You should, too.

Teaching is... read more

Advertising English

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • May
  • 11
  • 2007

The latest Comcast commercials came up in a discussion we had few months ago. My students predicted that the next one would deal with dough, shortly before the “Hang on to your dough” commercial came out. Some kids dig these commercials and they appeal to me, too. There’s something there to use in an English classroom, but... read more

Political Balance In The Classroom

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Sep
  • 16
  • 2006

Through a fairly convoluted chain of surfing, I found an anit-war speech from Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. I know nothing about Mayor Anderson other than what I read in his speech and the fact that “he will not seek a third term as Mayor of Salt Lake City,” something I gleaned from his home... read more

Connected

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Mar
  • 16
  • 2006

I just got home from a choir and band performance at a local mall. There were lots of parents, students, teachers, and administrators there and it was, indeed, a very good thing. They performed just outside a Barnes & Noble store, where I met the manager and my friend said that he would work with our English department for fund raising, summer reading lists, whatever we need. We made a nice contact... read more

Bloglines, I Love You

In a stack of papers called Connections.

  • Mar
  • 09
  • 2006

Finding ways to streamline the amount of work involved in life is a top priority for just about everyone. Teachers are no exception and my ongoing blog project takes up a lot of my streamlining time. With 120 blogs to scan through, 60 each week, I find myself unable to keep up with checking in on everyone.

I have grades on a paper, but I haven’t finished checking everyone’s blogs for... read more