My Typing Teacher Was Right

Ok.  If you tell her, I'll deny it, but my 9th grade typing teacher was right.  I almost dropped out of my typing class because I was so tired of hearing her rant about knowing your home row.  After checking out some online typing tutors, apparently that home row thing is really important.  Actually I knew that before now.  Those little bumpy things on the "F" and "J" keys are worn out on my desktop computer as are the letters of the home row.  So worn are the letters of my keyboard a beginner typist would have no hope.  Having run through a few home row typing tutors however, I still hate "ASDF" "JKL;"

Her wisdom didn't end there.  She insisted that typing the word rather than typing the letters was the "proper" way to type.  I quickly learned the truth on the online tutorials as my typing speed was less than stellar when I was typing the random letters of the home row.  Once I moved on to the word drills, my speed, while still less than I thought I typed, improved dramatically; that is, until I hit words like "judiciously" and "scullion".

So, thank you to my typing teacher.  Sadly, I can't remember your name, but I remembered what you taught me.

PC Refugees Take Heart

If you're like me and cut your teeth on a PC before the first Windows was ever "framed", you may be more partial to a Fuji rather than a Macintosh when it comes to apples.  Trust me!  I completely understand.  Please don't think we a traitor, but it might be time you give the Apple OS a fresh look.

After spending some time on the Atomic Learning website, I am admittedly shocked at how many similarities there are between the current evolution of Windows and Snow Leopard.  Once you get past the fact that the Close-Minimize-Maximize buttons are on the "wrong" side of the windows and the missing right mouse button, you might be able to navigate Leopard fairly easily.

The first word that comes to mind for me is clean.  Two features that help keep the leopard desktop clutter-free are Stacks and Spaces.  My Windows desktop looks a lot like my office desktop...cluttered.  Application icons strewn all over the place.  Stacks (admittedly nothing more than a fancy folder) provides a nice neat place to "hide" all those application icons.  With these close at hand on the dock, finding the right application is easy.

Spaces takes multitasking to a new level.  Imagine a multi-screen set-up without the desk space.  Leopard gives you the ability to created multiple spaces.  Within these spaces, you can open applications.  Once the spaces are set, you can quickly and easily switch between them with customizable shortcuts.

While I'm not prepared to run out and buy a Mac (not that my wife would let me), I can understand why so many of my friends like their wormy-old Apples.

Blogging about Bloggers

I perused a few of the blogs listed.  Dr. Curt Bonk's blog, TravelinEdMan, seems to be geared toward higher education settings.  However, his most recent blog, Bonk's Last Principles of Learning, while the specifics were geared more toward college students, the principles hold some value for other educational environments.  The principle of convenience as well as the principle of cheerfulness and optimism seemed especially practical for younger students.

Clarence Fisher's blog, Remote Access, seems to focus on teaching across distances.  From the posts I read, I got a real sense of his passion for bringing people together for teaching-learning experiences through the use of technology.  I was intrigued by the reading aloud sessions he discussed using Skype.