Thing of the day: iPod. Rating: AWESOME

iPod, I cannot truly express my gratitude for your tireless efforts at keeping me entertained. When we go to the gym together, you patiently sit in front of me and play music for me while I work out. You don�t seem to mind that I sweat on you, or that I sometimes fling you violently to the ground when my thumb inadvertently catches your headphones cord. You just keep on playing music for me.

Sometimes I get tired of the songs I have given you to play for me and I keep pushing the fast-forward button, but you never get upset with me for doing this. You just keep cheerfully suggesting more songs:

iPod: �How about this one?"

Me: (skips song after hearing first two notes)

iPod: "No? Okay, do you like this one?"

Me: (skips song because it has applause in the beginning and that means that it is a live song and won't really get going any time in the next 3 minutes)

iPod: "Not today, huh? Here, try this one, it is one of your favorites!"

Me: (remembers that the song used to be a favorite before I listened to it 118 times in a row and ruined it for myself.)

iPod: (starting to panic) "No again? How about some Journey?"

Me: (listens to 'Midnight Train' all the way through, impatiently waiting for the 'don't stop believing' part because that part is really the only reason I listen to the song.)

iPod: "Okay, you like 'Midnight Train' do you want to hear it again?"

Me: (does not want to hear 'Midnight Train' again because I held down the rewind button and re-listened to the best part about 11 times in a row, and now it, too, has lost all meaning for me.)

iPod: (confused) "Not in the mood for "Midnight Train' anymore?"

Me: (confirms the negatory by pushing fast-forward)

iPod: "I know that you didn't want to hear 'Midnight Train' again a few seconds ago, but how about now?"

Me: (presses fast-forward button)

iPod: "How about now?"

Me: (FAST-FORWARD BUTTON)

iPod: "No really, how about NOW?"

Me: (&%$*&^%ING FAST-FORWARD AND I HOPE I NEVER HEAR IT AGAIN!!!!!)

iPod: "Okay, I�ll wait for you to skip over a few more songs and then try playing 'Midnight Train' again because I know how much you like it...�

Thank you for alway trying your hardest, iPod.

I know I get frustrated with your misdirected and totally arbitrary enthusiasm for certain songs, but please don�t feel bad. It is not your fault. I should have given you more to work with.

Also, don�t take it so hard when I forget to charge your battery. Again, it is not your fault. It is seriously heartbreaking when you make those little sputtering chirps as you are dying. I can tell you are trying as hard as you can to keep playing my music even though your lifeblood is slowly draining away. It�s okay. I�ll plug you in when we get home.

Personal Learning Network Presentations

I�ve blogged previously about our forays into the world of Personal Learning Networks. Anne Smith blogs over on Learning and Laptops about the first presentations her ninth graders gave about their personal learning networks.

Last Friday, I had our first group of students present on their personal learning network. I used this rubric to evaluate their presentation as well as had the class access the student blog he/she was referencing to leave real time comments about the presentation (we pulled up the blog and had it appear via our overhead projectors). While the student was speaking, the class reacted to the presentation. The instantaneous feedback the students provided was valuable to the presenter. If a classmate did not feel comfortable offering oral feedback in our class debriefing, the evaluator could reference his/her blog and see what reactions the class had to the presentation.

She then goes on to provide some examples of the feedback from the students � you should check it out.

In a subsequent post, she also links to the audio of some of the students' presentations (recorded with an iPod and an XtremeMac MicroMemo). These were their first attempts at this, so please only offer constructive criticism.

Update: Jessie Comp just posted about her experiences as well.