I've just bought a new tablet: I'm taking a class in computing in the classroom and it seemed prudent for me to try using some technology in the classroom, which I'm sure will feel very awkward at first as I've spent so many years getting quite good at taking notes on paper, but as educational technology is the future (and what I want to study) here I am getting rather annoyed at my on-screen keyboard.

Anyway, what I really wanted to write about is the Kahn Academy app I downloaded for it.

The Web-OS app is clean and easy to use, giving you access to thousands of educational videos without any distraction of cat videos or ads like you'd get if you watched the videos on YouTube. Although I recommend finding yourself a quite, distraction free time an place to work thorough the videos, the magic is that you can pause, rewind, and rewatch as often as you need, and you can watch them anywhere you can get internet access.

At first I thought these videos would primarily be targeting those who either don't have access to, or have not done well in traditional educational settings, I was delighted to learn that they are being used by whole classes in public schools to tremendous effect.

Using friendly, casual spoken English and multi-colored demonstrations, the classes start at the most basic level and take a learner through a skill tree to college level materials. The lectures are tied to interactive-feeback quizzes and live volunteer tutoring help, and all the data can be linked to a teacher dashboard. It is designed with an international, multi-cultural audience in mind.

The topics focus on the Maths and Sciences, and is transforming the way they are taught. With Kahn Academy, students can take risks, explore, and confirm mastery of each topic before moving on, avoiding the "swiss-cheese" gaps of other educational models that move a class relentlessly through material.

But, despite all these amazing possibilities, Kahn Academy doesn't have the hubris to claim it will replace classroom learning, but only that it frees up teachers and students to do the interesting, fun, group work in class, and let the lecture be done as homework. Additionally, by reducing the amount of busy work for both teachers and students, and giving the teachers detailed metrics of each students progress, time in school is spent on quality, individualized coaching.

I looked at Kahn academy a few years ago, and it was interesting then, but wow, has it come a long way. The tablet app is a wonderful was to get started, and I am excited to delve deeper into it!

We have less physical metaphors for cherishing, and destroying, our memories. The tear-stained letter smelling faintly of her perfume; the crumpled photograph at the bottom of the drawer, his face burned out with a cigarette; the note of encouragement, creased from being carried in your pocket as a good luck token, deliberately lost in desktop clutter such that it will be found again, at random, or perhaps, exactly when it is needed.

Once, I dated online, and such was the need for a sense of connection to my physical reality, that I would put on the same scented lip-gloss, play the same album, even wear the same straw hat, just for a sense of presence.

Once, I dated by cell phone, and would lay on my bed with my phone clutched to my chest, dreamily playing the text-message sound. When my phone died and all our text messages were lost, what evidence existed to stand testament, to prove the reality of what we had shared?

We have spent thousands of years learning how to preserve our paper records, and many tragedies occurred before we learned about multiple-copies, acid-free paper, fire-proof boxes, foreign translations; we've tried vellum, and stone, and ritual memorization. So it's no surprise that our digital data will take some time to perfect from obliteration.

I recently copied the contents of my old floppy disk backups onto my external hard drive backup. I found emails that only survived by the grace of not being paper. But I could only read a few of the unsorted thousands before it felt the easy preservation was more of a burden than a pleasure. Events of my past I'd prefer to view through a blur of romantic nostalgia were less enjoyable seen with perfect and unforgiving clarity. Some of the emails were from an ex, and I found that the satisfaction of burning a letter is much more resonant than the dullness of 'deleting'. Even now I have the lingering unease of my multiple, identical backup copies scattered through the years on CDs, hard drives, and cloud. I am doomed to find, and delete, the same emotional booby-traps for years to come. I only have to rip up a paper letter once. Do we want to keep everything, if it means we will never lose anything?

I've attended events where the inevitable digital photo slideshow in the after-party will run longer than had the event itself. I've missed spectacular sights because I was searching for my camera to preserve what I could have just enjoyed. If I was forced to be more selective about which mementos to keep, I could shape a narrative of my life, honor memories by investing time, energy, and money in their presentation. I suspect this is much of the allure of scrapbooking.

