This blog was suppose to be up along time ago. Lately My one & only laptop that has less then 200GB has been full. So I have had to clean up stuff & find useful sites to move my files to. Hopefully I can get a mac computer again & get me some more hardrive space.
If you have been following my twitter or Facebook status you might have seen that I have had surgery. I wrote a blog post @ the hospital a few hrs after I was out of surgery but it didn't post:( I even saved it to a word document but it would not even let me send it as a e-mail attachment. Copy and past epic fail to!
Last week a NJ Middle school principal thought It would be a genius idea to get all of the students that attend his school off from sites like facebook,myspace twitter etc. he is wasn't just talking about at SCHOOL he was talking about for there FULL middle school yrs!
A e-mail was sent out to parents to take on a voluntarily ban to get the students off such sites. Read the full e-mail here http://wcbstv.com/technology/facebook.social.networking.2.1662565.html
"Please do the following: sit down with your child (and they are just children still) and tell them that they are not allowed to be a member of any social networking site. Today!
There is absolutely no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site! Let me repeat that – there is absolutely, positively no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site! None.
Wow! that is some pretty heavy stuff! I can explain several reasons why students would want to be on such sites like that.
What could possibly invoke such a response from a man who holds such a responsible position? His intentions seem to be pure, as he thinks social networking sites such as Facebook are making kids’ lives harder due to cyber-bullying. But is banning kids from these sites the way to fix the problem?
Surely a better solution would be to encourage children to be more respectful to each other, and punish bullying more severely in whatever form it manifests itself.
Not only does he have a problem with social networking sites. He wants parents to check there text messages which im all for but to take cell phones away from kids and check them whenever sounds like to me you have a trust issue with your kids. Right now I believe we should be focused on educating the students rather then pulling the plug.
Below is my take on the e-mail when I got it last week.
I get the bullying part the principal is trying to stop but baning it is the not the right answer.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
My take on f8
I thought this blog got posted along time ago. I ment for it to be up yesterday but I wrote it right online and didn't bother saving it onto word or anything.
I watched the f8 developers conference and was very pleases on what I saw. Just a few days later I have seen some people starting to say how facebook is taking over the web and knowing all of there personal info. If its personal why are you posting it were everybody can see it?? These same people are on and share special moments of there lives threw facebook. They feel that facebook should not have the right to that data to facebook advertise setin products to them. There has been this small group of people since the internet first came out that it would take over are lives (which in a sence it has) but that it would destroy human kind and there would be no jobs (considering were the job market is maybe there right>) though it has brought lots of new jobs with it.
5 or 8 yrs ago if I was in high-school I would never been able to text me parents and let them know what is going on. I would never be able to post pictures as fast I do to share them with my friends and relatives. and just a few yrs ago ads were just ads..now there engaged in my interest so there no longer ads there more of a source I look to when it gets my attetnion. Which is now pretty much all of the time.
I would love to write more and be able to edit but I just dont have the time @ the moment. Have to finish up this wondering research paper.
Below is my 5 min rant on the f8 conference.
I watched the f8 developers conference and was very pleases on what I saw. Just a few days later I have seen some people starting to say how facebook is taking over the web and knowing all of there personal info. If its personal why are you posting it were everybody can see it?? These same people are on and share special moments of there lives threw facebook. They feel that facebook should not have the right to that data to facebook advertise setin products to them. There has been this small group of people since the internet first came out that it would take over are lives (which in a sence it has) but that it would destroy human kind and there would be no jobs (considering were the job market is maybe there right>) though it has brought lots of new jobs with it.
5 or 8 yrs ago if I was in high-school I would never been able to text me parents and let them know what is going on. I would never be able to post pictures as fast I do to share them with my friends and relatives. and just a few yrs ago ads were just ads..now there engaged in my interest so there no longer ads there more of a source I look to when it gets my attetnion. Which is now pretty much all of the time.
I would love to write more and be able to edit but I just dont have the time @ the moment. Have to finish up this wondering research paper.
Below is my 5 min rant on the f8 conference.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Internet of Things
You know that a trend is ramping up when big companies begin to namecheck it. It's happening now with the Internet of Things, a term for when real-world objects connect to the Internet. The Internet of Things is the idea of a web of data provided by things like real-world devices and sensors. Senior executives from two major U.S. broadband and telecommunications companies - Verizon and AT&T - plus the CTO of the world's biggest network systems provider Cisco, have recently discussed the Internet of Things.
