Lean on Me: A Global Project

Email is a great tool to keep in touch with loved ones, the world, bills, etc. Most of us have a friend, if not more than one, that LOVES to send out the chain emails and jokes. I know I have a few of those which constantly send me something I don't have time to read... but once in awhile a "good one" gets thru the spam box.
That's how I learned about The Global Lean Music Video Project. The idea is to record a video using the song "Lean on Me" and send it back to the project's creators. They hope to get as many people around the globe to send in videos in different music styles and versions of the song.
It's a great idea to get everyone united to work in such creative project. I come from a family of musicians where almost everyone works in the field... except for me, my mom who is a lawyer but plays guitar, and my brother who is an aerospace engineer but worked as a DJ... so yes, I'm the odd one!
I have an extremely talented uncle that composes classical music and can play any instrument. He went to college to get a degree in Music Education planning to be a teacher and share his love for Music, but now dedicates his talents to composing... How can anyone compare to that level of musical talent? I didn't get the music gene... I once played the flute and that was fun but people would definitely pay to not hear me sing! So instead of submitting a video, I will do what I'm talented at... help promote this project and save the world from hearing my singing voice! :)
To find more information on how to send the videos check The Global Lean Music Video Project's site.

Investing in Schools

Life can at most times get busy and crazy, and I find myself only being able to hear news in my car as I drive to and from work. Sometimes, I can read news on the internet after I log out of my email and see the headlines.
I was very pleased to find a link to a report about Michelle Obama, the First Lady. Her first visit out of the White House was to the Department of Education. Mrs. Obama spoke about the administration's plan to modernize public schools to bring them to a more advanced technological level. This report is about a week old now... but hearing the President last night talk about some of the schools he visited that need infrastructure improvement, reinforces the thought that the new administration cares for the education of our new generations.
I have been visiting schools for the last few weeks and observed some of the children using our software. Some schools are new, some are old, some have new computers, some have old computers, some have great inspirational teachers, and some that been there for years and seen it all.

At the end, what matters is that as educators, we know we are supported by the administration in our efforts to improve the education system and that help is coming!

No, I'm not sick... It's just a little cough...

We've been passing around a cold in the office... and now it's my turn. Yes I'm sick! Coughing my lungs out and sneezing like crazy, but I still manage to write.

I don't like to call in sick and stay home because I was raised believing that there is no reason to stay home no matter how sick you are. We were not allowed to skip school because we were sick. The only reason I liked school and even college was because it was "social time" for me.

I didn't go to school to learn, I went because I had friends and could spend time with them. Somehow I manage to make it thru with OK grades and even a high G.P.A in college. Lectures and homework were not fun for me. I very much enjoyed classes that were hands on... such chemistry, math, physics, and computers. Everything else was not fun! Memorizing wasn't fun. So now I look for ways to make learning fun... I choose a career that will constantly keep interested and that I would enjoy. In college I was lucky I had professors who were out in the field and had not been college professors for years and only cared about making sure your answers in the test would match theirs. I had teachers that were consultants for companies such as Motorola, Nextel, Microsoft, Sun Systems, the U.S. Navy, etc. They brought different views to the class and real world experience. They didn't make us spend money in text books that would not be used or give us tests that did not apply to the real world.

I will always be thankful to those teachers for making college interesting and fun for me! And is thanks to them that I enjoy my profession so much now that I won't call in sick!

Kids! Parents! Wow... the magic number is 22!

I just read a very interesting article about a study where researchers found that kids start appreciating their parents around the age of 22. This study looks promising for parents who deal with the personalities of their teenagers... they can now calculate how many years left before they reach the magic number where the kids will become sweet again!
I don't know that I agree with this study because in some cases, there is no magic number. By the same token, sometimes it's not the kids.... but maybe the parents. However, it's great to know there is data
To read the full article, you can go to momlogic site at this address: http://www.momlogic.com/2009/01/kids_only_appreciate_their_par.php

Witnessing a day for the History books!

I'm grateful I was able to witness, enjoy, and learn about the inauguration of the first African American President of the United States. It's all over the news, the Internet, twitter, facebook, at work, at home... every where one goes. I realize the reason why I have enjoyed watching today's events is because I have not witness a "happy" historical event in my life time. I can't imagine what children in the future will feel when they read it in the history books... hopefully it will be something fun to learn for them... and not yet another boring historical reference they had to memorize for school!

Youngest IT Professional, a 8 year-old boy!

I just found this story online about a boy from Macedonia (Europe) who is the world's youngest certified IT Professional. I used to think I was a "young" IT Professional! When Marko Calasan was 3 years old, I was graduating with a B.S. degree in Computer Science and Engineering and had already a job lined up. I now have 5 years of experience under my belt... When Marko gets to be my "young age," he will have 20 years of experience in this field!
I love to hear stories of children who are gifted and succeeding. I also like to hear about their parents and how they have contributed to the child's learning abilities and skills. In Marko's case, his family owns a computer school and has been exposing him to technology since he was 3 years old.
This story, which you can read at the telegraph.co.ul site, is inspiring to parents that are hoping to help their child's learning capabilities starting at a young age. It's also inspiring to gifted children who need other roles models to keep motivated. When you read Marko's story, you can see that learning about technology and computers is a fun activity for Marko and therefore he has excelled at it!
I know I choose to be an IT professional because I found technology a constant learning field and that was fun for me... and it's still lots of fun!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/macedonia/4275150/Boy-8-becomes-youngest-IT-professional.html