When data is both proliferated and obliterated so easily, what role of privacy? I struggle to understand discretion possible only by being too obscure for my leaked data to draw attention, yet what if I become famous, or infamous? What a boon to paparazzi, to bereaved, to law enforcement, to biographers!

I doubt the paper letter will ever entirely fade away, as it has a weight of emotional significance unrivaled by email. Without a backup or backspace, I have to be deliberate in my words and promises. Writing a letter is faith that I'll hold the same ideas and feelings from when it is written to the future when it's delivered; it becomes an artifact of shared time. Most of all, I find comfort knowing the paper I hold in my hands, will later be held in the hands of someone I love.

Inspired by: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/magazine/what-happens-when-data-disappears.html

Wed, 09:57: This week's pile of papers to grade for my job as an adjunct instructor http://t.co/xVZoSGi6

Пт, 22:25: The OWS movement isn't about bumper sticker politics, it's about having conversation http://t.co/EmfJaeUa via @slate

Пн, 11:32: Panic from the rich regarding the 99% movement: http://t.co/GJIGaz9z Пн, 12:43: Jon Stewart: How is occupy wall street different than the 'tea party? One is staged, the other is for reals: http://t.co/Svfc18HA

Tue, 14:40: Stanford's free A.I. course http://t.co/ulWYn75B will be a fascinating experiment in distance & distributed ed - I'd take it if I had time!

Thu, 11:56: Diebold voting machines can be hacked by remote control http://t.co/A4edZRwb Our democracy is only as valid as our voting methods

Tue, 15:02: Is civiCRM or a donated Microsoft Dynamic crm better for a non profit w simple database needs and no tech staff or budget? I'm to find out! Tue, 20:23: I just aquired a giant stash of wrapping paper from the 60s, 70s and 80s! What fun designs! http://t.co/8TF3QDi

Thu, 18:29: Volunteered all day at grassroots leadership college: anit-virus updates, website tweaks, database re-design & backup solutions! fun work :)

Tue, 16:43: Day 1 of school break: battling the inbox dragon. Over the eons it has grown fat & sleepy. With the gods favor, I may survive the battle... Tue, 23:35: RT @JohnD1967: Daily Kos: Pelosi NAILS the Class War: Low wages are designed to keep you in debt to the banksters - http://t.co/KcdGwd1 ... Tue, 23:53: RT @TEDchris: Luxury vs community. David Brooks' NYT column today strikes me as profoundly wise... http://t.co/I4Diu6B

Tue, 11:49: Is life as an adjunct hard? Read: Confessions of a Tenured Professor - Inside Higher Ed: http://t.co/xQyKT0Y

Mon, 02:02: I'm looking at grad schools! I'd like to do Science and Technology Studies, but I'm giving consideration to geography and cost.

Sat, 12:09: At barcamp madison, listening to a talk on living sustainably - very interesting! Sat, 12:15: Amish produce auctions in Dalton recommended for getting cheap veggies! #madcamp

Sat, 18:09: I'm volunteering with the recall efforts tonight! Sat, 18:34: This call center for the recalls is amazing! Holy-grassroots-effort batman! Sat, 20:29: So much energy and determination at the volunteer center for the August 9th Wisconsin recall elections! http://yfrog.com/gyuq7btj Sat, 20:30: Madison recall election party on August 9th - wish I coyld go! http://yfrog.com/h0hccwjj

Fri, 00:32: RT @DefendWisconsin: TOMORROW is the last day to request an "in person absentee ballot" for the Aug 9th general election. http://t.co/c9 ...

This is just about the funnest thing I've ever seen on the Internet:seawitchery.tumblr.com/post/4070384205

If you decline to open your textbook and instead copy and paste from wikianswers into your homework, your teacher may wake her household up laughing when she uses Google to translate the albanian phrase you inadvertently included: "te qifsha nanen pse nuk lexon librin"

Sat, 12:57: What a cool idea: the front lawn #garden! http://yfrog.com/kjrm8wej sure saves time mowing!

Wed, 01:03: Yay! My Linux class went well, now to convergence!

Sat, 01:15: Kitten is all tired out after her workout! http://yfrog.com/kh65592741j

I've got a new job at ITT Tech in Madison! I'll be teaching 'Introduction to Personal Computers' and 'Linux System Administration'.

