Feden vs. Luckstone: The Dance Battle

This week, the topic is virtual worlds and how accessible it is for everyone. Through the course I am taking, I was introduced to the following two virtual words:

Whyville (http://www.whyville.net/smmk/nice)

and

Second Life (http://secondlife.com/).

I checked out both websites, made avatars, and explored the different functions. I thought Second Life was particularly more fascinating because of the more realistic 3-D figures and features of the virtual world. After I made my avatar and explored the place a bit, I was getting bored because it felt like I was in a world by myself! So, I called a friend (Feden) and told her to meet me at TC Educator island. We met at the TC main entrance, went to Everett Cafe (no food..), and played around with the different communication options (ex. cry, laugh, "looking good"). We were having too much fun. Then, Feden suggested that we go over to the beach, so, we flew over there. That's when things got more exciting. We took turns sitting on the dancing ball, turned on the Liyana music, and just started dancing. It was so much fun! Check out the video.

More info on Liyana: Liyana is a band composed of 8 members, with varying disabilities, who engage in Afro-fusion style music, which is a blend of Gospel, Reggae, Pop, Folk, and Zimbabwean shona music. If you want to hear more of Liyana, check out http://liyanatour.com/index.cfm.

Just for fun, I have added another video of the Feden vs. Luckstone Dance Battle (part 2)!

Stay tuned for next week's Second Life's Got Talent! :*)

To Do or Not To Do, That is the Question

Over the past week, I have spent long periods of time pondering on a new and innovative invention, yet, all of the things that I could think of were already created. I just couldn't think of anything. You can say that I had the case of the inventor's block (similar symptoms of a writer's block).

Then, I thought about what I would benefit from. I am a huge fan of writing "To Do" lists. I am the person that needs to write everything down right away or else I feel that I will forget about it. After I write everything down on an 8 1/2in. by 11in. sheet of white paper, I feel organized and at great ease. The only issue is that I have to always carry around the letter size paper in a large bag everywhere I go.

Therefore, I thought about the "On the Go, To Do List." It's a small sized index paper whole punched on the top center and placed around the ring of the key chain. All I needed was a regular sized index card cut in half and whole punched on the top. As things come up, I can quickly take out my keychain with my "On the Go, To Do List" and start jotting down what needs to be done.

It has finally arrived....What everyone has been waiting for.... I now present to you.....The Magnifying Glass!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my very first blog - The Magnifying Glass! In this blog, I will use a magnifying glass to take a close look at how technology is being used in the field of special education. Please feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments.