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Tag Archives: technology


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Throwback Thursday – Internet

Remember the good old days, before internet? No? I do, but it seems like ancient history now. Here are some of the oldies but goodies from my personal internet past. How many of these experiences do we share?

1. Dial up. Ugh. It was so slow, and it tied up the telephone line. Some people even went so far as to put in a second telephone line. Imagine.

images2. Prodigy Online Service. I was never an AOL girl. I got my start on Prodigy and liked it just fine. I participated in a bunch of online quilting swaps through Prodigy, and really enjoyed connecting with quilters across the country.

3. Parent Soup. I loved this online community when my son was a baby. I participated in the mom’s group for the month and year of his birth and really got to know many of the other moms and their babies. We created a cookbook together, we celebrated milestones together, and one of the girls even sent me flowers in the hospital when I had surgery.

4. Geocities. They hosted all sorts of cheesy webpages. Our baby webpages from the Parent Soup mom’s group were hosted by Geocities, and by golly they were adorable.

5. Yahoo Message Boards. My scrapbook buddies and I were part of a group that used a Yahoo Message Board, and it worked really well for us. In addition to all the conversation threads, there was a chat feature, which we used for a formal chat session once a week, and informally all the time. It was so cool to chat with friends in New Zealand!

Today’s technology makes these formally cutting edge services seem antiquated, or at the very least, quaint. I wonder what’s around the corner to make today’s internet seem like it’s from the dark ages. Whatever it is, I’m sure there will be a place for me.


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Shut Up and Listen

I felt it coming on, but didn’t know how to prevent it. About twice a year this happens. For some unknown reason I develop an unpleasant and irritating malady that leaves me without much of a voice. I rasp and scratch and my top volume is barely audible. It’s easier to just clam up and not say a word.silent+smiley

This, of course, wouldn’t be much of a problem if I were a monk who had taken a vow of silence. Or anyone who had taken a vow of silence. I, however, have taken no such vow. In fact, I am bound to do the opposite. My job is to teach, and in teaching I generally use my voice. During these times, though, I have to think of something else.

Fortunately for me I have access to technology. My lessons this week have been delivered with the support of  powerpoint presentations, and in those presentations I have shared the voices of others. Poets, athletes, entertainers, and ordinary people have shared their voices with my students this week. They have learned through not only my voice, but the voices of many others, from around the globe. There have been voices of the able bodies and physically challenged, the wealthy and the poor, the successful and the downtrodden.

In class we listen to music, get lost in poetry, and think about our place in the world. We challenge ourselves to be our best, and by doing so to make a positive impact on our world.

Sometimes losing our own voice allows us to really listen to others, and in so doing to learn from them and make our own message more clear.


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A Brave New World

Have a look. Feedback welcome. Student work is coming soon!
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msweinmann's avatarfourth grade fab

heavy pencil graphicHello and welcome to the 21st century. I realize it’s been the 21st century for a while, but in some ways I’m a little behind the curve. I’ve been teaching elementary aged kids for about a decade now, and for the past several years I’ve integrated technology into my teaching.  This past year I switched schools and have less access to technology for the students. It’s been a bit of a challenge, but I’m working through it.

In addition to being a fourth grade teacher, I’m also a writer.  I adore words and putting them together, and I love being there when kids begin to discover their voices. The groups of kids I currently teach is bright, funny, motivated, and creative. I told them about my blog and their eyes lit up. Then it hit me, they should have a blog too. When I asked what they thought about the…

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