There are many productive uses of blogs in the classroom that I can think of, but I'll talk about the one I have most recently seen. The 4th grade classes in my school are working on a migration unit. The teachers have invited community members to participate by telling the 4th grade classroom their family migration story. Some of these presentation are being made in person to the class, but others are being posted to a blog. This gives students access to the same kind of information, in different formats and also lets community members who don't have time to come to the classroom participate as well. Presenters write up their families migration story and post it on the class blog, or their own blog sites. Here is one such blog. (Thanks again to Mr. Stutz for letting me refer to his blog).
I am looking forward to seeing what other productive uses people come up with. I think like any other tool, blogs are a great resource that needs to be taught. We can't expect everyone to know what they are about or how to accurately use them as a resource if we don't teach them. Instead of talking about all the negatives or drawbacks to technology, we should be talking about how to embrace and use them in a positive manner.
क्या कहाना
K&E
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
What downside of blogging?
To all our loyal friends and family who read this blog thank you for reading. Just as a preface to this particular blog entry, I (Elizabeth) have started some grad classes, one of which is a Technology course. Therefore, I am going to be using this blog for a few assignments.
To all my fellow class members, I hope you feel free to read about our adventures and live vicariously through us and/or get the travel bug as we have. :-)
To answer the questions for the week, I would say I agree and disagree with the statement. (For those interested here is a link to the questions). In general I would say that yes, blogs can be biased or as one of the articles mentioned, a soapbox. On the other hand, I think that the average web user knows that a blog is a different form of journalism or writing. I would think the average user understands that a blog is often one person writing, and therefore will be influenced by their perspectives.
I also think that this is often the reason a person follows a blog. They are interested in that particular topic or that particular view. They also may know respect that person and want to know what their personal opinion is on a topic.
As far as the downsides of blogging, I have to admit at this point I don't see many. It's a great place for writers to write, readers to read, learners to learn and even for collaboration to happen as in the article by J. Cowan. She came up with a great way to collaborate and get the community involved. I'll be interested to see what others think the downside might be.
क्या कहाना
K&E
To all my fellow class members, I hope you feel free to read about our adventures and live vicariously through us and/or get the travel bug as we have. :-)
To answer the questions for the week, I would say I agree and disagree with the statement. (For those interested here is a link to the questions). In general I would say that yes, blogs can be biased or as one of the articles mentioned, a soapbox. On the other hand, I think that the average web user knows that a blog is a different form of journalism or writing. I would think the average user understands that a blog is often one person writing, and therefore will be influenced by their perspectives.
I also think that this is often the reason a person follows a blog. They are interested in that particular topic or that particular view. They also may know respect that person and want to know what their personal opinion is on a topic.
As far as the downsides of blogging, I have to admit at this point I don't see many. It's a great place for writers to write, readers to read, learners to learn and even for collaboration to happen as in the article by J. Cowan. She came up with a great way to collaborate and get the community involved. I'll be interested to see what others think the downside might be.
क्या कहाना
K&E
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
After seeing me writing my blog entry on the way home yesterday, a fellow teacher and neighbor decided to write his own blog entry. He graciously gave me credit for the general idea on his blog. Likewise, I would like share his blog as he has other information he has added that gives additional insight and detail. I would like to give you all a chance to read it too. Here is the link. Enjoy!
क्या कहाना
K&E
क्या कहाना
K&E
My First Movie Star
I was so excited to learn a week or so ago that I know a movie star...well sort of. I hope all of you have seen or are planning to see the new movie Slumdog Millionaire. We think it's a good representation /generalization of India.
We saw Slumdog Millionaire when we were home for Christmas on the recommendation of some family members who had seen it. It wasn't until we were back home in India that a colleague sent a Twitter message about the movie and how another colleague was in the movie. I quickly ran over to her desk and asked her who it was to find out our choir teacher, Tom Lehmkuhl, is in the movie.
When I mentioned it to Kevin later that day, he reminded me of a conversation we had with Tom earlier in the year when he told us he was in some random movie. Now we realize that the random movie is the now famous Slumdog Millionaire. Hence, I know a movie star.
