Step Away from the Technology...At Least for a Few Hours!!

Hello fellow sarcastic teachers!

I have called you here today to have an intervention - on myself!! Ever since I discovered "The Periscope", I have been tied to my technology almost 24/7. I might miss something! Below is my workstation for the last few days on my recliner couch (minus the dog, wine, candy). I blame this addiction on @sheilajteaching who got me all excited about "The Periscope" with her perpetual perkiness and enthusiasm. Yes, I'm looking at you, Sheila. "Let's drink wine and scope!" she said innocently...

Note the iPod is plugged into the computer so it doesn't die while watching scopes, as is my Note3 phone for texts, calls, etc... if I am watching something else. Note the multiple tabs open on the computer so I can watch something on YouTube or post something if I don't feel like typing on a tiny keyboard.  I also have a pair of headphones, because God forbid my children should want to interact with their mother. (Hot Hub has been out of town and the kids are independent. Wait - I thought I had 2 kids???) What you can't see is my notebook for jotting ideas if I don't feel like typing, my wide variety of colourful pens/stickies as well as the permanent ass-print on the couch.

Okay the tech party is over - Hot Hub is back in town and the house looks like - well, messy, like it usually does (okay maybe worse), my ears hurt from the headphones and I think I'm starting to emit a faint odour called "Stinky Tech Teacher". When your dog's breath smells better than you, it's time to step away from the technology.

I'm going to snuggle with my kids, turn off my notifications and either have a nap or watch a trashy tv show or maybe even shower. (Not clean the house, though.) When Hot Hub gets home from work, I will hopefully greet him with a "fresher" appearance.

Signing off. For now. I'm setting a timer and not letting myself go back on social media until at least after supper. Really, I'm not. Not even if you tried. Where's my notebook? I've got some ideas for my first scope...

T.

Periscope is Awesome! Apparently, I Needed Another Addiction...

Hey everyone,

Summer holidays have always been a time of renewal, relaxation and growth. Some years, it took me 1 week to "decompress" and sometimes it took most of the summer. This year, I did a "Brain Dump" a few days after school was done that included successes, areas for growth and interesting observations. I will do a post on this as it was really helpful for me to decompress and be ready to relax and enjoy the holiday. However, I was still not ready to do housework...

One of my goals for the summer was to reconnect on Twitter with other educators. I was actively involved on Twitter when I was writing educational policy, but I wanted a fresh start as many of my contacts were political and academic and not as many were frontline educators. So I launched a new account based on this blog and I was back on the bike.

So many great educators to learn from! After I followed a whole bunch of people and engaged in some conversations, I watched a few Periscope videos. For those that don't know, Periscope is used for making videos and broadcasting them live. Think Google Hangouts broadcast to a larger audience and easier. Here is a Periscope video that describes Periscope:

Periscope Tutorial - Technologyguru77

Me, share my opinions and ideas with others? No, I'm a little shy... Okay, I call BS on myself. This sounds great!! Tell me in the comments or on Twitter some topics that I should use for future Periscopes!

Later,
ST

Welcome from The Sarcastic Teacher!

Hey everyone, It's summer vacation and I am trying to be as lazy as possible. I've been trying to avoid doing math, but I do believe this is my 23rd summer vacation as a teacher. (24 years teaching but you don't get the vacation until after your first year is complete, right?) If I've calculated incorrectly, please feel free to suck it, because I don't care. The best part about getting older is being able to tell people to suck it and you really don't care.

I have written numerous blogs on numerous subjects, but my education-focused blogs have usually been quite serious. Although that certainly is a part of my personality, most people know me as a sarcastic idiot, so why not let my true colours show through? I recently started a personal blog about my interests outside of education called "Traceyland", so I decided to extend the sarcasm to my educational pursuits, as well. Like my Traceyland Blog, I hope to supplement this blog with videos of my adventures. Wanna come along for the ride? Of course you do. I can almost hear you getting smarter by reading this blog.