Post 7 - Online Communities

I used to be what they call a "sneakerhead", or someone who collects shoes. There are tons of websites designed for sneaker enthusiasts; I used to frequent the Nike SB forums, Solecollector, and HypeBeast. Already you're probably thinking, "What's a hypebeast?" A hypebeast is someone who wants to obtain a pair of shoes purely because there is a lot of discussion and anticipation or "hype" for the release of a sneaker. I may or may not have camped out overnight for shoes. Some terminology that is commonplace to shoe collectors , but foreign to most include: heel drag, number of stars, B-grades, limited releases, and quickstrikes. Heel drag is when the heel is worn down; this usually occurs when someone is rocking shoes too big for their feet. Number of stars refers to how many stars are left on the bottom toe of the shoes (Nike puts tiny little stars on certain shoe lines so you can tell how worn they are). B-grades are shoes that are nearly top grade, but there is a minor discrepancy such as poor stitching. Limited releases, or LR's, refers to a company only releasing a very small amount of shoes. I own one of ten pairs of Nike SB "Tokyo Mids" that were released, or dropped, in the state of Washington. Quickstrikes refer to a release that is limited and comes with little or no prior warning. Now that I have to spend money on more practical necessities, it seems ridiculous how obsessed I was, but to this day I am proud of my 30+ sneaker collection, which is sorted by model in my closet. I have all the boxes too. A legitimate box makes the pair complete. I even own some sneakers that are "deadstock", or unused and in mint condition. I keep telling myself I should cash out, but I know I never will. Maybe my future grandchildren can sell them for some serious money someday. Sounds outlandish, but just google Jordan Eminems, or Nike Dunk Supreme's; they're worth ridiculous amounts, climbing into the five digit price range. Once even, at a particularly anticipated release for the coveted Nike SB NY Pigeons, a man was beaten with a baseball bat...over shoes. Some people are willing to sell their soul before they sell their soles.

http://kadycarrougher.blog.com/2014/03/26/blog-7/#comment-9
http://ktuftsprofessional.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/blog-7-blogging-communities/comment-page-1/#comment-14

Post 6 - "When I was your age..."

"When I was your age, we didn't have all this technology; we used whiteboards instead of fancy projectors and smart boards."

"I can't imagine you in grade school, but what's a whiteboard?"

"Exactly what it sounds like; a  big old white board that you can write on with special markers."

"I can't even imagine that! All the erasing and you couldn't even view it online later"

"Yeah, there are many downsides compared to what you lucky kids have today. We had to translate teachers' handwriting- you wouldn't believe how awful some were! It also could be hard to see depending on where you were sitting, what color pen the teacher used, and even the weather."

"The weather?"

"You better believe it! If it was sunny out there would be glare on the board."

"Gee whiz! The whiteboard sounds awful!"

"I can't believe kids say that again; my mom's mom said that."

"Whatever. Were there any advantages of the whiteboard?"

"Well, the teacher never could write much faster for me, so the note-taking pace was ideal. It also gave students a chance to participate in class by writing in the board. Certain reminders could also be in the corner, like maybe what was due, the schedule, or even who couldn't go out to recess."

"I'll wax you in four-square!"

"I suppose you would, we played tackle football before all these ridiculous lawsuits, but that's beside the point. The death of the whiteboard is more symbolic of a trend that began in my day and became a reality. You know the news used to be called the 'paper' and it was delivered to your door?"

"That's nuts, but what's your point?"

"Nothing is in print anymore. We used to have phone books delivered with all your town's businesses and information. We used to have to write by hand in class and doodle upon notebooks, we used to twiddle our pens- some kids even snacked on theirs, we used explore the library, we used to curiously turn pages and hold a world in our hands, we used to get handouts that we could scribble ideas on; do you ever even use paper anymore?"

"Not really, and that's because you used to use the phone book as a seat booster, you used to doodle- I work on other stuff when I'm bored, you used to throw out clothes ruined from ink stains, you use to trudge around with heavy backpacks, you used to scribble- I type."

"Well maybe someday you can sell my library and buy a new iWhatever they make next."

"No, for some reason, I want to keep those books."

"I know." (smiles)

http://tarrdtc375.blogspot.com/2014/03/6-when-i-was-your-age.html?showComment=1394583401035#c7953651157647968510

http://therealwilliamlocke.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/times-have-really-changed/comment-page-1/#comment-5

Post 5 - Thoughts on A Better Pencil

Technology certainly has a place in the classroom. In an increasingly digital world, it makes virtually no sense to not integrate classrooms and pedagogies with at least some of our technological capabilities. As a kid, I remember when my small school first installed smartboards in the classrooms; kids actually wanted to go in front of the class and write on the board. In high school, I appreciated having an online system, which is very similar to the Angel program many WSU classes utilize. I find the use of technology in classes to be enriching to my own education. I have learned a lot over the past four years from electronic mediums, whether it be videos, software, virtual class, and even video games. I do not view the use of technology any differently than print mediums; they can be extremely successful or they can fail miserably. It truly depends on the classes' context and how the teacher incorporates the medium into the course. In large classes, technology has been used to ensure attendance and provide students with opportunities to engage in the class, despite being one of only a few hundred students. This happens due to iclickers, which allows students to answer prompted questions and earn points. Any class with clicker questions forces students to remain engaged in class. I also see ebooks as becoming increasingly present in education. I have used multiple ebooks while studying at WSU. It is nice carrying my ipad to class as opposed to a 6 lb textbook, half of which I'll never need for the class. Despite the advantages of going paperless, I still prefer an actual hard copy, a hardback book that allows me to more easily mark pages, record my thoughts next to the author's, and I find it easier to reference.