Do You Love Your Job?

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It's an honest question, but most people cannot provide an honest answer. Truly loving your job results in a desire to come back the next day - because you want to, not because you have to (or risk not paying your mortgage or feeding your children). When people ask me if I enjoy what I do, I tell them not only do I enjoy it, I love it, everything about it makes me happy. I am a teacher, and underpaid and overworked teacher. I am also a coach, a disciplinarian, a mentor, a helper, a thinker, a learner, a problem-solver, a listener, a talker, a comedian, a laugher, a worker, etc. etc. My role varies on a daily basis, from situation to situation, and I honestly enjoy this aspect of my job as it keeps me on my toes.

Some think being a teacher is a part-time job, some think I get summer's off - this is another conversation entirely, and I don't want to get sidetracked from the focus of this post. The reality is, that I help kids learn. Help kids learn to use computers and technology so their lives are easier and they can apply themselves more efficiently when they enter the real world. Coming back to school the next day is rather easy (most of the time), and it's a sign to myself that I do indeed love what I do.

According to Legacy Educational Resources, only 32% of people truly "love" their jobs. LER mentions that "people are happier working jobs where they can say at the end of each day, 'I helped someone to have a better life.'" I'm not saying that you have to hold down a job where you truly are helping someone everyday in order to be happy. Look for opportunities that can help enrich your experience on the job and you'll be happy you did. Heck, you might even start to love what you're doing! For a list of some ideas about why other people love their jobs, check out SoYouWantToTeach.com's blog post. Also, read a mom's take on whether or not you should love your job.

Image from WorkItMom.com

FaceBook Hacks 2

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I've been noticing a ton of traffic coming to my blog as a result of a "FaceBook Hacks" Google search. After reading my previous FaceBook Hacks post, I figured that I have left hundreds of people unsatisfied when it comes to actually hacking FaceBook. What I'm saying is that my previous suggestions aren't actually hacks, they are more tips/tricks to improve the functionality of FaceBook for the average user. I know there are actual hacks out there, and feel it to be inappropriate for me to mention them in my blog.

For the people that aren't into hacking private profiles, I now bring you FaceBook Hacks Tips 2:

• Expand your profile photo: FaceBook generously allows you to use an image up to 200 pixels wide by 600 pixels high for your profile image. This is good news, because when you make an image your profile picture, it is cropped to fit the default image size which is much smaller. If you work it right in Photoshop, you can create a 200x600 image and create a masterpiece profile picture that sets yourself apart from others. Here's a screen shot of mine. For more information, and for an excellent tutorial of Photoshop, check out AllFaceBook.com's blog post.
  


• Create a badge: creating a badge that you can post to your blog or embed in a web page will help make new friends. This can accomplished through FaceBook's badge page. Take a look at mine to the right, it can be either vertical or horizontal, and you have the ability to add or remove the contents:

• Status updates: the best way to stay in touch with your friends is to tell them what you're doing. There is nothing worse than friends posting status updates every two minutes about their trip to the bathroom, the cat just puked up a hair ball, or some other rediculous update that nobody really cares about. With this in mind, be sure to update your friends with a status that they will want to read (unless your friends really care about your bathroom habits and deathly ill cat). If you are seriously lacking in the creativity department, I suggest taking a look at the FaceBook Status Generator - at least your friends will get a good laugh at your expense.


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• Link to Twitter: if you're already tweeting, why not connect your Twitter account to your FaceBook profile? This will help you get what you have to say out there in half the time. There is a FaceBook Twitter application (made by Twitter), add the app and give it access. Each status update will now automatically be tweeted from your Twitter account as well. If you are more of a Twitter user rather than a FaceBook'r, then I'd suggest using TweetDeck (a 3rd Party app for Twitter) that allows you to automatically update your FaceBook with each tweet. Here's my TweetDeck (see the FaceBook checkbox in the upper-right corner).


• Use apps: download the Firefox Facebook Toolbar and you'll have everything at the ready, just underneath your browser's default toolbars. You will receive your alerts, update your status, and go directly to FaceBook.com through the toolbar. It is an excellent tool for people at work that just want to get text updates - this should make bosses happy as they actually won't be visiting the site. If your boss doesn't mind, you can even set the preferences so you receive the updates via a small pop-up in the bottom-right corner of your screen. If you're lucky enough to be on a Mac, and for some reason you're not using Firefox, there's a FaceBook widget that does the same thing.

That's about all I have for this edition, come back soon for FaceBook Hacks Tips 3!

How do students feel about technology?

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I`ve been hanging on to this video for a year now, and it seems that it is a good time to post it on my blog. As our school is heading into a new 1-to-1 laptop program for the Freshmen class next year, placing importance on the integration of technology in the classroom is paramount. You`ve all been warned...