I'm very excited, but very busy as I try to read the text books and lessons plans and prepare handouts and everything!

Sun, 19:35: My painting at boombox the wasteland in Madison http://yfrog.com/eh1mgtj Sun, 19:36: Dance troupe closing the boombox the wasteland community gathering in Madison #Wisconsin http://yfrog.com/gzlp2iodj

My thoughts through the (almost) last day of editing this book chapter project I've been working on since January.

12:32 - Methodology. I can write about methodology. "Using quantitative research methodology to test the hypothesis, an electronic five point Likert scale questionnaire was designed to collect information from more NGOs."

Yeah, that comes from someone else's chapter. My sentences look more like "For the survey data, an online 'Open Source Software for Ghana' survey was created and promoted via media such as Facebook, blogs to the author’s former students, colleagues, and friends, both Peace Corps Volunteers and Ghanaians."

I think that's my biggest concern - making my paper look sufficiently academically rigorous and styled.

2:36 - References, oh how you taunt me. I need 10-35. After two weeks of searching and reading, In I've got like, 8. I didn't do anything significant for literature review for the first draft, because I wanted to focus on the original content I had, not just regurgitate what other people had said. I see now, though, that without some references, I'm just like someone I saw whine on Wikipedia that "I am my own citation!".

3:44 - ok, I've worked in 4 references. Have been substituting 'the author' for 'I' everywhere, even though that diminishes the narrative effect of many of the passages.

5:19 - Took a short nap. Back to work, with 'Decemberists' playing on Pandora. It's coming along.

6:57 - According to document properties, I've now spent 14 hours editing this document. And that's only the time spent since getting it back from the reviewers. 5 sources referenced.

8:54 - Went for a drive out to Lakeview Park, and stopped at the garden plot. Back to work.

10:21 - 9 references. Grant wants to go to bed. I'm at 9790 words, over the 9500 limit. Does the bibliography count? Crap! it does. Well, I'm going to bed. I'll finish it in the morning.

Sun, 21:06: My birthday present from Grant: Suminga the kitten! http://yfrog.com/h0hr4twj

Tue, 10:17: RT @pcorpsconnect: To ponder: 50 YEARS of #peacecorps budget = 5 DAYS of the defense department.

Mon, 19:54: I'm attending July 2011 RPCV Career Event in Chicago http://conta.cc/ghun5s #constantcontact Mon, 21:59: While reviewing a book chapter on FOSS, I found: http://www.oercommons.org/ So awesome. So wish I had found this 3 years ago! Mon, 22:22: Great article on teachers in America: http://nyti.ms/mlOz71 To have good schools, we need good teachers!

Fri, 17:33: This is what Lady liberty will look like under Prosser http://yfrog.com/h4gq7rej (from the Zombie lurch against Scott Walker)

Sat, 14:19: At the #zombie lurch against #walker in #wisconsin #wiunion http://yfrog.com/h87axxvj Sat, 16:21: My zombie protest sign :D #wisconsin #wiunion http://yfrog.com/h88t0gdj

Fri, 12:21: A normal day for a #wisconsin teacher http://www.defendwisconsin.org/2011/03/16/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-teacher/#wiunion Fri, 12:22: RT @nbc15_madison: Breaking news: Judge has issued a temporary restraining order; halts implementation of budget repair bill. Fri, 12:26: RT @WisconsinEye: WisconsinEye receives NO government funding. Our contributors make WisEye happen. Read what they'e saying: http://tiny ...

Thu, 20:54: American Healthcare http://j.mp/i5Hyz5 Thu, 21:40: RT @mijician274: "@RickSmithShow: RT @wfpman: .@ricksmithshow - This is what solidarity looks like - http://t.co/x6U1Cg7 :) #wiunion #p2 ...

One night In December, I woke up in terrible pain. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the stomach with a knife, and I could hardly move. I woke Grant up and he was so worried about me he wanted to take me into the emergency room, but I was worried about the cost, so I plead with him to wait and see if it would go away, while he is so upset and worried he's begging me to go in. I know a fair bit of layman's medicine and didn't think it was anything urgent, but we got onto the Internet and read up everything we could to be sure. After about 20 minutes, I can't take it any more and I agree to go in, but while I'm dressing it finally stops.

On all accounts, waking up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain is something to be concerned about, and something you should be able to see a doctor about. But I was worried about the cost, so I waited. Over the next month and a half I keep having pain, lesser, but in the same spot. It's only every couple of days, and it's tolerable, and webmd.com says it's probably a stone of some kind, so not terribly urgent. But when it doesn't go away, I finally relent and go into the doctor. Anyway, I had a couple other issues that were causing me trouble, so I though I'd save on the co-pay and go in for all at once. I figure I'm being as frugal as is sensible.

The doctor was clearly from the school of CYA. He ordered so many tests - MRI, Cat Scan, x-Ray, Ultrasound, lab work-ups. I nodded and asked as many questions as I could, then went home and threw away half of the prescribed tests because I was afraid of the cost. I rationed my care, and only scheduled the couple that seemed most important.

Everyone was very nice when they gave me the tests, and a couple days later the doctor called to say that they were normal and he didn't know what had caused the pain, but I was probably OK. I don't get a diagnosis.

Nothing happens for three months. The pain gradually fades and goes away. I breath a sigh of relief but am also a bit nervous - maybe the tests I didn't do would have shown something. I wait.

I just got the bill. I have health insurance. The bill was $600. That's a lot of money for me. It makes things really hard.

I sit here and I look at the bill, and I wonder - should I have gone in? Should I have waited longer? Should I have refused more of the tests, or asked their cost and done only the cheap ones? And I worry, I worry that next time, I'll ask myself whether it hurts $600 worth, and I'll decide it doesn't, and I won't go in, and it will be serious.

And I'm angry, because I tried so hard to be careful, to be sensible but frugal.

And I worry about what happens when this limited-term insurance runs out and I still don't have a job with benefits and the bill would be $3700 and I have to weigh my health, my life, against these sums.

When reading the history books about the civil rights movement, or women's suffrage, did you ever wonder what you'd do in those times? Would you recognize the historical moment from the inside? Would you step up, and have courage, or hesitate?

This was going to be a longer post, but I've just gotten word that they need more people at the capitol.

Follow my twitter! Carolinescastle!

Use your voice or you won't have it anymore. Do the brave thing to protect those who need it and to keep this country free. These freedoms were earned for you by the protesters of the past, and now its our turn. Call email twitter facebook and come - be noisy!

Conducted my first midterm at Globe today! I spent hours writing it last night and was so nervous for the students - they zoomed through the 20 multiple choice in like 15 minutes, and then spent over an hour on the 4 practical tasks. But I think they overall did pretty well - which is awesome because we've been through a lot of material in the class so far, and some of it is pretty hard. We've covered Windows versions and system tools, Hard drives, Installations, Virtual Machines and the Command line in just over 5 weeks.

Teaching in general is going well - I feel like I'm settling into the new courses and the textbooks and getting to know all the students. Class prep is still absorbing most of my time, but it's getting easier.

I've stared a new weaving project - a 7 foot table runner I'm bartering for Magic cards. I've put the first 4 inches on, and have let it sit for a few days while I look at the colors and think. I'm not sure I'm 100% satisfied with the teal-weft on a white warp, but I don't have any other lighter blue yarn on hand, and I know it'll look better on a large project than just a 4 inch sample.

I've finished the major work on my most recent freelance website project - www.tokencreekecoinn.com. In about a week or so my graphic designer will have finished the final header art - it's going to be awesome!

I'm working in all my spare moments on my FOSS research - the survey has gotten some great responses but I'm still trying to get more volume. I'll be starting interviews today - I'm planning to do over 30 interviews over the next 10 days with Ghanian teachers, IT professionals and students, and Peace Corps Volunteers.

And I'm starting to do some work with the Northside Polictical Team on helping them use social media - I know it's important work but it's hard to squeeze in!

I've become inactive at the Grassroots Leadership College due to conflicts with everything else - Hopefully I'll still be able to get in this week to work on their website and mailing campaign!

Also, I'm starting French again with R - but we're both too busy to do anything other than a little bit a week.

*yawn* and now I'm off to enjoy some american coffee!

