Weekly blog posts I can (try to) do.

This week’s theme is education. I’ve actually spent pretty much my entire life in the education system – with the exception of my infancy. My first job out of college was at a university, and I am lucky enough to still be working there now (all of three years later). If you’ve read any of my prior entries, you know that I am currently enrolled in a graduate program, a Masters in Instructional Technology. The program is wonderful so far; the students range from teachers to business-people to workplace trainers, and the exposure to technology is equally varied.

The module on which we are currently working in my current class has to do with the use of Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom – blogs, wikis, and social bookmarking. There are a number of fantastic technologies out there, but teachers are still trying to figure out ways to integrate them into the classroom. It might seem obvious – give a student a blog instead of a daily writing journal for a writing project – they can update their blog, and their peers can comment.

Steve Hargadon, whose blog I have subscribed to this evening and will probably spend a good bit of time tomorrow reading, discusses the integration of Web 2.0 technologies into the classroom in his entry “Moving towards Web 2.0 in K-12 Education“. The web, as Steve puts it (and I would agree), can be seen as a conversation – and many people are joining in, especially the students. As the more and more valuable content becomes part of this digital conversation,

it becomes an educational imperative to teach ourselves and students to be productive participants in those conversations” (Hargadon, 2008)

But there’s a lot that needs to be taught in conjunction with the conversational web. I wrote in my discussion response for this week about the need that I can see for educating students to become responsible users of the web – teaching about trolling, about file sharing, about responsibly commenting. Are teachers today prepared to teach their students about this? According to a recent study by the Educational Technology Policy, Research, & Outreach (Center? I feel like there should be a Center there) and the National Cyber Security Alliance, probably not. The study (fact sheet pdf ), released in 2008, has some worrying results, including that 75% if teachers are NOT comfortable discussing cyber-bullying and 52% of teachers don’t understand how to ensure a website is secure. If the teachers don’t know this, how will the students learn? Should teachers be responsible for teaching students about cyber safety? Is teaching kids how to become responsible citizens of the web on par with teaching them to become responsible citizens of the world (should “don’t cyber-bully” be taught alongside with “don’t bully”)? When is it appropriate, or is it appropriate to do this?

I love discovering other 20-something bloggers.  I know there are just shy of 70billion of us out there, but I really enjoy when I find a well written blog that talks about balancing life, career, creativity, and any other things that us 20-somethings may come across.  I’ve added Dorie’s blog to my google reader – and really look forward to reading it.

In “Activites Don’t Equal Relationships“, Dorie says:

At the end of the day, it is not the organizations I am involved with or the work that I do that defines me. The relationships I build are what matters most and it is too easy to let all of the other “stuff” get in the way. The relationship I have with my husband is far more important than a relationship I might someday develop outside of my home.

I think this is a really good insight.  I was involved in any number of things in college.  My friends now roll their eyes when they ask what I do now I’m at home and I begin to list the myriad of activities I’ve got going on.  I did come to a point in college where I began to deliberately be involved in things – during Senior Year there were times when I wasn’t home in the evening for an entire week straight, but each of the things I was involved in was something that I enjoyed and found value from.

Now that I’ve graduated, I’ve gotten more involved in some things around the Philadelphia area – not enough, I think, of the types of things I would like to be doing – there are a few community service organizations I have my eye on – but it is enough to keep me busy without being terribly overwhelming.  This balance of work, play, school (part-time graduate school), friends, family: it is one that is constantly changing and shifting as my own life changes.

How are you involved in your community?  How do you balance life, work, play?

At 8:45, we lost power.

Frantically, my brother pulled out the flashlights, and while I searched the candle cabinet for anything that had a wick / could be set on fire, our friends started dialing people who were still on the way to bring lanterns or batteries or candles.

And then we continued partying. You’ll note the beer bottle candle holder in the picture above. I’ll take credit for that – I know, incredibly intelligent (or resourceful). The stick candles were actually best at lighting up the space, and we had a limited number of candlesticks, so we made do in a pinch.

We also lit the gas fireplaces, which helped to keep the house warm. My little brother combined parties with us this year, and his friends were mostly hanging down our basement – the fireplace was definitely necessary down there. It took a quick phone conference with my father and the help of my little brother’s friend to get it going (the pilot light had gone out) but it worked.

