From the desk of Mr. Walters

After fixing my screen resolution and solving my internet woes with Comcast (bad connector that took 5 months and 3 visits to discover whilst they tried to blame my modem, my router, and finally my operating system), I've begun the hard task of setting up my desktop environment, a home network for file and print sharing, and getting some entertainment necessities loaded. First of all, let's talk about desktop eye-candy.  After much pain and suffering, I decided to go with Beryl .  Compiz was buggy and crazy.  I really don't give a darn about cubes and desktop switchers.  I just wanted a transparent appearance for for my windows, which you can see below.

I recently read Dennis Southwood’s October article, “ It's Not Just a Game—It's Skills for Life” from Educators' eZine. I know, I’m a bit behind on my reading, but I have a three-month-old, which I consider an ample excuse. Southwood begins by posing the following question. Q: Your students are most likely to be learning the real-world skills that employers demand when they are: a) In the classroom, following the lessons in the textbook. b) At home, completing assigned homework. c) On line, playing World of Warcraft. d) On a class field trip, visiting the offices of a local corporation. The answer is, of course, WOW (World of Warcraft). More and more, educators, scientists, and business executives are apparently coming to believe that such games require players to master skills in demand by today's employers, such as critical thinking, team building, problem solving, and collaboration.