Lorenzo Walker Tech HS & Institute of Tech

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Communication Changes

Have you ever heard the saying that the older you get, the faster time flies? Living in the technology-rich world of today, one cannot help but encounter change. There have always been short-lived fads and increasingly ‘bigger and better’ products influencing our lives. Today’s transformations are more strongly impacted by technology and resulting change is exponentially faster.

Consider e-mail as one of the primary forms of communication in the last decade. Prior to 1995, e-mail was as rare as a snowstorm in Florida. Ten years later, it has become a primary connector for both personal and business use. Now that asynchronous tool is labeled
‘old fashioned’ by today’s youth. Their preferred tool is text messaging via the ubiquitous mobile devices or instant messaging via web-based platforms. So, how do you communicate? Participate in the poll!

How do you usually communicate?
Phone call
Instant Message
E-mail
Text Message
Face to face
Create Free Polls

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Ethical Cheating - An Oxymoron

The Josephson Institute of Ethics recently released a summary of data from their Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth. The survey results of 36,122 U.S. high school students revealed that virtually all believe in the importance of character and truth and that, despite recent highly publicized business scandals, most believe ethics is important in the workplace. Most students also maintain a strong self image of their own character and ethics.

There are more results, though, that offer a real “disconnect” with the basic understanding of ethical behavior:
· 60% cheated on a test at school,
· 82% have lied to a parent and 62% have lied to a teacher about something significant
· 33% have copied a document from the Internet
· 28% stole something from a store, and
· 23% stole something from a parent or relative.

Although character education is a “soft skill” taught in most schools, it is a bit worrisome that teens would readily admit to unethical behavior and simultaneously acknowledge not only its importance, but their own positive characteristics. Is this a new cynicism? Does it reflect merely an immaturity or is it a reflection of the “new reality”? The contradiction is puzzling. It also reminds all of us as parents and teachers to continually respect, model and coach the “right thing.”


photo from Sidelong at Flickr

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Stomp 'em Mustangs!

The first graduating class (2010) of Lorenzo Walker Technical High School celebrated Friday with the presentation of Honor Roll Certificates and the announcement of Student Government elections and Yearbook assignments - Congratulations to all!

In addition, the school mascot (Mustangs) and the school colors - black, silver, and white - were unveiled!

photo credit to camtham at flickr

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Cool Web Tool!

The Free Dictionary is more than an ordinary online dictionary! In addition to a traditional lexicon, this website includes pronunciation audio files for words and specialized sites for computing, medical, legal and financial content. An interface with Columbia encyclopedia and wikipedia along with a section on acronyms and idioms makes this a one-stop site for readers, writers, and browsers!

And, if that wasn’t enough, The Free Dictionary, splashes a half-dozen “today” features for interesting information. The Word of the Day and The Quotation of the Day are joined by an article, historical reference, news item and birthday honoree. You can also get the weather and horoscope, as well as test your vocabulary skills with a matching game and ‘hangman.’

Finally, you can create your own personal homepage on The Free Dictionary by adding and removing, dragging and dropping, and "using or losing" existing content windows. You can add your own bookmarks, personalize weather information, and include RSS feeds from anywhere on the web.

This looks like a great find – try it out!

photo credit from ~srozekrans at flickr