Newest words in the English language

Came across these fun things in my Master's classes tonight. They brought me enough joy that I thought they were worth sharing.

Blamestorming: Combination of blaming and brainstorming. Used when co-workers sit around trying to figure out who is at fault for a missed deadline or botched project. “The client wasn’t happy. You know the boss will want to have a blamestorming session.”

Swipeout: When the magnetic strip on a credit card wears out due to use. “I just called my credit card company because my old card had a swipeout.”

Friendiligence: The amount of time it takes to maintain friend requests on social networks such as MySpace and Facebook. “I just don’t have time for all of this friendiligence!”

Prehab: A program to prevent young stars from behaving inappropriately. “Looks like Miley Cyrus is the only one who’s been to prehab.”

Irritainment: A celebrity spectacle that, like a car wreck, you just can’t turn away from. “Brittney Spears provided enough irritainment for 2007.”

Bromance: Combination of brother and romance used to describe a strong heterosexual relationship between to males. “Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have a great bromance.”

Earjacking: Eavesdropping on a conversation. “That guy at that table over there is earjacking us!”

Ginormous: Combination of gigantic and enormous. “That sandwich I just ate was ginormous.”

All of these words were found on this this reputable website.

I believe...

I just came across this link. Listen for a few minutes. Then, post a response listing 10 things that you believe. This is not a forward, or anything uncool like that; it's just something that I think would be enlightening.

You can listen by clicking here.

I, Krystle Cook, believe that:

1. People are worth trusting, even when they let you down.
2. There is enough love to go around.
3. A person should get as much education as possible.
4. It is worth your time to read a book.
5. Sometimes Sunday mornings are meant for staying in bed.
6. The world would be a happier place if more people found jobs they enjoy.
7. It is worth your money to watch a play once in a while.
8. Music is meant for dancing.
9. Families can be together forever.
10. It's okay to be a little geeky.

What do you believe?

What do YOU believe?

I just came across this link. Listen for a few minutes. Then, post a response listing 10 things that you believe. This is not a forward, or anything uncool like that; it's just something that I think would be enlightening.

You can listen by clicking here.

I, Krystle Cook, believe that:

1. People are worth trusting, even when they let you down.
2. There is enough love to go around.
3. A person should get as much education as possible.
4. It is worth your time to read a book.
5. Sometimes Sunday mornings are meant for staying in bed.
6. The world would be a happier place if more people found jobs they enjoy.
7. It is worth your money to watch a play once in a while.
8. Music is meant for dancing.
9. Families can be together forever.
10. It's okay to be a little geeky.

What do YOU believe?

Teaching

I miss being a teacher. I am ready to have my classroom back. I know. What a loser I am because I cannot just be happy with the fact that I only kind of have to work right now. Having a student teacher is amazing, but so strange . . . I miss my students.

Week 7: Tagging, Folksonomies, and Technorati

This week I learned about a strange site called Delicious. I am still trying to wrap my mind around its uses. I spend about 1/2 hour wandering through the site and still cannot think of a practical, personal application. I watched a short tutorial that was meant to help me but was only moderately successful. Delicious is a social bookmarking service for sharing web links. It uses a key word categorizing system. It is a "folksonomy" because it is a peer-driven taxonomy. Delicious allows one to a) Build a reading list, and b) build a syllabus. According to the podcast tutorial, it allows one to connect with other learners.

I am not sure that I care to add myself to Technorati...but I was partially willing to play the game. One high point: when I read about tagging I was inspired to label my posts for easier website navigation! I spent some time looking for other blogs I read and I must admit that the Technorati site does a nice job of helping me find blog things.

Week 6: Play

This week we were meant to play around online, and I must say that I fulfilled this task with gusto! I actually started playing from a computer at the public library. My little brother was on the computer to the right of me and his friend was on my left. (Don't ask why I was in the middle!) I played on a few of the generator sites; within a matter of minutes both 7th grade boys wanted to know which website I was on. I lead them to the main blog (right here) and we all giggled for the next half hour or so. Tonight, I have generated a new image for your viewing pleasure.



I was also meant to create a LibraryThing account today, but I already have an account at Shelfari (a similar site) and I mostly track my books through a Facebook application. I wandered around the LibraryThing website, but I could not bring myself to sign up for something that I know I will not use.

Synthesizing Again

I ultimately discovered that I agree with the researcher's synthesis. She decided to proceed with caution, which seems about right. I already use my phone on speaker quite often, keeping it sitting on the desk while I talk. And why not? Speaker phone is not Bluetooth, but what can it hurt? 

I like the way the research was presented because it is done in a very conversational, comfortable manner. The researcher also offered her opinion while at the same time including links so we could once more revisit her train of thought. Solid.

It seems like a natural time to revisit my own solutions. I ultimately have decided that recycling is not the perfect answer to a community's problems. Reusing is more cost effective, offers more energy savings, and is more of a community building activity.

