President Obama on Climate Change

XO

How can we change the world?

Connections through common interest

Who would have thought that I would be on-line chatting with a manager of a clothing manufacturing company in Bangladesh? A Web 2.0 tool called Skype has allowed me to connect with Peace Fashion, a company that produces a wide variety of men's, women's and children's apparel. I was searching for a way to help my students learn about the textile industry, and the solution appeared in my Skype in-box. We both belong to the Fashion Industry Network, which is a group of people who are either working or studying in the textile industry. The presentation, sent by Md. Jakirul Islam, included photos of the working environment. I'm hoping that soon we'll be able to invite a representative from the company into our classroom as a guest speaker via Skype. In a couple of weeks, the class is visiting 10,000 Villages to learn about Fair Trade. Maybe we can facilitate a Fair Trade connection between Bangladesh and the United States.

Voice Thread

We've been using a great tool for on-line collaboration called Voice Thread. The students in the Child Development classes researched current issues affecting children, uploaded an image to represent the topic and narrated their voice threads. Then they viewed their classmates' images and listened to the narrations. Each student was able to make a few comments on the voice threads of topics of their choice. The application was easy to learn. I'd like to use the students' pictures or first names, but they seemed to prefer to remain anonymous. Many of the students used topics that affected them directly. Many thanks to Joan for sharing this application in the Web 2.0 class this summer. I've embedded the Voice Thread in the side bar. You can hear the narrations, but it's difficult to read the text of the comments at this scale. Here is the link to the actual presentation on the Voice Thread website, Speaking Up for Children. Check out the Voice Thread and make a few comments!

Blackle search engine

In Hot, Flat and Crowded, Friedman denigrates energy saving by comparing the small changes that people make in their everyday lives as an energy party, instead of an energy revolution. Considering the multiplying effect of billions of people making small daily changes, I disagree. The Green Guide suggests taking a minute to set your computer to a search engine created by Google that is called Blackle. The idea is that the black background reduces the amount of energy usage of your computer.

Willard Daggett in Middletown

Dr. Willard Daggett's presentation at our November in-service urged teachers to recognize the challenges of education in the 21st century. We were persuaded to emphasize rigor, relevance and relationships in our schools. As a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, I agree wholeheartedly. Perennial, practical problems have guided the FCS curriculum for generations. Wise use of resources requires critical thinking skills. We must continue to advocate for Family and Consumer Sciences education for ALL students. We need the support of our administrations and communities to continue to teach students the skills needed to raise happy and healthy children, to build and maintain successful relationships with spouses and co-workers, to manage household finances, and to promote an acceptable quality of life for all people. The challenges of the present economic and environmental crisis can only be met if students are equipped with the reasoning ability to face difficult choices in their lives.

Hot, Flat and Crowded

Having just finished reading Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman, I'm looking forward to sharing some sections with my students. In particular, chapter 8 summarizes the interconnectedness of the planet's energy system and the global economy in a less fatalistic style than most of the book. My favorite quote is "Emulation is always more effective than compulsion." I agree with Friedman's proposition that Americans must harness every creative impulse to tackle the tremendous challenges that confront us in the 21st century. Although the political environment must support the endeavors of the innovators, the bottom line is the collective groundswell of consumer demand. Two summers ago, I was discussing climate change with a friend from England, who seemed to think that people around the world were eager to work together to confront the global warming challenge. I reluctantly told her that most of the Americans I know were not concerned at all about the ramifications of rampant energy usage. For a brief moment this summer, I thought I was mistaken because "green" seemed to be the watchword of 2008. As gas prices at the pump have dropped, we hear less and less about energy management. I'm hoping that we do the right thing even without the impetus of high prices. It's time to enlist the tremendous enthusiasm of our young people in solving this most basic resource problem.