Technology is a wonderful thing, but I don't suppose I have to tell that to anyone who is acquainted with it enough to be reading this blog.
I attended a technology leadership seminar Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at Joplin High School and I have picked up quite a bit of useful information from it.
The district's technology staff conducted the seminar, which was held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. each of the three days. It will conclude from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. this coming Thursday. The first day was spent learning about the Kidspiration and Inspiration software, which did turn out to be more useful than I had anticipated. We also were told about different methods to use while conducting internet research. That was probably the only area in which I could hold my own with the people who were putting on the seminar.
We worked on power-point presentations Wednesday, then learned about the use of I-tunes, digital photos, and digital movies on Thursday. I could see many ways in which those ideas and applications could be put to use.
The best part of the seminar, which I didn't learn until after I had already signed up, is that I will be paid $17.50 per hour, or a total of $350. As usual, I can use the money.
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Ironically, I would probably have been better able to use what I have learned from the seminar if I had taken it last year. During the fall semester, I taught two hours of multi-media and I taught one hour during the spring semester. I wasn't able to teach those kids what I should have simply because I didn't know enough. Of course, having the health problems during the fall semester didn't help. Unfortunately, I was hired nearly two months after last year's technology seminar was held.
I received a call from my principal, Ron Mitchell, last week telling me that I would be teaching six hours of communication arts. That is what I have wanted and I will still be able to use what I have learned with that class. Besides, part of the technology leadership idea is that I will be able to work with other people in the building to improve their technical knowledge.
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I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but it appears that Natural Disaster will make its comeback next Saturday (June 17) with two performances.
I'll find out for sure when we practice Monday night, but it appears that we will play at the Sane Mule Motorcycle Shop near Boulder City at about 4 p.m. Saturday, then we will play for about 40 minutes at about 8:15 p.m. at Burney Johnson's hootenanny near Tipton Ford.
We performed there last year when we still had the girls in the group. It went well and we had a sizable, very appreciative audience. I'll put more information on this site when I find out for sure.
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I haven't done the writing I had hoped to do (Other than this blog) this summer, but I have been keeping up with my reading and with my annual summer moviefest.
During the school year each year I tape old movies, then save them and watch them one or two at a time each day during vacation.
Among the movies I watched this week were "Mississippi Burning," the Gene Hackman movie based on the 1964 slaying of three civil rights workers in Mississippi. I hadn't watched the movie in more than 10 years and I noticed that in the background during two scenes, the radio was playing Jack Buck's broadcasts of 1964 St. Louis Cardinals' baseball games. I probably listened to those very games 40 years ago. That made me really feel old.
Last night, I watched a 1959 psychological western called "Warlock" starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, and Anthony Quinn. It was a passable way to spend time, but it definitely wasn't one of the all-time greats.
On the reading side, I am alternating between Arthur Schlesinger's 1946 biography of President Andrew Jackson, "The Age of Jackson," and Bob Woodward's book "Bush at War," which tells how U. S. officials reacted to Sept. 11.