World on Fire

World on Fire crossed my path once again today, and the timing is perfect (thanks to The Fischbowl). It is a great video that, with image and music, tells the story of global social action. As part of our One School One Book program, tonight we are hosting representatives from OXFAM America who will be discussing relief efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This video will make for an appropriate opening.

Students seem particularly sensitive to inequities in wealth, yet appear oblivious to the amount of money they spend on coffee, music, Ugg boots, and the general trappings of teen life in the affluent western suburbs of Boston. Is it really only about money, though? Or is it about change?

CCHS is saturated with clubs promoting social change, and fund raising for causes they care about. They promote their causes on Facebook, and enlist their friends to support their events. A cynic would point out that the roots of these problems are deeply embeded and all the bake sales in the world aren't going to change a thing. Maybe. But there is value in speaking, and letting your community know that at this moment in time, there are people who care, and in their small way, want to focus on the lives of others less fortunate than they.

Slife - How much time do YOU spend online?

Well, this is a unique post because 1) I added two new blog tags - life, and RSS feed and 2) it will help me assess how much of my life I devote to online activity.

This site came to my attention via Wes Fryer's blog At the Speed of Creativity. Wes was a keynote speaker at the most recent Massachusetts School Library Association conference, and because I liked what he had to say, I put his blog in my RSS feed. This is an example of why I like Wes and his most recent post, and why I love my RSS feed.

Slife is an analysis site that states "Time flies. With Slife, you find out where it goes." I love data. You can't argue with the picture that good data paints. Whether you want to assess how much time you spend online and how you are allocating this time (Family dinner hour? Not good.) or you want to enter into an informed, data driven discussion with your child about his or her online life and the Facebook/homework ratio, this is the kind of web application that can help you craft an informed discussion.