From: Dave Grott <dgrott@mhv.net>
Subject: Take a Left at Venus and a right at Mercury!!
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 17:31:23 -0400
Hello Discuss Group.. Here I sit a veteran of implementing telecommunication in the class for = more years than I care to remeber humbled and beaten by an upper case D = & G.. yup, way back when I originally found my isp that is the way I = signed up. When they changed the mail software this weekend it did not = like that combo... so, after being sick and out of school for two days, = I come upon a mess with my email! Now it is out there orbiting the sun! Was thinking of Bonnie Bracey's eloquent pleas about those schools who = do not have as I talked to my faculty on Monday. Explained the whole = project, even how nicely Geoff and crew accomocated teacher wishes = regarding the christmas festivities... they think he walks on water = now... hmmm, when next he pulls out that heat sensitive paper.. watch = closely! But... Yes, the big but. As I put it, will my school get cable tv before NASA = lands on Mars? The money is on NASA! Let us not mention phone lines = either! We are the district that as part of the great wiring of the = nation's schools.. they missed! =20 But, I know you can do it! I explained that to them. They remembered = the award for the outhouse challenge from Antarctica, this is the same = group producing this? Wow!! Then the comments: Are you doing standards? We are... yup, you guessed it, it is not in = the standards. What? Mars! We don't cover the solar system in our curriculum! I did the National Geographic Kids Network and it was dumb. (Can you = imagine a teacher saying that?) Well, this is an entirely different program etc, etc. Principal is = getting heated at this point. Come on people, this guy was in = Washington to get trained! He is an incredible source of information, = surely there is some way we can use him? Silence. Wait! It is not all bad news and doom and gloom!!! I found a phone = line! Well, okay, it is not an ISDN like someone has, but a phone line = is a phone line and classes are mobile! At least mine are! Then I = gound a 386 that I laid claim to! Fastest machine in the building! = They are going to order a 28.8 modem! There is hope on the horizon! So, what do you do in this backwater? Well, first we will smart filter = by hook of by crook. Have talked with my class of sixth graders about = working for Mr. Seigel of NASA. Oh yeah, no problem, is he cute? Well = Marc, how do I answer that? I have started fossils in Science. Am trying to frame in time the = beginning of the universe and the planets and all that. Have yet to = figure out how to do the timeline on that one. But, it will be combined = with a time line of life on earth which will in turn be combined with a = timeline of the history of man in Western Europe as we cover that in = Social Studies. We have already investigated the number zero and how = important a number it is in measuring distance in space and the fact = that it was the ancient Mesopotamians who gave it to us. Slowly the big = picture is forming! Next trick is to connect all this to Antarctica!! = Penguins on the march I suppose... Open house tonight, meet the teacher and all that. No, no web access at = school but a quick survey reveals that 75% of my class has it at home. = How handy... hey parents, can't do this at school but could you at home? Fighting the good fight here in Millbrook, where I am making it fit into = the curriculem and meet the standards and more importantly having a good = time teaching! Dave Grott Onward to Mars!!