I couldn't attend the conference as we are just too busy to go, but I did attend vicariously and one of the keynotes(especially in conjunction with what I am currently doing) simply struck a chord. Listen to the following (start on about minute 50 as the opening stuff is just opening stuff and not the heart of the video). The questions basically is" Are bricks and mortar schools dead?"
I have to go with blended myself and that has been my thinking for a number of years. My concern is that too many folks don't see the benefit of the online and social networking world at all and we still have too many schools which are trying to keep these things out of school by policy without looking at the larger context. So check out this next video, which tells one teacher's story of "getting it."
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Egypt
We went to Sharm El Sheik for the weekend and had a brief respite from here. The weather, if possible, was even hotter than here without the benefit of a constant breeze. Water temperature was about 30 C and the air 41 C. There isn't a beach as we know it, basically a very coral, rocky bottom with knee deep water for 70 feet or so and then very deep and fast drop off. The current is very strong so swimming is not recommended. The picture is really from where you sit and the beach is that far away even though it is considered beach front.
Naama Bay is commercial, it has a Hard Rock Cafe, need I say more? We stayed about 5 kilometers away in a quieter and more remote location that we thoroughly enjoyed, my spa bill alone is enough to indicate how much. Actually, the exchange rate with the Egyptian pound is favorable. Just to give you an idea, 5 massages (no, I didn't have all of them, David scored three of them for himself), a pedicure, manicure and facial came to about $400 US, not too bad by US standards. The rooms only cost $100 or so dollars a night for a suite with a full kitchen, dining room and 2 balconies so it's a cheap enough getaway.
As you can see by David's picture, he starts to look more native as time passes. No one believed that he
wasn't Egyptian. They would rattle on in Arabic not realizing we were catching about every fifth word.
Date palms are everywhere but except for the interior of the hotel compound, it is truly a desolate landscape. The view of the mountains is fairly typical of the way it looks.
OK, just had to have this picture- horn is the second language in the middle east- this just cracked me up as it was a "no horns" sign in the commercial district. Blessed silence.
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