The Lamp.
Today I got to play in my educational playground: the Midwest Education Technology Conference (METC). As most anyone knows who I come into contact with, technology is my LIFE. I LOVE anything and everything that is some sort of electronic gadget, especially if I can integrate it into my classroom. Do you know how many uses there are in education for an iPhone? An iPad? An iPod touch? A digital camera? There are limitless...and this is where our society is headed--towards classrooms that are infused with digital media and technologies. Okay, okay, I'm getting off on my "tech in schools" rant...and I'll save that for a future post. I'll just leave this thought on the note that the METC was a fantastic opportunity to learn and gather more techie tools that I can implement into my classroom.
So, my main point of this post...the lamp. I saw this video today at the METC and about DIED laughing. It is absolutely hysterical. Check it out:
See?! Hilarious. It does make me want an IKEA in St. Louis...but that's a side note. What I love about it is that it transforms a simple object into something you feel sorry for and empathize with. Makes you think--even for a split second--"Awww, poor lamp. That's awful it got thrown out and has to be alone in the pour raining..." but then the guy comes on and sets you straight. LOVE that. What I love even more is that through technology and film editing the peeps at IKEA made this happen; they made you feel sorry for the lamp. I think they could have put anything in that lamp's place and people would have felt bad for it. And that's what I love about technology--it can do ANYTHING! Even make you feel sorry for a lamp!--a flippin' lamp!
As I'm on my technology kick (and if that video didn't prove to you that technology can accomplish almost anything--like making you empathize with a lamp--I give up) I wanted to share with you some recent projects my kiddos did in my American Cultures class. We are learning about terrorism, and have recently spent a significant amount of time looking at September 11th. The kids made 9/11 tribute videos. I was BLOWN AWAY by what they created. Below are links to 2 videos (both are available on the student's YouTube channel...but I can't figure out where I put the link...) that you can download. Definitely check them out...they are incredibly moving, fantastic tributes, and excellent student work for 12 year olds. Enjoy!
So, my main point of this post...the lamp. I saw this video today at the METC and about DIED laughing. It is absolutely hysterical. Check it out:
See?! Hilarious. It does make me want an IKEA in St. Louis...but that's a side note. What I love about it is that it transforms a simple object into something you feel sorry for and empathize with. Makes you think--even for a split second--"Awww, poor lamp. That's awful it got thrown out and has to be alone in the pour raining..." but then the guy comes on and sets you straight. LOVE that. What I love even more is that through technology and film editing the peeps at IKEA made this happen; they made you feel sorry for the lamp. I think they could have put anything in that lamp's place and people would have felt bad for it. And that's what I love about technology--it can do ANYTHING! Even make you feel sorry for a lamp!--a flippin' lamp!
As I'm on my technology kick (and if that video didn't prove to you that technology can accomplish almost anything--like making you empathize with a lamp--I give up) I wanted to share with you some recent projects my kiddos did in my American Cultures class. We are learning about terrorism, and have recently spent a significant amount of time looking at September 11th. The kids made 9/11 tribute videos. I was BLOWN AWAY by what they created. Below are links to 2 videos (both are available on the student's YouTube channel...but I can't figure out where I put the link...) that you can download. Definitely check them out...they are incredibly moving, fantastic tributes, and excellent student work for 12 year olds. Enjoy!
