"The tortoise and the hare"

Or rather..."The ICT student and Web 2.0"
Once there was a computer who used to look down at me with contempt because sometimes I plodded along typing or surfing so slowly.
"You can never get anywhere with those slow fingers of yours. Look at me, my large monitor, my CPU full of tricks and my many many keys! I’m so quick no one would dare compete with me."

I was so tired hearing this PC brag. I said, "If I were to take up the challenge, I'm sure I could and will learn to do many things on you!" The PC, burst into loud laughter, it said, "What a joke! You, compete with me; learn to do all the things I can do, before you even start you will quit!” "If you only you had a clue you wouldn't be so sure of yourself!” I cautioned Mr. PC.

And so the race began. At the push of a button the PC leaped forward in a great bound pulling out all his tricks: internet, short cuts, navigation…but I had my own tricks too, I was armed with the tools of Web 2.0.

“I’ve won this race already," the PC thought as he saw me slowly typing, fidgeting at times; blogging, getting antsy trying to create a wiki.
“I’m not going to give in!” I often thought to myself.

"There's really no reason to hurry," the PC thought. So he went to “sleep”. "I'll come in way ahead of that ICT student, she doesn’t have a clue.”
Meanwhile, I jogged steadily along, I went to class, took notes and more importantly, practiced, practiced, practiced. So at nights when I came home, I was ready for Mr. PC!

Quietly, I created: my wiki, my concept map, even an e-book; a fabulous digital photo story and the goal of finishing my blog posts was here!
The PC was in shock, it saw me reaching the finish line faster than it thought i could. I won.

Perseverance is one of the key tools in achieving success!

A P(ain) in the... A(hem)

The APA format is a standardized system used for formatting research discourse and citation of resources. APA style, refers to the rules presented in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. It facilitates researchers who may be interested in replicating research material. This allows for a standard approach to all research and eases communication in the various fields. The APA format is frequently used by researchers, especially in the field of Social sciences. it can also help in the avoidance of plagiarism.

Shhhh...Now don't say I say but... I used to believe there was a reason for everything, until I came across the APA referencing style. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do understand the importance of citation and referencing and of giving credit where such is due and the echoes of not plagiarising still plagues my dreams (TURNIT IN...TURNIT IN!)...but hear me out! ...I feel the APA is a system designed to test the patience of those who have little to none. Seriously, why is it necessary to leave TWO spaces after a full stop? (Can someone please explain the logistics?) Why do I have to remember that some words in texts are capitalized and some are not? Not forgetting that titles of books and journals need to be italicised. APA isn’t exactly my “cup of tea”, but I HAVE TO USE IT! There are few benefits – it can increase tolerance and endurance levels. I must warn, however, it can facilitate a slight rise in blood pressure and severely accommodates the reception of migraines. Be wary! At the end of the day, yes, we all have to abide by the rules but…sigh…must the task be so tedious?

In closing I leave you my dear colleagues with a quote from John Milton “Copy from one, it's plagiarism; copy from two, it's research”.

Digital Photo Stories

Story telling can have whimsical effects. They allow us to have vicarious experiences. We can travel to magical lands, ancient castles and even journey around the world within hours! Now we can add digital photos to further enhance this practice making it even more appealing and enhancing to our visual experience.

The task in creating these photo stories is in no way tedious. It is an easy and enjoyable process. The site below is indeed helpful to the person who wants to learn to do so:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/tips/firststory.mspx

This tool can be used in the classroom in many different ways. It is up to the teacher to make creative and wise choices that are suited to the learners.
The advantages of employing this genius tool in our classroom are numerous, these are a few:
• They can be used as motivational tools to aid in giving students a desire to read.
• They are enjoyable.
• They can be used to elicit learners’ imagination and creativity.
• They appeal not only to visual but also kinesthetic learners.
• They can provide opportunities for combining different skills.

Integrating picture stories in our classrooms can provide a more dynamic and enjoyable experience for our students; I am very eager to begin employing this tool in my classroom.