Obligatory Late-Night Post

Lots of emails and questions today about all the stuff I've been throwing at you.  Yes.  I've given you a lot of new things over the past few days and I appreciate that some of you have concerns about how this is all going to play out.  Take a deep breath... hold... release...

My goal from day one was to try and provide you with more options for completing your work and succeeding in this course.  That means change.  It has taken me nearly five years, but I have become convinced that it isn't good enough to simply hand out questions, have you complete them, and repeat ad nauseum.  (FUN FACT: ad nauseum is a Latin phrase meaning something unpleasant that is repeated to the point of nausea or being sick).  If social studies is to become more meaningful and relevant, it means that YOU need to be more involved in your own learning.

Here are the general expectations in terms of technology that each of you will hopefully grow comfortable with over the next little while:

• Gmail... check your school account regularly for links to assignments and other relevant information
• Drive... complete and submit your work electronically by sharing/emailing complete documents to me; as someone pointed out earlier, you could literally do some of your work on your iPod given the right setup
• Blogger... ongoing digital portfolio where you will receive specific instructions for particular assignments on a weekly basis
• Groups... this will be primarily used as a forum; it is designed to be more open and less-intimidating then having a class-wide argument discussion... again, check you Gmail for instructions when they come up

Some of you are panicking because this is different to you.  Don't get too worked up over that...some of the best learning experiences that I have had in my life have come from being challenged.  Accept that this is going to be different and do your best to make it work.  I cannot ask for anything more than that.

Remember that this is only 'Day 5' of the semester.  There will be plenty of time to figure things out and get expand your comfort zone.  And as always, when in doubt, ask for help.  It's often been said that there's no such thing as a stupid question.  I prefer this Chinese proverb: "He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever."

We're in this together and we will make it work.  Just hang in there... there's lots more to come.

~Mr. T