For those of you who have seen it, or are going to see it, our friend Tom is the Opera Singer outside the Taj Mahal.
क्या कहाना
K&E
We saw Slumdog Millionaire when we were home for Christmas on the recommendation of some family members who had seen it. It wasn't until we were back home in India that a colleague sent a Twitter message about the movie and how another colleague was in the movie. I quickly ran over to her desk and asked her who it was to find out our choir teacher, Tom Lehmkuhl, is in the movie.
When I mentioned it to Kevin later that day, he reminded me of a conversation we had with Tom earlier in the year when he told us he was in some random movie. Now we realize that the random movie is the now famous Slumdog Millionaire. Hence, I know a movie star.
For those of you who have seen it, or are going to see it, our friend Tom is the Opera Singer outside the Taj Mahal.
क्या कहाना
K&E
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Roller Skates and Mini-Trains
Last weekend we had a three day weekend because it was Republic Day in India. We decided to stay in town so we could go to a friend's surprise 1/2 birthday party, but we also wanted to take advantage of being here in India and having a long weekend, so we decided to rent a van and go up to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
We had a few people come with us, which was a lot of fun. We packed a lunch of cheese and crackers, and Frisbee and blanket, not knowing what to expect, other than that there were some caves and a "safari" we could go on. We left around 9:15 and were at the park around 10am which was a lot faster then we expected, because others had warned us it would take a little while, even though it is "in town".
A side note about roller skates. As we were driving away from our apartment, down the road that runs along the water, half of the road was blocked off and their was a huge crowd. We soon realized they were having some kind of kids rollerskating race down the road that morning. This was a very serious event too. The kids, ranging in age from 5 or 6 on up, had professional suits, all the helmets and pads needed and offical race numbers. What a strange and fun thing to stumble upon! We were a little sad that we didn't know it was happening and we weren't able to stop and watch.
So back to the park, when we arrived we went first to the caves. We have already seen the caves on Elephanta Island, but these were a bit different. First off, there was a LOT more of them. I think someone mentioned it kind of felt like we were in a Star Wars movie on some dessert planet. Each of the caves felt like a home with different rooms and columned entrances, even little front porches. Some had Buddhist carvings and some were just plain. We kept walking up and up and there were more and more. We also got a fun view over the park, which is quite large, and a little bit of the city in the background.
When we were done with the caves, we all got back in the van and decided to head over to the safari. Now the safari is really a 10 minute bus ride into a caged area where they keep some lions and tigers and leopards. When we arrived there was a HUGE line of people waiting. We parked the car and decided to each lunch and rotate having people wait in line, since we had all heard about the safari and were all excited to go, if only for the cheesiness of it. After a few minutes, the first group of people who were waiting in line came back. It was noon at that point, and apparently the people who run the safari take a break from 12:30 to 2pm. So we figured we wouldn't get on a bus before 12:30 and didn't want to wait until 2.
We were a bit disappointed, but our driver suggested that we take the mini-train ride instead, which goes around the edge of the area where they keep the animals. So after finishing our lunch, we wandered over to the mini-train and got in line. This line was considerably shorter and so we had high hopes. We did end up waiting for an hour or so before getting on the train. Although the line was shorter, it was still really busy and of course it was a mini train. As we were waiting we got to see another group get on and realized we were in for an adventure!
Because it was a busy day at the park (because of the three day weekend) the mini-train ended up being a lot like what a real train is like during rush hour. First off, as people were waiting, some crossed over the tracks and waited over there in hopes of getting a better seat on the train. Once the train started pulling in, as in it had not stopped yet, people started jumping on and pushing their way to the seats. When we watched, it seemed like there was a bigger rush in the back, so we decided to wait closer to where the front of the train would be. That turned out to be a big mistake, because people were even pushier and jumped on earlier then they had the previous train. So about half of us pushed our way on, and forced our butts in seats, pretty much forcing others out. The other half of our group, one of whom is 6 months pregnant, decided that looked like a bad idea, and ended up jumping on near the back of the train, which was apparently much less crowded.
