Should school ban cell phones?

Today, I was shocked to realize how strongly some of my own colleagues oppose students having cell phones in school. I think that there should be rules on cell phones use in the classroom, obviously, but to ban them from school is just nonsense.

There is no way of stopping the future, and in a few years, those who today oppose cell phones in school may be using them as a resource in the classrooms.

Cell phones have proven to be a powerful tool in the last years; no one uses a cell phone to just make a phone call anymore. Their latest great use has been in effect since Tuesday, when people started donating money for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti from the convenience of the palm of their hands. Who thought of that? That was brilliant!

It has always puzzled me how resistant to changes educators really are. Aren’t school supposed to be catalysts for change in society? So, why are educators so adamant to implementing new ideas? I find that to be quite oxymoronic.

Persona non grata

When I heard that unfriend made it into the Oxford dictionary, I thought "wow, that is pretty neat.'' But, one thing is to hear that "unfriend" is the word of the year, and a very different one is to discover that you, yourself, have been unfriended by someone whom you considered a good friend.

The unfriend -is it a noun too or just a verb? lol- in question and I were buddies in college, and kept in touch, but at some point we lost communication with each other; we never spoke again until he found me on Facebook. And, immediately after we resumed our friendship on the digital world, and we started catching up on all the important events that we have missed in each others life.

Today, I found out that he has unfriended me on Facebook. I could not help to say, "but what did I do?" The only thing that came to mind was that we bumped into each other at the supermarket two months ago, but why would that be a reason to unfriend me? That day, we chatted a bit, and then he and his wife kept shopping, and I left with my groceries. I do not know if that had anything to do with our new unfriend-ship.

I am a bit puzzled by his decision, but I know that we all have the right to decide who is persona non grata in our digital space.

Un día como hoy

Un día 20 de septiembre de 1991 la vida que había llevado me cambió para siempre. Tuve que dejar mi escuela, mis amigos y mi lugar de nacimiento para hacer vida en un lugar desconocido.

Desde entonces, resido en Nueva York. El proceso de adaptación fue largo y arduo, pero con el pasar de los años, aquella ciudad abrumadora -de una primera impresión- poco a poco se fue convirtiendo en mi casa.
Foto via The Arts Blog

Food for thought

“Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” Goethe

Pause, and think about what really matters to you, then, try to be consistent with yourself, and live accordingly.