Tuesday, September 6, 2011

I love technology; I hate technology

So, as the Internet AND WIFI were down, this, the first day of school, I was on Plan B, already. (Plan A was uber cool, of course, for Day 1 of my iPad roll-out, but I digress, and since Plan A was not in effect, it shall get no more ink).
Plan B had us writing "Six Word Memoirs," modeled after the NPR challenge. Mine was easy (and spontaneous): "I love technology; I hate technology," and now that I think more about it, isn't that true of any really serious, can't-live-without, brings-me-to-the-utter-throws-of-happiness relationship? I guess that means we're serious about each other, me and boyfriend: this relationship is real [just to review, in the event of a single-entry reader, by "boyfriend" I mean iPad].
Update: after some highly-sought attention from our I.T. department, iPads were finally up and running the last two hours of the day today. And, they were quite breathtaking in effect, I must say. From the moment they were in the anxious little hands of my scholars, it was total engagement. We used the I/W (image/word) app to create visual memoirs (take a self-portrait, add words, and play with the aesthetics). It was a great intro to basic iPad functions and helped me get to know a bit about my new batch of young charges.  I projected the iPads onto the SMART board, so we could share our creations.  They were gorgeous snapshots of their lives, a tribute to what these amazing little devices are capable of when put into the hands of 21st century learners. I'm excited...and they are too. Day in review: I hate technology; I love technology. We have a real relationship.