So off we went on our little train ride. About a minute in, there was a cage with two lepords sleeping, which only some of us saw, and then a few deer. The rest of the ride, was driving around the park, looking and the dead, dry plants and garbage EVERYWHERE in the national park. Pretty disappointing. I think we all agreed though that the adventure of getting on the train was pretty much the most exciting part and worth the 15 rupees each that we paid.
After the train ride, we went to the memorial for Sanjay Gandhi, which was a very nice little garden, but I think we all realized, we didn't know who Sanjay was. Later that night I looked it up, and here is what I found. We also went to the Jain temple and by that time we were ready to head home.
We had a great time, and it was nice to get out and do some walking around, although it's still not the same as getting away from the smog and away from the litter. We will be sure to take visitors here as it's a nice introduction to some of the caves in India and fun to walk around.
Also, be sure to check out the pictures and video's from the day.
क्या कहाना
K&E
We had a few people come with us, which was a lot of fun. We packed a lunch of cheese and crackers, and Frisbee and blanket, not knowing what to expect, other than that there were some caves and a "safari" we could go on. We left around 9:15 and were at the park around 10am which was a lot faster then we expected, because others had warned us it would take a little while, even though it is "in town".
A side note about roller skates. As we were driving away from our apartment, down the road that runs along the water, half of the road was blocked off and their was a huge crowd. We soon realized they were having some kind of kids rollerskating race down the road that morning. This was a very serious event too. The kids, ranging in age from 5 or 6 on up, had professional suits, all the helmets and pads needed and offical race numbers. What a strange and fun thing to stumble upon! We were a little sad that we didn't know it was happening and we weren't able to stop and watch.
So back to the park, when we arrived we went first to the caves. We have already seen the caves on Elephanta Island, but these were a bit different. First off, there was a LOT more of them. I think someone mentioned it kind of felt like we were in a Star Wars movie on some dessert planet. Each of the caves felt like a home with different rooms and columned entrances, even little front porches. Some had Buddhist carvings and some were just plain. We kept walking up and up and there were more and more. We also got a fun view over the park, which is quite large, and a little bit of the city in the background.
When we were done with the caves, we all got back in the van and decided to head over to the safari. Now the safari is really a 10 minute bus ride into a caged area where they keep some lions and tigers and leopards. When we arrived there was a HUGE line of people waiting. We parked the car and decided to each lunch and rotate having people wait in line, since we had all heard about the safari and were all excited to go, if only for the cheesiness of it. After a few minutes, the first group of people who were waiting in line came back. It was noon at that point, and apparently the people who run the safari take a break from 12:30 to 2pm. So we figured we wouldn't get on a bus before 12:30 and didn't want to wait until 2.
We were a bit disappointed, but our driver suggested that we take the mini-train ride instead, which goes around the edge of the area where they keep the animals. So after finishing our lunch, we wandered over to the mini-train and got in line. This line was considerably shorter and so we had high hopes. We did end up waiting for an hour or so before getting on the train. Although the line was shorter, it was still really busy and of course it was a mini train. As we were waiting we got to see another group get on and realized we were in for an adventure!
Because it was a busy day at the park (because of the three day weekend) the mini-train ended up being a lot like what a real train is like during rush hour. First off, as people were waiting, some crossed over the tracks and waited over there in hopes of getting a better seat on the train. Once the train started pulling in, as in it had not stopped yet, people started jumping on and pushing their way to the seats. When we watched, it seemed like there was a bigger rush in the back, so we decided to wait closer to where the front of the train would be. That turned out to be a big mistake, because people were even pushier and jumped on earlier then they had the previous train. So about half of us pushed our way on, and forced our butts in seats, pretty much forcing others out. The other half of our group, one of whom is 6 months pregnant, decided that looked like a bad idea, and ended up jumping on near the back of the train, which was apparently much less crowded.
