Kaleidoscope Fishbowl Podcast: Episode 2 - Poop Needle

My second episode of my podcast takes place in South Korea. I was teaching in South Korea from 2003 to 2004.

kegneko · The Kaleidoscope Fishbowl: Episode 2. South Korea's Tale

You can find it also on iTunes.

Kaleidoscope Fishbowl Podcast: Episode 1 - Potassium

I've been a little light on posts this summer because I've been working on a podcast.

Last year I wanted to create an education podcast (based on interviews) because I was frustrated with the existing education podcasts (based on interviews).

And I thought it'd be fun.

But scheduling interviews was nerve-racking. It was both a strange and busy year... not at all conducive to scheduling interviews. 

This summer I decided to jumpstart the education podcast by reformatting it. 

No Interviews. Just Me. 

Talking To Myself.

So no interviews.

Just me.

Telling stories and talking to myself.

But each story has to be something about teaching, or a lesson, or the classroom, or an education system, or an education anomaly. 

Here is episode 1 of "Kaleidoscope Fishbowl". I was teaching math and science at Ombuumbuu Junior Secondary School in Namibia from 1998 to 2000. 

Potassium: A story in Namibia

kegneko · The Kaleidoscope Fishbowl: Episode 1. Namibia's Tale

I definitely want to do the interviews at some point. But in the meantime, I'll tell my stories first. 

You can find the podcast on itunes here. 

Transcript:

RIP Scratch and Makey Makey

There needed to be some sacrifices. After almost a decade of co-teaching, I had to say goodbye and bury my beloved counterpart:

I've been teaching Scratch since 2007.

But because we're moving to a 1-to-1 iPad program next year, and because MIT Media Lab can't seem to figure out what this guy figured out, or this Kickstarter campaign figured out, it looks like I've said goodbye to my favorite elementary programming tool for a while.

To mourn and celebrate, I decided to pull together several of the things I like to do in Scratch with 4th graders.

Here's the funeral memorial video:

I've talked about most of these projects before. And there is actually a Scratch Guide and Learner Workbook that's worth taking a look at if you still have access to laptops. I've often pulled a few ideas from earlier versions of these documents.

But enough digression! 
There is so much more mourning and wailing to do.  
Because I not only have to say goodbye to Scratch, but to Makey Makey as well.

You bastard

So here's another funeral memorial video:


I know there is a way to connect Makey Makey and iPads, but I probably won't do it. So RIP Scratch and RIP Makey Makey. You were pretty good. 

Minecraft, Microsoft, and Education: A Dysfunctional Polygamy Made In Heaven

It's summer!

A time to enjoy so many flavors of equality!

This was the most pertinent image I could find

when I Googled "Affordable healthcare act, gay marriage, confederate flag"

Summer also means that it's that special time of year when I can write again. 

I'm excited too, because after a fairly professional and technical stagnant 2014-15 school year, 4th grade at ISP is ringing in the new school year with a 1-to-1 iPad program... 

...A mere 5 years since the iPad was launched, 2 years since the Los Angeles school district adopted them, a year since the Los Angles School district abandoned their iPad program, and only a handful of months since the Los Angeles School district asked for a refund.

I say this without hyperbole or sarcasm: I'm pretty excited.