When that data is intimately tied to our real lives off-line, that's exciting. The Internet of Things offers a whole new world of opportunities for improved decision making, innovative services and (unfortunately) social surveillance. It's loaded with implications to consider.
Last week industry thought leader Tim O'Reilly, the man widely credited with popularizing the term Web 2.0, gave an opening keynote talk about the Internet of Things
Below is 5min Video explaining this. yes its 5mins but really you need a whole conference to understand it all. So take 5mins and watch this interesting and awesome video below.
Check out this artile on "Media consumption on the increase" by a UK survey.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/19/media-consumption-survey
When that data is intimately tied to our real lives off-line, that's exciting. The Internet of Things offers a whole new world of opportunities for improved decision making, innovative services and (unfortunately) social surveillance. It's loaded with implications to consider.
Last week industry thought leader Tim O'Reilly, the man widely credited with popularizing the term Web 2.0, gave an opening keynote talk about the Internet of Things
Below is 5min Video explaining this. yes its 5mins but really you need a whole conference to understand it all. So take 5mins and watch this interesting and awesome video below.
Check out this artile on "Media consumption on the increase" by a UK survey.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/19/media-consumption-survey
Friday, April 16, 2010
Day Of Silence
Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating
in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing
attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which
is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment.
I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building
awareness and making a commitment to address these
injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.
Day of Silence morning so far 8am
Walking around today I noticed lots of people I knew and just had to node to them. Being a public speaker and very talkative it was very hard for me to be able to be silent for just the morning.
I’m wondering what others well think and what they might say about us ..me. I do care. SO please let me know what u think because everybody has an option and that does not mean we should hate one another for it.
So on this day I’m gong way out of my way to just to go silent for the whole day. This is a day that I think everybody well look at wonder and ask lots of questions. Is Grant Mead Gay? Why does Grant support this?
I support this because after hearing all the stories about teens who kill and hurt them selves about not telling others who they are or what they feel. I’m Not Gay!( and that word I don’t care for being how it gets used) I’m straight and sticking up for my fellow peers.
Yea this day of silence thing is super hard for me. You should try it! Get some duck tape and put it across your mouth. Lots of people well talk just because of the silence SO BE SILENT AND BE HEARD
Lunch:
Wow seeing all of the kids walk around and talk. I really want to join in on the converstions. I’m tweeting so maby they should get on that way. It is making a huge impact on what the kids are thinking. I have gotten a lot of kids asking me what this is all about.
I had a great meal quietly while listing to what others had to say around me. I wish I could blog more but I think my twitter and facebook profile tell a lot. I never ment to use my website like this. I well creat a page for my blogging life.
Looks like lunch is wrapping up for me. Time to get back into class
End of the day
I was super disappointed on how the majority of my peers were poking fun at me. Later on into the evening I find out somone starts spreading around that Im gay and Im going on a date with a guy tonight. Please people dont believe that stuff. I stuck up for something that I thought was a good thing. I now have a super compassion on others around me who dont come out of the closet because nonobdy would want to be treated liked that. I really believe we need to love one another nobody who they are. yes we might not agree with it but that dosent mean we need to poke fun & make there lives horrible does it?
So please stop and ponder this moment this day. What did you do. Did you go silent for some of the day. Did you poke fun @ somone who was going silent. Did you see what was happing to the ones who were silent and getting picked on but decided not to do anything about it.
I ask you people please be yourself and SPEAK UP if your NOT SILENT!
in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing
attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which
is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment.
I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building
awareness and making a commitment to address these
injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.
Day of Silence morning so far 8am
Walking around today I noticed lots of people I knew and just had to node to them. Being a public speaker and very talkative it was very hard for me to be able to be silent for just the morning.
I’m wondering what others well think and what they might say about us ..me. I do care. SO please let me know what u think because everybody has an option and that does not mean we should hate one another for it.
So on this day I’m gong way out of my way to just to go silent for the whole day. This is a day that I think everybody well look at wonder and ask lots of questions. Is Grant Mead Gay? Why does Grant support this?
I support this because after hearing all the stories about teens who kill and hurt them selves about not telling others who they are or what they feel. I’m Not Gay!( and that word I don’t care for being how it gets used) I’m straight and sticking up for my fellow peers.