So off we went on our little train ride. About a minute in, there was a cage with two lepords sleeping, which only some of us saw, and then a few deer. The rest of the ride, was driving around the park, looking and the dead, dry plants and garbage EVERYWHERE in the national park. Pretty disappointing. I think we all agreed though that the adventure of getting on the train was pretty much the most exciting part and worth the 15 rupees each that we paid.
After the train ride, we went to the memorial for Sanjay Gandhi, which was a very nice little garden, but I think we all realized, we didn't know who Sanjay was. Later that night I looked it up, and here is what I found. We also went to the Jain temple and by that time we were ready to head home.
We had a great time, and it was nice to get out and do some walking around, although it's still not the same as getting away from the smog and away from the litter. We will be sure to take visitors here as it's a nice introduction to some of the caves in India and fun to walk around.
Also, be sure to check out the pictures and video's from the day.
क्या कहाना
K&E
Monday, January 19, 2009
Limited Time Offer!!! - DON'T MISS THIS CHANCE!
That's right, act fast or you will miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity! Now available to the public for the first time ever!
That's right! We have opened the Roberts family vault and released this new collection of never before seen photos and videos.
Call now and you can see such great moments as
"Forbidden City - The Musical"
"Mumbai Moonlight"
"The Great Wall Adventure"
"Hong Kong's Long Gone"
"Night in a Bird's Nest"
"The Matheran Python"
"Riding the Slow Boat in China"
and "Cribs - Emperor's Edition"
And if you act in the next 20 minutes we will throw in exclusive footage of China Che and The Boise Blizzard.
For our platinum members we also provide a sneak peak at these NEVER BEFORE SEEN IMAGES of Diwali Decor and Oktoberfest, not to mention the classic Caroling Capers and Kiara Christmas!
Don't let this once in a lifetime offer pass you by!!!!
(***Offer only valid in states beginning with the letter J and in remote sections of Guam. Must be 87 or older to participate. Other restrictions may apply. Contact your state or local representative for details.***)
क्या कहाना
K&E
THE LOST VACATION TAPES OF 2008
That's right! We have opened the Roberts family vault and released this new collection of never before seen photos and videos.
Call now and you can see such great moments as
"Forbidden City - The Musical"
"Mumbai Moonlight"
"The Great Wall Adventure"
"Hong Kong's Long Gone"
"Night in a Bird's Nest"
"The Matheran Python"
"Riding the Slow Boat in China"
and "Cribs - Emperor's Edition"
And if you act in the next 20 minutes we will throw in exclusive footage of China Che and The Boise Blizzard.
For our platinum members we also provide a sneak peak at these NEVER BEFORE SEEN IMAGES of Diwali Decor and Oktoberfest, not to mention the classic Caroling Capers and Kiara Christmas!
Don't let this once in a lifetime offer pass you by!!!!
(***Offer only valid in states beginning with the letter J and in remote sections of Guam. Must be 87 or older to participate. Other restrictions may apply. Contact your state or local representative for details.***)
क्या कहाना
K&E
Back to the Grind
We are back in India after a wonderful holiday in the states. We enjoyed lots of snow, lots of food, and lots of friend and family time which all made for a great Christmas vacation. Our flight back was incredibly smooth and we made it back to Mumbai with no problems. We are now back in school and back to daily life. We are excited for a new year as we are jumping into some new things. First, we are starting a bible study with a group of friends from school which we are really excited about. Second, we may potentially be starting some Hindi classes with folks from school. Third, Elizabeth has been accepted to Syracuse University to do her online masters program to become a librarian. Finally, there is a good chance we will be heading to Cairo for spring break for a conference and some vacation. More to come on that as details get flushed out.
All in all, life is pretty good. We are back to the busy, noisy, crazy life in Mumbai and looking forward to a busy and adventurous new year!
क्या कहाना
K&E
All in all, life is pretty good. We are back to the busy, noisy, crazy life in Mumbai and looking forward to a busy and adventurous new year!
क्या कहाना
K&E
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