Our yearly treats (stromboli and little hot-dogs) were cooked on the grill outside, and a guest with an atomic clock on his iPhone counted us down to midnight instead of Dick Clark (who, I heard, is looking worse each year). We all toasted the new year by candlelight, sang “Auld Lang Syne” – or, at least, attempted to – and generally commenced in a lot of merriment.

And then, twenty minutes after midnight, the lights went back on. I’m not sure which was louder, our cheers at midnight or our cheers when the lights returned.

2008 was a good year. I got quite a bit of photography business, and I think I grew a lot in my photography. I had my first client that was not a friend; I got my first photograph “published” (more about that later). I re-started this blog, created a (better) website for myself and for my church players, and continued development of the website for my dance studio. I saw friends get engaged, get married, get pregnant (not the same group!). I visited my best friend in Cambridge and toured Venice and Florence with her, crashed a formal dinner that she was at and met Bill Gates Sr, and got pleasantly drunk off port while playing Risk with a group of Cambridge Scholars in the student retiring room after high dinner.

I worked on some fantastically awesome projects for the Admissions Office at Saint Joseph’s, and went to Puerto Rico for a business trip (yeah, what?!). Then I applied for and got a new job in the middle of the year, and absolutely love what I do now with the Center for Food Marketing.

I dropped a graduate school program and started a new one, online, through my work – ah, the benefits of working in higher education. It took three turns, but I think I’ve finally found a program that fits me!

Continued dance lessons, started voice lessons, and landed my first (minor) role in our Summer Theatre program. I also, more recently, was cast in my first LEAD role in my parish players.

Overall, it was a year of many changes, some good, some bad. I was blessed to bring in the new year with some very dear friends, and to know that I will see many more dear friends soon.

Here’s to 2009 (and being 25!) – bring it on!

I’m really getting used to using flash inside – I started off using my faux-bounce (another entry), but found that just bouncing behind me worked best and quickest.  The first time I did that, my friend asked “You know, the flash is pointing the wrong way…”.  The wrong way works, though.

This photo turned out just how I wanted it to – we had to do two takes, but it worked in the end.  I might reprocess this, but the subject is a very talented editor, so I’ll probably give him a clean version of it to photoshop to his heart’s content.  Gotta love friends who put up with your incessant photography. 

“Goodness is rewarded”
“Hope is guaranteed”
“Laughter builds strong bones”
“Right will intercede”

And life – life has infinite joys, has infinite joys.   Life has infinite… infinite joys.

The song is “Infinite Joys” from William Finn’s Elegies, and until I just pulled up the MySpace page and listened to the first song I hadn’t though I’d heard anything from it before.  But anyway, I certainly hadn’t heard this song.  I looked up a few versions on YouTube (I have a recording by Liz Callaway that I purchased from iTunes), and was amazed that I was picking up on some of the things that Eric told me not / to do.

Anyway.

This was just an excuse to post in the blog.  I’ll admit it.  But aren’t the lyrics lovely?  You know when you say something, and hear your mother or your father or your grandparent’s words coming out of your lips?  That’s kind of what the song is about, I feel – the pieces of life where you suddenly catch yourself doing or thinking of something that someone else taught you, and how that can trigger a flood of memories.

/random.

Leviticus 18:22, Chapter and Verse

People are coming together, nationwide, tomorrow, to protest against Proposition 8 (etc).  Joe. My. God. has a great map that he posted on his blog, with the names of all the cities where the protests are being held.

I will be doing my homework, packing my photography kit (oooh shooting headshots in NYC on Sunday), packing a weekend bag, and driving to Connecticut tomorrow (hope to be on the road by 1), so I will not be attending the Philadelphia protest, but I encourage any and all who are joining in to keep it civil, keep it safe, and keep it up.  I won’t be there in person, but I’ll be there in spirit.

If you do want to join up with your local protest, go to http://jointheimpact.com/.

Tonight for dessert I wanted something substantial, but there were no cookies.  We had ice cream, and then I eyed some bananas, and then I saw we had peanut butter.

So, I made myself a delicious sundae.