Yea this day of silence thing is super hard for me. You should try it! Get some duck tape and put it across your mouth. Lots of people well talk just because of the silence SO BE SILENT AND BE HEARD
Lunch:
Wow seeing all of the kids walk around and talk. I really want to join in on the converstions. I’m tweeting so maby they should get on that way. It is making a huge impact on what the kids are thinking. I have gotten a lot of kids asking me what this is all about.
I had a great meal quietly while listing to what others had to say around me. I wish I could blog more but I think my twitter and facebook profile tell a lot. I never ment to use my website like this. I well creat a page for my blogging life.
Looks like lunch is wrapping up for me. Time to get back into class
End of the day
I was super disappointed on how the majority of my peers were poking fun at me. Later on into the evening I find out somone starts spreading around that Im gay and Im going on a date with a guy tonight. Please people dont believe that stuff. I stuck up for something that I thought was a good thing. I now have a super compassion on others around me who dont come out of the closet because nonobdy would want to be treated liked that. I really believe we need to love one another nobody who they are. yes we might not agree with it but that dosent mean we need to poke fun & make there lives horrible does it?
So please stop and ponder this moment this day. What did you do. Did you go silent for some of the day. Did you poke fun @ somone who was going silent. Did you see what was happing to the ones who were silent and getting picked on but decided not to do anything about it.
I ask you people please be yourself and SPEAK UP if your NOT SILENT!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
No Ending
Thanks for all the support in makeing the VBlogs:)
Just wanted to remind you all that tomorrow is "One Day without Shoes" take sometime out of your day to go without wearing your shoes. No matter were AT! work, school etc.
LETS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
VBLOG FOR TODAY!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Easter Sunday
Hope you and Your family had a Wonderful Easter Sunday. I had a glorious one..lets take a few seconds to recap it.
Went to Harmony Bible Church were I had some amazing worshiping.
Had a blast searching for easter eggs.
Here is a short video I took on my phone http://qik.com/video/5866361 some how it stoped uploading so lost all the other footage.
Went to the park and got lost in the woods..lol. Bored so I uploaded a new video to YouTube.
Also if You havent heard in the new Baja Mexico got hit with a earthquake. I'm wanting to go down there in June to help them rebuild. Please help by donating some money or sending asking your friends to donate.
$1 $5 or more dont matter how much you give everything helps!
Link to the page on more info about the trip
http://grantmead.chipin.com/mission-trip-to-baja-mexico
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Van Meter- New learning in school
Long time no blogging. I have been busy with the "school work" that is suppose to help me in the "read world". Aside from that the title of this pretty much tells you alot of what I Want to address today.
DROPOUT RATES
The No, 1 reason contributing to student dropout rates is a lack of engagement. The billion-dollar question for our education system is: How do we motivate and stimulate students to take a more proactive role in their academic success?
Awhile back I held a technology seminar. (See my last blog post)It went over better then what I planed:) Got to hear from a school called Van Meter. You might heard them in the news. Let me fill you in if you haven't.
This school is a K-12 school & in 2009 recently rolled out 1:1 Computer Program. Every student has their own Laptop and carries it with them from classroom to classroom while using it to engage each other as well as kids across the globe. Yes, I mean from New Jersey to Singapore.... This is only ONE thing that has help make this school great. What has gotten Iowa and other educators attention is the way they are teaching the students. SAY what? STUDENTS!
Van Meter School has realized and took action that today students learn in a whole new way. Instead of the normal way of students going to school getting a boring assignment and then forgot about it later on in life this school is changing that.
You know that old saying “it’s never too late.” Doesn’t apply here. If we don’t change the way we are Educating our students and our teachers...it will be TOO LATE.
Here is there Statement:
The rate of change at Van Meter is accelerating exponentially with our focus being to empower students to THINK, LEAD, and SERVE.
WOW say what? I thought most schools are like that. Well they might say they are but ask the students or start listing to what the students post on there blogs, Facebook, & twitter pages you might think otherwise.
Today’s students are currently engaged, all day, every day—posting tweets, talking to friends on facebook, and texting.
To date, a significant chasm has existed between students’ interactive, stimulating experiences with social media and the reality of their “low-tech” classrooms.
Now that is what I call preparing them for a future of successes. Teaching them to
* collaborate
* connect
* compare
* contrast
* create
* communicate
These are all the skill sets of the Entrepreneur. John Carver and Van Meter Schools are changing the face of Education and impacting the world as we know it…in a very positive way.
WELCOME THESE SCHOOLS:)
More to come---
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)