I'm working on a book chapter about FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) use in Ghanian schools - which is really cool, but also really hard work. My current research has focused around trying to get people to complete a survey - I've been working through my address book of PCVs, RPCVs and Ghanian friends and students, but only have about 16 complete surveys so far. How many do I need to have data validity? I'd like to get 100 - seems like a nice, round number, significant and weighty.

The next phase will involve me blowing a lot of money on Skype, calling some folks to do a more detailed interview, and sending out some follow up emails.

It's been a challenge to fit this in around my new job, and I've never done anything this formal, but I know it has the potential to change the way that software is used in developing countries - which is a good reason to persevere.

I'm totally open to suggestions and ideas though! Who could I contact about computer use in Ghana? How can I motivate, encourage and make it easy to complete the survey?

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/madamCaroline

My Mother's book club had a meeting. The theme was 'Lady Gaga'. This is what appeared in the local paper:

"Local women heavily made-up, bizarrely clad & well stocked with wine who went into the ditch during blizzard claim they were en route to a literary function. Luckily they were able to use their hair 'adornments' to dig and their huge amount of glitter for traction to help get themselves out."

Students were asked to explain the importance of the rule "Do not use CDs, floppy disks or pen drives without permission". My two favorite responses(spelling and grammer preserved) were:

"It is important because it help us to learn how to take good care of government property"

and

"CDs which are sent to the computer lab which contain pornographic films will teach the students a bad habit. If they watches these films, they try to practice it on campus which may lead to the pregnancy of teenagers on campus and they will be sacked."

They both got partial credit :)

I had only been back 5 days. I hadn't driven in 3 years, and I'd avoided since I was back. We'd moved down to Madison, and though I knew our address very well, and I'd looked at it in google maps even while still in Africa, I was lost. I had gone where many people looking for direction go - church. I didn't know what to wear anymore, and couldn't find anything but my Ghana dresses, so I wore those. With hairscarf and beaded necklace and all because I felt more at home that way. I'd struggled to park in the parking lot, having to make 5 attempts to pull into a spot correctly. I had been late because I had forgotten how to do 'American-time', and I'd struggled to find my way with memories of where the Unitarian Church was.

It was on my way back that I realized I didn't know how to get home. I started driving slower and slower, looking for landmarks, business signs, street names that seemed familiar. I'd only been this way a couple times, and then as a passenger. I didn't have a cell phone to call for help, or much idea of who I'd call if I did.

I felt so lost in America, in Madison, this place that had once been my home, that I'd dreamed of for so many long, lonely African nights. I could remember an 5-way intersection down a left turn, so I kept looking left, driving slowly.

One week later, I bought an Android Galaxy S phone. It has built-in GPS with Google maps. I can speak a destination, and it'll give me spoken directions back, customized for car, bike or foot. I can see a satellite photo of my route, or a street view, or a listing of all coffee shops on the way, which links to their websites.

I haven't bought an updated Madison map. Or a Wisconsin map. I haven't bought the super-sticky post it notes I like for holding my map-quest jotted notes to the steering wheel. In this brave new digital world, we are neverlost.

This post is locked as locked, anonomous response: only I will be able to see your response, and I won't know who sent it - so let me know what you think!

What do you think is:

My best personal quality?

My worst personal quality?

My worst fear?

My greatest desire?

Went to First Unitarian Society of Madison today - so nice to be in the beautiful building, rather than just listening to a podcast. Yet, how awesome to have been able to enjoy podcasts! A very powerful technology, and it's uses are only just beginning to be conceived. In Africa I'd once listened to a 'Deconstructing Dinner' podcast about getting the city of Madison to allow people to keep chickens, and I discovered yesturday that one of the speakers was one of my new housemate's father. How strange that I listened to his message from so far away.

After the service I went to the Society for Creative Anachronism's archery practice. It was my first time, but in the royal round I got 14 points! I only need 20 to earn the first ribbon (white) so I was pretty pleased.

That was about enough excitement for me, so I headed home and had left-overs for lunch, and rested. Tried to imagine what a life in America would be like. Hid under the covers.

Grant had a super long marathon training run today, so I had time to sort out our project room while I waited for him. Sewing, glass etching, weaving, grommeting, costuming and linux hacking - now we have a desk for all these ambitions.

Which reminds me, I need a balrog costume in four days!?!? I'm so excited to play second age, but I don't even know where my swords are!

