Jan

29

Laughing out loud or how the internet helps me maintain a balance in life

Filed Under Blogging in and out of the Classroom, Computers In The Classroom, Digital toys, The Way I See It, The way I see it 

In my last post, I suggested that students  spending 53 hours on the new media, mainly the internet, was too much of a good thing.  I argued that spending that much time on-line would lead to a totally unbalance life.  Tracy and MIrjan’s comments caused me to pause and reflect on my own life and the balance I  strive to achieve.  Let me tell you, it didn’t take long for me to start LOL.

Here’s why I started laughing out loud at myself.

  • I love to read books, magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes etc.  Now I download books, newspapers, and magazines from the net and read them on my laptop, netbook or iPod.
  • I’m always behind in my reading. So many books and so little time.  Now I catch up on my reading by listening to ebooks I download. (No more excuses about using the elliptical trainer boring)
  • I love doing jigsaw and crossword puzzles.  Now I down load jigsaw puzzles and do them on my laptop or netbook.
  • I love listening to the radio. Now I listen to it  on my laptop, netbook or iPod.
  • I love trivia so I was always consulting my set of encyclopedias.  Now I ask google my questions and download the answers.
  • I love to knit but find it difficult to find patterns I like in my local yarn shop.  Now I find patterns I like on-line  and  download them.  Many of the patterns are free.
  • I find shopping mostly a frustrating experience so now I do more and more  of my shopping  on-line.
  • I love learning new things so I’m forever downloading podcasts and videos.

Are you laughing out loud with me yet?

Those are just the things I do on-line that aren’t work related.  I spend hours on line looking for ways to engage my more reluctant/struggling students.  I’ve downloaded all kinds of teaching tools and learning tools. I spend writing this blog and reading many others.

Tracy suggested I consider the new media in all its  forms as part of students’  lives and not something  separate from their lives,  something that takes away from their lives or something that creates a huge imbalance in their lives.  I guess I’d have to say that the new media is a really big part of my life, a really valuable tool that helps me keep my life balanced.

LOL!!!

Image thanks to mahalo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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