...I don't know...what do you want to call it?...

Tiles....

So, at LONG last, the tile floor is in. I grouted it last night. This means that after 2 months, many trips to Lowes and Home Depot and much stress, I only have about 3 more days of dealing with the floor to go! Surprisingly, the part I have been the most concerned about turned out to be the only easy part of this entire process - grouting. I had no idea it was so easy. I expected it to be a nightmare (especially considering everything else has been a pain). But, you wave the magic floater over the floor, sponge it off and VOILA! you have a finished-looking floor. Now, I just have to seal and water the floor (or was it water and seal the floor....)

Freedom Toast

Turns out those French people have a great sense of humor:
check out the newest deck of cards.

Silence

It's been a while since I posted.... All is fine. Just standing by for the next type-worthy thing (or to let the muse come back and whap me upside the head with inspriation.)

Age of Incuriosity

NewsWeek is running this article (it appears on MSNBC's website) about the current currant in the American political attitude. A someone who often feels completely out-of-the-norm in my political understandings and questions, I found this piece to be strangely comforting. I particularly like the new name for our era - The Age of Incuriosity. It has baffled me how we got a former cocaine addict, DUI, failed businessman, spoiled fratboy for a president and WHY ON EARTH he can do whatever he wants without anyone even questioning him. If memory serves, our last president could hardly eat a midnight snack without being raked over the coals. So I am at least now a little more informed abotu why this is happening (same party running two - well actually all 3 - branches of our 'check and balances' system) and a little less frustrated in seeing that I'm not the only one who has noticed that complete lack of accountability for actions.

Cognitivism is evil

My revelation for the day: Generally I try to be open-minded about different perspectives, blah blah blah, but I'm in the middle of data analysis for a case study I'm working on and I have concluded that cognitivism is no less then pure evil when it is the theory of learning teachers use as their world view. Here's why: Using this mindset, a teacher's job is to present materials in multiple ways (to reach multiple learning styles) and provide students with the opportunity to practice that new stuff. The student's job is to take notes for future reference, and to practice the new stuff. So, the teacher's job is to present it and the student's job is to practice it. The practice leads to the student "getting it" - meaning that it now "sticks" which is demonstrated by students taking a test on which they solve the very nearest-transfer problems (because far transfer requires application to new situations, but we cannot expect students to be able to work with these situations because they cannot 'do it' if they have not 'seen it' before.) Here's where the evil part comes in. IF the students fail to demonstrate that they get it on the test, it is THEIR fault. It cannot be the teacher's fault or the instructional materials fault because they have done their jobs - presented material and provided practice.

So - what does that mean to school reform (given that this is the world view held by most of the teachers I've worked with)

Now I'm scared

From Johnny Depp: "America is dumb, it's like a dumb puppy that has big teeth that can bite and hurt you, aggressive."

Um - it's not scary that he says this - in fact I agree. That's the scary part. This is one of the best quotes about the state of the country I've seen in a while - and it's from an actor - one who has moved to Freedom, no less. (Hmm - I wonder if the Freedish know that their country has been renamed?? I mean, if we now eat "freedom fries" doesn't that mean they are from Freedom?)

Digital Avatars for Dean

Absolutely Inspired

Okay, so I know that I am biased and all that...but, Jason has turned out to be the writer of one of the most entertaining blogs that I have seen. As examples, check out his latest investment plans or his breaking story on GW. It's guaranteed to make you smirk.