Plenty new photos! Start with this one

From Ghana Peace Corps 07-10

Two weeks ago I had one cat and four tiny kittens, and a rabbit with the neighbors.

but, then Ghana struck.

Poor Reboot, my tiny little chop bar kitten who kept me company in my new home, always ran up to greet me when I came home, and kept my house vermin free, was defending my home against a giant scorpion and got badly stung in the process. My neighbor girl, Ama, discovered the scorpion dead in my courtyard when she came to feed the cats, and two days latter, my sweet Reboot died.

Ama told me when I got back a few days later. It was so hard for me to hear the news, especially since I was just bringing a cat-carrier for taking Reboot home to America. The kittens were inconsolable, hiding under my mini-fridge, and hissed and bit to be brought out. They were just old enough to be eating solid food, so I gave my thanks for that small mercy.

Kittens Ama, Cheeseburger, Firefox and Lucid are so itty and cute, all tumbles and purrs, and take after Reboot in many ways - they love to sit on laps, they make tiny kitten-growls when then get meat, and they bound and scamper to greet me when I come home.

Ama is the runt, tiny but very sweet. Grant has renamed him Adama since discovering that he's actually a boy. Cheeseburger is extra chill, Firefox is hilariously plump and Lucid is very curious and full of squeeks.

They are so cuddly and friendly, I give one or two to every visitor to hold on their laps, and the neighbor children come to pet and play with them.

So yesterday, my friends Matron Aggie and my Twi teacher Major come by, and I hand them Firefox to hold, and they say, "Oh, thanks!" and walk away!!! With my baby kitten Firefox! Seems they came with the mission to request a kitten for Major, knowing that I had some that needed new homes - but Grant and I were kinda left standing there - wait, what? Did they just take my kitten?

My sad mission next week is to give away my other three kittens - but that's a better fate for them than what's happening to my rabbit Jaunty.

He's been at the neighbor's rabbit hutch for the last eight months. Tomorrow we're going to cook him for a party!

My Internets was being faster than usual, so I tried out one of those on-line speed meters.

uh, wow. I'm at the bottom.

I'm going to be so spoiled for bandwidth when I get back to America!

I'm doing lab maintenance: resetting my proxy-server configurations, fixing some boot.ini problems, and testing the new SuperOS, when two small boys knock at the lab door.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Please, may we come to practice?"

"Sure." I say, figuring they look quiet and non-troublesome, though I do ask them to send the rubbish first.

I put them on two Ubuntu 10.4 computers, and show them how to use the Applications menu, then get back to my work. When I look over, they're both playing Tetris. Badly.

I'm busy, but it'll just take a minute to teach them the rules, so I ask "Do you know how to play this game?"

"Yes" one of the boys says in a quiet, sweet voice, "I'm building a house."

I was smiling so much from the cuteness I decided to just let them build houses out of tetris blocks. Screw teaching them the 'proper' way to play, they've found their own way.

The title is a quote from: Plagiarism lines blur for students in digital age

I'm reminded of Issac Asimov's Foundation series as well as Arthur C. Clark's Childhood's End, in that both books have a theme of what happens to the human creative spirit when no creative work ever dies.

What happens to musicians when no musical work will ever be forgotten or lost, and our total human collection of excellent high quality music starts to exceed what we could ever listen to, even given a whole lifetime? Who would have the courage to write new music?

And who also finds the courage and confidence to write new opinions and analysis of knowledge, when hundreds of brilliant people have already thoroughly tackled the topic, and we realize that we can't offer any more time, dedication or intelligence than has already been expended on the task?

“There’s no such thing as originality anyway, just authenticity.” Says one author quoted in the article, who was discovered to have copied passages for her book. Don't we have a saying that 'Good artists copy, great artists steal?' Only now, with digital preservation and searching, is it quite so obvious and transparent.

There is little so thrilling to the human spirit as the act of creating something new. But how we define 'new' against the context of everything ever made before? If nothing is ever lost or forgotten, and everything can easily be found again, won't the human race exhaust original expressions of a particular creative form or idea?

If we are seeing these attitudes about creating and copying now, after only decades of digital preservation, what about in ten thousand more years of cultural accumulation?