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!



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