Holiday Clean Up

This post was originally published at http://mrsal.edublogs.org/2017/12/22/holiday-clean-up/ but its message resonates here also...

Ahhhh...holiday break has started and I have so much to do, Christmas shop, well at least finish it, I started it yesterday after work.  In my defense, I have been looking for the presents I wanted to get people, but they are no where to be found..."Thank you Nintendo."  This holiday season I need to do some digital housecleaning, dumping emails, publishing or deleting blog drafts, and generally organizing some digital clutter on my desktop.  I am an early riser, so 20-30 minutes a day with my coffee before everyone else wakes up may not complete the task; but it should get me close to my goal and set me up for my New Year's Resolution.

Family Sharing

Watching my daughter's face as she perused my previous blog posts was priceless.  "Daddy did you write this?" brought on a sense of nervousness within me.  "Yes, " was my response, followed by, "Do you like them?"  I held my breath awaiting a response...when she stated rather matter of factly,  "Yes," a sense of pride welled up within me.

My daughter was not trying to placate my pride, she truly enjoyed some of the posts.  She shuffled through the posts picking and choosing various posts.  But the fact that she read them and found some interesting was wonderful.  Hopefully they spark her creativity and get her posting again.  I am hoping to pass on the urge to contribute and share with the world to the young girl who has so much to offer.

Rock and Roll by the Velvet Underground 1970 | John Larkin

Rock and Roll ⁰

by John • History, Life, News • Tags: 1970, Velvet Underground on July 16, 2011

“Rock and Roll” by the Velvet Underground. A remarkable film for a remarkable song.

I was too young to appreciate the Velvet Underground when they originally released their albums during the 1960s. Besides, I seriously doubt that they were given air time on Australian radio at the time.

In 1974 or 1975 my older brother Paul bought the album “Rock ‘N’ Roll Animal” by Lou Reed. During the concert Reed and his band performed “Rock and Roll”. I was hooked.

Later, during my first year at university I met a chap named Paul who was a fan of Reed, the Velvet Underground, Iggy & The Stooges, Radio Birdman and similar artists. Paul had an amazing collection of live recordings of these performers on cassette tape as well as an impressive collection of albums. He allowed me to borrow a copy of one of his Velvet Underground LPs and I heard “Rock and Roll” in it’s originally released form. It blew me away. You can hear it as the soundtrack to the short film in the YouTube video above.

The song was originally released on the Loaded album in 1970. I have since collected other performances of the same track by the Velvet Underground, both live and in the studio.

“Rock and Roll” is one of those songs that makes me stop. It takes precedence at that point in time. It defines the moment. It defines me.

via larkin.net.au

Another fantastic post from an Educator that I follow on my social networks. Not only am I a big fan of this post because I like the Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, but John publicly shows the human side of educators. John often posts ideas on his blog that are not directly related to formal school learning, but fit more of a life experience/cultural genre.

As an educator in the United States we constantly hear from administrators, politicians, and unions to be cautious, even fearful, of social media. I myself am still guarded as to what I post on my sites; sticking mainly to straight educational tips and topics.

This needs to change, we as Educators need to show students, parents, and anyone who is watching that we have a human side. We need to use the forum of social media as an informal educational tool. Pique the curiosity of others by exposing them to ideas and concepts they may never otherwise experience.