At the beginning of this process, I started by merely wondering if our school paper recycling program made a difference so I could then bring that idea of difference to a larger community scale. I found some interesting information about paper recycling, such as how and why. Once I re-calibrated and adjusted the focus of my searching to fit the needs of this assignment, I found ready information about reusing. It was actually nice that I had spent such a large amount of time looking at recycling websites, because I was able to quickly see the contrast between the recycle and the reuse sites. The recycling websites are trying too hard and they seem as though they have something to hide; that fact alone lessens the appeal of recycling.

I wondered at first how a community could go about implementing such a program, and I ultimately came across Freecycle, a system that shows a lot of promise. One downside is that it is web based, but that might also be the upside. It seems like a legitimate site designed to process the needs of such a venture.

Using Information I Found

The researcher went to Academic Search Premiere, which was a good call. When I was an undergrad I used databases like a mad woman and I was also so grateful for the quality of information available. She found much more relevant information and was also able to link information together in a sort of research chain. I do think she ultimately resolved the conflicting information that initially existed.

As I tried to make my own research chain, I realized that at first, I was so focused on recycling that I completely neglected to examine reuse; however, once I refocused my efforts it seems like reusing is most certainly the way to go. Recycling takes energy at every level. There are transportation costs from the beginning, as most small communities are not equipped with the needed plants to process products. The recycling process itself uses valuable energy resources. In contrast, reusing is a matter of communication. If a community organizes itself to SHARE things and to advertise that sharing, there is much less waste. It would require effort, but wouldn't it be amazing if a compost bin could be established at the city rose garden? Wouldn't it be phenomenal if the local newspaper advertised FREE sales instead of yard sales? It's a compelling thought, and one that I would like to think would work.

As I thought of this concept, I was reminded of a website I used to visit when I lived in Salt Lake. Freecycle is a website that claims to change the world one gift at a time. It is a forum that is community based which allows users to post things that they would like to give away (i.e. get rid of).  

I do not think that I can support a recycle-only program. I would like instead to get behind a program that allows for organized reuse. I would like a FREEcycle community to be established and advertised in Nephi so that residents can share those things that they no longer want. Sounds cool, right? I applied for a new group and am now just waiting to hear back. :)

Seek More Information

As I began to seek more information, I decided to branch out from the Internet and expand my sources. I went to the Nephi City Library. Using the card catalogue and the brains of my good friends who work their, I searched for any sort of text that related to any of the "R's." One librarian remembers displaying brochures at some point in time about the concept, but we could not find any sort of paper source to support any ideas. (A little ironic, I say!) 

I decided then to expand my search into primary sources, or people who may have had experience with both recycling and reusing. In my high school, we have been experiencing a paper shortage since January. Because of this, teachers have been finding ways to reuse papers BEFORE they are sent to the big green recycling bin outside the building. I talked to a math teacher who sent home grade reports printed on the back of old worksheets (none with student names, mind you!) This act alone saved 170 pieces of paper from being added to the local dump. I have talked to other teachers who photocopy new worksheets on the back of old work; teachers also take old pages and cut them into quarter and half sheets, allowing students to use one side of the page for written response. 

I talked to Diane Park, the school secretary, to see if she has noticed a change in paper usage in the past few months. She said that she has not needed to order any more paper (a relief, because we can't). Ultimately, it seems as though at our own Juab High School it makes more sense to reuse BEFORE recycling...we should try to get as much as possible out of each sheet of paper. It makes me wonder how I can restructure our school recycling program.

Ultimately, I read another website that inspires me to spread the word. It is conversational and friendly, and makes some good common sense.  You can read it here. 

Week 5: Skype

I use Skype all the time to talk to my sister who lives in England. I do not have a camera attached to my computer, but my microphone and chat feature work just fine. Search for my Skype name: kriddlec. :)

All of my sisters refuse to turn on their cameras when we are on Skype because I don't have a camera and they think it is unfair! Talk about Skype connecting families; last week I was on Skype with my sister Velecia. I sent her links at which to look, we watched Youtube videos "together" (shared links and pushed play at the same time), etc. We were both giggling over how fun it was.

A Confession I Ought Not Make...

Today, as I was walking down the hall, I saw a Hershey's Kiss. On the floor. It was mostly wrapped. I looked around, picked it up, unwrapped it, and popped it into my mouth. There is no excuse for me.

That's all.

Week 4:Wikis at JHS

This week I am meant to learn about wikis. Hurrah. The wiki fascinates me. I love the idea of common knowledge, and a forum for others to share what they know. It pretty much rocks. I would love for students to create a wiki during their year in my 10th grade English class, but it feels like just another thing to add to my to-do list.

As far as I am concerned, Wikis are something that we should use, with caution. Last Spring, just for my own amusement, I started a Wikipedia entry for Juab High School. Since its creation, the entry has been edited and enhanced. This gives me quite a bit of faith in Wikipedia. If a small, seemingly insignificant entry such as this gets edited, how much more accurate must a significant entry be? Just a thought!