Techie by Nature

           While this exchange does not look like a discourse on education, it very much is. When thinking about the South and how we view the Civil War, one thing that has always been prevalent is the fact that the South preserves these monuments. From the Daughters of the Confederacy to the conservation of statues to Civil War icons, Alabama has been no exception to the "rebranding" of the history of the Civil War. This article, "State of Denial", states that in Alabama law, there is a provision to keep house museums like the White House of the Confederacy, up and running through the use of taxpayer funds.        How do we as teachers and Southerners wrestle with this conundrum? On the academic hand, preserving historical sites for future generations is a valid argument to keep places like this running. On the political hand, how does this happen in today's world? The article goes on to mention that, during the visit to the White House of the Confederacy and i

As teachers, we are always looking for the best way to engage and connect with our students. When it comes to engagement, there’s nothing more intriguing than using a video or movie to help understand a concept more fully. As an elder millennial, I remember school movie days well. Our excitement would build as we saw our teacher wheel the tv cart into the room. Usually, our videos would have to do with a science concept (thanks Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy), but as I got into high school, my English teachers would use videos and movies to explain an abstract writing concept, in a fun and engaging way (yes, I learned the hero archetype from Star Wars: Episode 3 and about medieval beliefs and cultures through Monty Python’s the Holy Grail. What can I say? I had pretty awesome English teachers!) This would help us to better understand and apply these concepts when we read more difficult texts, such as Beowulf and the Canterbury Tales. It also helped us apply these concept