“Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community” – Anthony J D’Angelo

I bought the subject of ‘Twitter’ up at a Facilitators’ Meeting yesterday since I started using it during the summer holidays as a convenient, quick social networking tool,  but am yet to find a ‘twitter niche’ in my life.  Many of my followers are work colleagues and I am following a couple of celebrities like Ellen and Oprah (for insight into how ’others out there’ might live).   I also have global followers who I made connections with while completing the 31 Day Challenge. 

Personal Learning for Me:  Community connections are important so I intend keeping an eye on Twitter, reading, watching and learning why others may be using this social networking tool.   Not yet sure if it serves a purpose for me just yet – only time will tell!

Who would be without these two most covenient tiny tools???

History has it that in 1849 a man named Walter Hunt wanted to pay a fifteen dollar debt to his friend.  So he decided to invent something.  From a piece of brass wire about 8 inches long, coiled at one end and shielded at the other, he made the first safety pin.  Hunt took out a patent for his invention, sold it for four hundred dollars, paid back his friend and made an extra three hundred and eighty five dollars.  Then over time he watched his invention become a millionare dollar earner for someone else.

The safety pin was considered in ‘cloth nappy days’ as the be and end all that kept my youngsters lower parts dry and covered.  My son (now 22) was a cloth nappy baby until Treasures made their mark in the world and disposables were considered clever, convenient and nappy rash free. Not so great things about disposable nappies – not biodegradable and they come at a cost.

So what of Post-It Notes?  

In 1974 a man named Spencer Silva was working in the 3M science laboratory trying to find a strong adhesive.  Silva developed glue that seemed weak. 

Four years later (on a Sunday) another 3M scientist Arthur Fry was signing with the church choir.  He used paper markers to keep important places in his hymn book but the markers kept falling out.  Remembering Silva’s unsuccessful adhesive, Fry used some to coats his markers.  Success!  The weak adhesive kept the page markers in places, without damaging the prayer bo0k.  3M began distributing Post-It Notes national wide – 10 years after Silva had developed the weak adhesive.

I think Post-Its are the best ‘convenience note pads’ of all time – great for getting a quick message across, bookmarking without leaving marks, easy to use and available in many colours, patterns and sizes.  Five uses for Post-It Notes – 1)leaving brief instructions 2) brainstorming ideas 3)question-answer sessions 4) important to do lists 5) ‘Guess who I am’ games. 

Today we commemorate ANZAC Day as hubby and I watch the events and stories told by many veterans on ‘telly’. 

Two years ago as an Administrator for the NEMP Project I can recall one of the Visual Art activities required that students listen to the music of Dave Dobbyn being the song “Welcome Home” and view images of the Paul Dibble ANZAC sculpture that now stands in the centre of London. 

Only a few of the students that I spent time with were able to explain what the ANZAC symbols referred to.  Many of them associated ANZAC with War, which one…well that they could not explain.

Another year passes and today the ‘Good Morning Show’ commemorates Anzac Day. 

I can remember back in the classroom about six years ago studying this topic with Year 6-7 students.   We had a couple of veterans come in, the students made Anzac biscuits and read quite a number of books around the topic Anzac.  My favourite picture book to share with students at that time was the Bantam and the Soldier. 

While we immersed ourselves ‘quite nicely’ in the topic, three things seemed to be missing.  We figured out that there would be no way we could travel to Gallipoli, we could never quite understand how it might really feel to be part of a War and we might never know what real rationing (ie: going without foods like sugar) would mean.

Personal Learning for Me: Rememberance is about taking time to remember a time.  I can recall how my dad as an ex Naval man would attend the dawn parades and that I would watch him dress,  putting medals on his jacket.  He has since passed and so today I am taking time to remember that time and the time of others.  Lest we forget…