Time Management

I have learned a lot from this very, very busy semester of summer classes. The most important lesson? Time is precious.

Yeah, I know it is cliche. And truly, I should have realized this a long time ago. But I should clarify.... what I really mean to say is that time management is key.

If I thought this summer was busy, I cannot begin to comprehend how busy I will be in the coming semester. Learning how to balance and make time for the important stuff, which means academics, sleep, and eating. You know... the basics. Oh, and if I can, I'll try to have a little fun too. Of course I am looking forward to the fall, but I have to be realistic. I'm a night person. Teaching requires a shift to a morning personality. Though I have been very good this summer at getting up extremely early.

Time management is going to be especially important in the classroom as well. An hour (depending on the type of scheduling) will go by extremely fast during a lesson.
And when it comes to managing time. Alarm clocks, planners... there are multitudes of items to buy to help manage your time. My belief though? Most of it is judgment or deciding what to do and when to do it. If you don't get bogged down constantly by every single little details (which I do occasionally) and don't get unnecessarily distracted (which I definitely do! sometimes I think that the multi-tab browsing on Firefox was meant to give everyone extremely short attention spans and multitasking fever) you might be able to get a better handle on how time flows. Focus! So easy to say, not so easy to do.

I think it requires practice as well. Everyone has a different method for handling a workload. Some like to go with the flow, others like to work under pressure, and some even like to procrastinate. (I cannot understand "liking" to procrastinate however. It seems to cause too much stress. Though, I will freely admit to procrastinating occasionally.) As I mentioned earlier, judgment is key. Understanding how you operate best will help you manage time. If you feel anxiety from taking on too much or waiting too long, I think a little self-evaluation might be necessary.

And have we even contemplated on just how much time we spend just... waiting? Minutes, hours... trying to be productive every minute of the day is unrealistic. I've decided to spend my time waiting on reflecting.... on anything. Sometimes just thinking or daydreaming (yes, daydreaming) can be relaxing.

I really didn't meant to go on about this topic... but I felt that while I have prided myself on my ability to manage my time in the past, I have learned how much more I still need to practice and learn time management.

Technology: Convenience or Hindrance?

I saw The Dark Knight on opening day, at an IMAX screening no less! IHave been anticipating this film since I saw a teaser in July 2007 or perhaps when I finished watching Batman Begins . Needless to say, the movie is wonderfully awesome and made of EPIC WIN.

As usual, Batman has a dazzling array of gadgets (and a questionable/interesting use of cellphones) that could definitely rival James Bond's arsenal. So. This got me thinking about technology in general. Are technological innovations helping or hurting us?

I suppose this is an inevitable question, and one that is not easily answered. I can create a quick mental list of the positives and negatives of computers, the Internet, cellphones, iPods, etc. For one, I am a chronic "e-mail checker." If I go longer than an hour without refreshing my e-mail inbox, I feel a smallish sense of loss. I wonder if I am missing out on information (that may or may not be vitally important). But I love that I can communicate with any of my friends throughout the world with just the click of a button.

In terms of education, technology offers great potential for growth and danger. Our topic of conversation during our last EDUC 504 discussed the issue of filtering information and the responsibilities that are then placed on teachers' shoulders. How much control can we exert on our students with the world at their fingertips? How much responsibility should teachers bear for the choices students make?

And there is also the discussion about privacy issues as well. Can anyone just read our private e-mails and drop in our cellphone conversations? The Internet offers so many opportunities to publicly reveal any bits of private information that we may or may not wish to share with others.

So many questions so little time. I have to say, for myself at least, I love all the opportunities technology has to offer, but I try not to let it take over all the aspects of my life. On a side note... since I started the SMAC program... sometimes I feel like I have become perpetually glued to the computer screen.

I Can Has Peach?

I just got a new cell phone. It's lovely, and it has one of those slide-out keyboard for texting, web surfing... you get the idea. Before this phone, I think I ever only sent out a total of three messages. All three times involved fumbling with the keypad and utter frustration. Apparently, my thumb has little to no dexterity. Now, all I want to do is text people. I feel silly for my sudden reversal in opinion.

Part of my previous aversion to texting (which makes me feel pretty old school for having disliked it) is the fact that I have to shorten my words and phrases. One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing "you are" spelled "u r." I admit that I see the appeal in convenience and have now begun to shorten words myself when texting (though I still refuse to write "u r" or "ur"). I can be such a hypocrite sometimes.

One of the side effects of all this technology and the new, faster ways of communicating is simply how much the English language is changing to adapt. Part of me feels pained to see so many things shortened and "misspelled." Another part of me loves all this slang and finds it to be vastly entertaining. I wonder if I will ever have the fortune (or misfortune) to grade an English paper where the student decides to write in Internet slang (after all, there is an entire series of adolescent books written in IM dialogue).

There's a whole generational divide simply based on whether you know the meaning of and use the acronyms IDK or BFF. These "netspeak" acronyms have become so integral to me that I don't even read "lol" as "laugh out loud" any more; I simply read "lol" as one word, similar to the pronunciation of "lolling" in "lolling about" or perhaps the quintessential "lollerskates." And I'm still discovering there is a whole lexicon of words that I have yet to understand.

Reviewing this journal entry makes me look at all those little red squiggles underlining apparently misspelled words. "Texting," according to this blogging interface, is not really a word, but it is generally accepted as one. I don't think it's been recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary just yet.

I cannot believe that there is an entire section on Wikipedia devoted to the origin and syntax of "l33t speak" or "leet speak" (for those who are unfamiliar). There is even a section for the "lolspeak" of "lolcats."

On a humorous note, I discovered this err... part "translation" of T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" into "lolspeak."

i can has backpart? i can has peach?
im in ur white flannel trousers walkin on ur beach
have heard mermaids singing each in each
...
i do not think they say o hai to me*.
**
I admit it; I laughed. I suppose understanding the context of this form of slang would make it funnier.

So I am just left with a couple questions... how will technological advancements affect my communication with students in the future? I'm not expecting my students to suddenly start speaking in "lolspeak" to me one day (just picturing it is bizarre), but there are other words/phrases in terms of slang of which I will be wholly ignorant. Will I be able to keep up with the times or am I going to have a look of perpetual puzzlement when overhearing student conversations?