• Chocolate Ice Cream
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Sliced Banana
• Peanut Butter topping

The peanut butter topping is difficult, since you can’t just cook it in the microwave, lest it get nasty (and the line between “smooth and melty” and “burned” is about a tenth of a second).  A double boiler does the trick, but for just a little bit of topping, I heated some water in our electric kettle (nice) to near boil (or boil, but I’m impatient).  While said water is heating, get yourself two bowls, one smaller than the other.  I use thin clear glass bowls, your mileage may vary.  It’s important that your smaller bowl is thin and glass (the outside bowl doesn’t matter), so if you have to use a juice cup, that is fine too.  In a pinch a tupperware may do.

Ok, so, put a spoonful of smooth peanut butter in the smaller bowl.  Put the smaller bowl in the bigger bowl.  Pour the hot water in the bigger bowl so it surrounds but does not cover the smaller bowl.  Grab the edge of the smaller bowl and lift it a little so that the bottom is surrounded by water too (this step optional).  With your other hand, stir the peanut butter.  In your faux double-boiler, you will see that after about 20sec of stirring, your peanut butter will be nice and goopy and perfect for drizzling over the ice cream.  Time may vary, but if it isn’t at least starting to melt at 20sec, you’re doing it wrong.  Go heat the water more.

For extra deliciousness, you can do this with chocolate chips for some poor man’s hot “fudge”.  Melting chocolate will take longer than peanut butter, but can be done in the same fashion.  Chocolate can also be started in the microwave, as the line between “melted” and “burned” is a bit wider.

Anyway, my sundae was delicious.  I would make it again, except this time with no chocolate ice cream.  Yes, I did just say I would re-make a dessert WITHOUT the chocolate.  Trust me, though, on this one.  The chocolate was good, but somewhat threw off the banana/peanut-butter deliciousness that was happening.

And then, the next morning, my thrill was crushed a little when I heard that Prop 8 in CA passed.  Plus the same law in other states.  No more gay marriages in CA.

I’m a Catholic.  I have been a Catholic for my entire life.  I have my own, religion-based qualms about whether or not gay people should be allowed to marry (I think they should, RC thinks they shouldn’t…).  Howeved, had I been a resident of California, I would have voted a strong NO on Proposition 8.

As an American, as long as marriage is a state-sanctioned institution (aka you don’t have to be Catholic or Mormon or anything to get a MARRIAGE certificate), I feel that blocking marriage between two consenting adults, regardless of sexual preference, is absurd. If you’re trying to protect the sanctity of marriage, why don’t you fight to allow only those who get married in the church to be called “Married”? Everyone else can be domestic partners (because, you know, that’s totally. the. same. right?).

(note – I posted this as a comment in bstewart23′s blog)

One thing that I’ve heard brought up by supporters of the prop is the idea that allowing gay marriages would strip the churches of their right to say NO to a gay couple who approaches them to get a marriage in their church.  There’s a lively, intelligent discussion on this and some other issues in this blog post over at babble.  From what I read (there and other places), this is false.  And if it was true, and a gay couple tried to sue a Roman Catholic church for not allowing them to get married there (you know, by a priest), I would say that the RC would probably win – that is discriminating on the RC’s right of religious expression.  Is this right?  Is this fair?  Is this discriminatory?

I think it’s hard, where social rights mesh with the rights against freedom of religious expression.  I’m not a lawyer and I’m not fully educated on this issue (although I have some serious reading to do over the next week).  If you know any more about this, or have a different viewpoint, please let me know. I am most certainly missing some of the pieces here.

Comments encouraged.  Hateful comments deleted.

However, with the results coming in, and this historic election, I just wanted to post something I saw earlier today. It’s called “Hope”, and it’s from a speech by Harvey Milk. I find it incredibly inspiring.

While I think that, unless you live in a swing state, your vote for president has very little effect (stupid… electoral… college), I firmly believe that in order to take any part in this democracy (including, but not limited to, complaining about anything that is remotely related to government), you MUST VOTE.

Today I voted not only for president, but also for my state senator, a representative, the state treasurer, the auditor general, and a referendum. It is these people who don’t get as much press as Obama and McCain during this never ending election season – these are the ones that are incredibly responsible for what your local laws are.

So, if you did not vote today, shame on you. Go get yourself together, and start voting – the next election is in the spring. I’ll see you at the polls.