busybackson 2

I can't believe I'm doing this but I have to put a little note on the door of my blog.

Busy Back Soon.

Work is coming in from students thick and fast now, electronic handing in of working seems to encorage my students much more than handing in a physical document. I have been using e-folders for a couple of years now and although wary at first students usually come round pretty quick and then its all hands to the pumps. Second deadline is 3pm to day and I'v just downloaded the first five students work already - looks like it's another busy weekend :) but I will be back soon to post some cartoons, not a brill time to try and start another blog I guess, but womb with a view will hopefully gather momentum soon - watch this space.

Cheers All,

e.

We'll we're half way through the week, my students have a deadline looming, so needless to say it's time for....General Mayhem.



Odour de panic pour le student.

jump to light speed

It's monday again, you can tell by the speed at which I am travelling. By my calculations at my current rate of acceleration I should reach light speed lunch time tuesday about 12.15pm(and watch out they'll be a big flash, like a sonic boom but visual rather than auditory).

This is a bit weird, but I really liked him as a pope so I was a little chuffed (pleased) when I did the test.


You are Pope John Paul II. You are a force to be
reckoned with.


Which Twentieth Century Pope Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I saw him in York (In the UK) when he visited many years ago, it was a special sort of day with Mum, Dad, Brother & Sister, I've a photo somewhere. Simpler Childhood Times, funny how a little online fun can bring back such long lost but fond memories.

Vari-Time

Finally the weekend. Einstiens theory of time proves true yet again.

A second sitting on a hot gridle - is like a day.
A day with a beautiful girl - is like a second.

Most fun lessons are but fleeting.
Most weeks (paper work) feel like a hot griddle pan.

I'm coming to the conclusion that to balance out the speeding up of time in fun lessons I'm having to do more paper work to fill up the time left over so that a week is still 7 days long.

If Average day teaching
1 mins up & break fast
30 mins drive
6 hours teaching + 1 hour lunch (yeah right)
30 mins drive
30 mins chill TV
30 mins walk dogs
2 hour cook eat dinner
2 hours homework
1 hour freebie
2 hours TV/movie
8 hours sleep
=24 hours

but.....

Good lessons last half as long, and I eat dinner with my wife (beautiful girl 8 hours = 1 second, einstiens theory)

so 6 hours becomes 3 and dinner is 30 mins, so the universe has to generate 3 and half hours of work for me on a good day to stop the week from falling in on itself, nature abhors a vacuum. So there goes my weekend.

:)

pHew day

It's a phew! day to day, . Teaching is great fun, the lesson is going well, questions are flying at you, you can see them challenging the new skill, abosrbing it, rearranging it to test if they can use it, good ideas, creative sketches and all the while you're moving around a minute here two minutes there, try it like this, how about that? a joke here, praise there, should you really be talking about that during the lesson? and a big 'good lesson guys see you tommorrow'.....and then the show starts again in five minutes :)

Roll up Roll up

see the amzing wonders of design technology free

1 and half hour show

4 shows a daily

It's good though, I think it must be maybe how a good standup comedien might feel ater a good night. A pleased and happy glow.

Well time to go home and make like dino here :-

Good night all.

Newtonian Physics in Education

For Each action there is an equal and opposite reaction.(Newton)

action = teaching, reaction = non learning

y' canna defy the laws of physics capt'n (scotty from startrek)

p.s. - being fair, all my students had an exam first thing this morning and they were all there, perhaps not bright eyed and bushy tailed, it's a miserable day weather wise, but keen all the same. The previous post is an over generalisation of students but it's nice to sound off like a grumpy old man now and again :)

switch on, tune in, drop out

(synopsis - old days, music, students to day, lessons and entertainment)

I'm promted by a recent comment to wax lyrical on the old days in school. the commentor mentioned that she was of the walkmen generation. I to recall those heady days of ankle warmers, leotards, jogging, the chopper, quality tv programs and a Doctor Who, who was believable, although I think he was perhaps a bit before the walkman.

It's funny but original research in the 70's suggested that people thought the idea of walking around with headphones on was daft, and although possibly an apophrycal tale (please excuse spelling - another product of 70's experimentation)sony actually paid actors and models to wear non working prototypes with headphones while doing cool activities so as to encourage people to see it as normal.

And thats the rub, it's normal now, students wear the wire under there clothes, usually coming out through the collar and small earphones with no head band nestle snuggly into their ears, blocking out any noise from the outside world and drowning out any noise from thoughts they may have on the inside world.

and thats the one that worries me, lack of quiet. They wake up to a radio alarm playing music or a chosen cd , they plug in and walk ride, drive to school, college, not looking listening or thinking where they are going. They stand in the corridors sharing earphones - 'you've gotta listen to this they're soooo ace' - They sit through the lesson, one earphone in - 'I am listening honest' - and what are they thinking?....they aren't, they can't, their heads are full of vacuous lyrics written by people who under any other circumstances would never be allowed to influence children - 'This is Mr Eminem you're new course tutor - any problem's he'll be able to advise you, any other problems check with the gun toting rapper at reception and he'll point you in the direction of the neurotic suicidal rocker in the counceling room'.

So here I stand, with my hours of lesson planning, my interactive touch sensitive multimedia smart board, video and DVD feed, internet access, and pyrotechnic work shop examples to dazzle and amaze, and I look into those sparkling eyes and say, 'right - unplug, tune in and switch on' - the sparkle fades as the music dies and they wait to Switch On, Tune In and Drop Out.

busyBackson

It was in Benjamin Hoff's book about Tao that I read about busy backson's, people who were always running around saying I'm busy but i'll be back soon. I've been busy I guess but know it's time to get back to posting, but this time maybe a little text.

I find myself loggin on to post but more often as not clicking on next blog and just scrolling through other peoples lives and other peoples lives seem so interesting. I guess it's time to share....

Ok here goes,

Well in total a bit of a non plus week, my students have there first module exam on tuesday 10th. The nerves are starting to kick in, mostly it's about them and revision, they don't seem to worry about it as much as perhaps I feel I did when I was at school but then I try and remeber it was 20 years ago, we didn't get a resit in june and my teachers and lecturers didn't have to compete with :-

my need to text the person i was speaking to before i came into the lesson.

my need to have at least one earphone in from my I-pod so that my brain can function.

my need to keep my rediculously fashionable 'two person inflatable dingy' of a jacket on in case the fashion police do a flash raid on the college.

Neither did they have to compete with :-

'Can I borrow a Pen?'
'Can I borrow some paper?'
'Can I borrow a text book?'

Apparently the fashion police have also outlawed carrying any form of bag satchell or ruck sack. I wish they'd issue a memo so I'd known.

It makes me smile though, they're all trendy adult and grown up and yet we spent the afternoon revising materials & components by playing children's games.

16-18 years old on the outside 6-8 on the inside.

e.