Another image generator and a clever parody

Compliments of Photofunia. (Or is it real?????)

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Link to McSweeney's Internet Tendencies site sent to me by the TeacherNinja. The best parody is closest to reality.

Excerpt:

Internet-Age Writing Syllabus and
Course Overview
by Robert Lanham

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ENG 371WR:
Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era
M-W-F: 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Lanham

Course Description

As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers.

Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates. These 21st-century literary genres are defining a new "Lost Generation" of minimalists who would much rather watch Lost on their iPhones than toil over long-winded articles and short stories. Students will acquire the tools needed to make their tweets glimmer with a complete lack of forethought, their Facebook updates ring with self-importance, and their blog entries shimmer with literary pithiness. All without the restraints of writing in complete sentences. w00t! w00t!

Read the whole thing!

PLN Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

"The makers of the Constitution conferred the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by all civilized men—the right to be let alone." - JUSTICE LOUIS D. BRANDEIS

This week seems to have been the perfect storm of work. Hence the blog neglect. In fact neglect of my "Personal Learning Network" has been pretty much complete. Between meetings and budgets at work, conference travel/presentations and article deadlines, I've been swamped.

I sense that others may be feeling overwhelmed as well. Joyce Valenza worries about not keeping up despite being "hyper-connected." Darren Draper in a column on Twitter says:

I guess my biggest complaint/worry about Twi---r (and every other piece of abused technology out there) is that in our modern and extremely complex world, it’s become far too easy to lose sight of what’s really important in life.

...

In fact, what I *am* saying is that ALL of these social media tools can be an incredible time suck, and if we don't keep them in check, there's a good chance we'll miss out on many things in life that are simply better than whatever we might get from Twitter (and Facebook, and even bacon).

I guess it is cold comfort to know I am not alone in feeling that one's PLN can feel like a burden as much as a booster at times. I've always appreciated Jeff Utecht's Stages of PLN Adoption. But I wonder how well we "do" Stage 4: Perspective that leads to:

Stage 5 Balance: Try and find that balance between learning and living. Understanding that you can not know it all, and begin to understand that you can rely on your network to learn and store knowledge for you. A sense of calm begins as you understand that you can learn when you need to learn and you do not need to know it all right now.

Are we in need of a Bill of Rights for PLN participants to help relieve some guilt and stress for the occasional need for a break or severe deceleration? Flesh out Jeff's Stage 5 a little. Here's a first stab at it...

Personal Network Member Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

1. I have the right not to be social 24/7 - either online or in person.
2. I have the right to time for reflection and responsibility for doing so.
3. I have the right to use only the tools that suit my learning style.
4. I have the right to stop using a tool when it is no longer useful.
5. I have the right to not be on the cutting edge all the time or feel I need to always know all there is to know.
6. I have the right to choose those with whom I learn in my personal learning network and responsibility to learn from those with whom I don't always agree.
7. I have the right and responsibility to disagree and the responsibility to do it professionally.
8. I have the responsibility to become familiar with a tool before sharing it with others.
9. I have the responsibility to share my knowledge with others in my network.
10. I have the right and responsibility to not let online activities keep me from my friends, my family, my workplace, or my community.

That's it. No more beating myself up for punching that "Mark All as Read" button!

Add your rights and responsibilities of PLN members...

Columbine and Community

http://www.redesignme.com/images/community.jpg

As I am sure most readers are painfully aware, today is the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings. An extension of sympathy to all those who were impacted by that horrendous event should be given.

But we should also pause and reflect on what our individual roles are in keeping such tragedies from occurring again. Vainly hoping that that school violence when it happens, happens somewhere my children and I are not is not an appropriate response.

Minnesota had its own version of Columbine in the Red Lake School district just over four years ago. A sad, loner student killed in his school as well, seemingly encouraged by a violent connections he had formed on the Internet. In a column I wrote at the time "The Need for Community," I suggested:

Most kids look for and find “communities” with values that are life affirming and socially responsible. Boy and Girl Scouts, 4-H clubs, church groups, and both formal and informal groups revolving around special interests such as bicycling, hunting, literature, or sports play a big role in most young people’s lives as they grow up. Schools provide opportunities for socialization through athletics, music, drama, newspapers, business or art clubs. In these groups, young people learn not just about personal interests, but also about one’s fellow students and mentors and why they are worth caring about. And they are where kids often find that others care about them as well.

In our efforts to improve our schools and reduce school expenditures, the “extra-curricular” activities are often first on the chopping block. Politicians and taxpayers see music, arts and athletics as superfluous. The “basics” are reading, writing, math and other purely classroom pursuits. Guidance counselors, teacher-librarians, coaches and club sponsors are nice extras only tangentially related to the real purpose of school. Sigh…

How many of us as teacher-librarians or technology coordinators make a conscious effort to create “communities” for our own students, especially for those kids who do not seem to have much success with the traditional organizations? Do you have a “geek squad” in which members gain self-esteem by helping students and staff with technology problems? Do you have library volunteers who watch the circulation desk, help re-shelve materials and created displays? As a former member of the “projector sector” – students who assisted technology-challenged teachers set-up 16mm projectors in my high school, I personally recognize how important such a seemingly small thing helped me establish a sense of belonging and camaraderie in school. And it’s why I, as an educator, encourage all of us to enlist the aid of kids for whom football or band are not exactly their thing.

"Extra" - curricular activities have taken a hit on our budget cuts this year in our district, as I am sure they being cut throughout the country. Communites don't often form in classrooms and committment to others can't be evaluated on a multiple choice test.

Will the money we save in coach and sponsor stipends simply go to metal detectors and security cameras and lawsuits down the road?