Who Knew Stacking Cups Would be Comedy Gold?

Okay, so I'm just wrapping up some late-night/early-morning SPSS "stuff" and figured it might be a good time to wax poetic about the wonders of videoconferencing.  Why not, right?

You know, if there's one thing we all learned about videoconferencing on Tuesday, it's the fact that monkeys eat both peanuts AND cashews.  Waitaminute...  That's just crazy.  Maybe it would be the fact that yellow cups are defective?  Or the universal knowledge - even among different species - that Cheerios make a great snack even without milk?

Nah, we probably all caught on to the fact that upside-down metal bowls can lie to us.  Tricky $%&#%*@!

But I would argue these observations really just mask the reality that videoconferencing is a fantastic way to further our students' educational experience.  I mean, c'mon, that's the message Melissa and Brendan were trying to get across.  Uh, I think.  (I just went along with the crowd.  I also hear paisley is the new plaid.)

Seriously, though, videoconferencing can really bring a whole new dimension to the classroom, whether it's a remote guest lecture from an old colleague or a chance to witness something beyond the borders of our university setting.  The relevance of the material is, of course, crucial.  However, even taking the fun out of the equation, videoconferencing seems to be a powerful tool to enhance learning.  (But personally, I'd probably want to put the "fun" back into the equation.)

For my own class, I'd really like to reach out to some friends from some of the places I've worked to see if they wouldn't mind a little Q&A session.  My former coworkers include reporters, anchors, account executives, art directors, copywriters, and even bestselling authors.  And there's always a marketing/advertising angle to employ.

Any thoughts from all of you?

I do have to say that Lincoln's story about his videoconferencing experience at Barrow Elementary was amusing-slash-AWESOME.  Ha.  I can say that because (a) I've been in situations where the technology failed miserably and (b) I worked with the Clarke County School District for the past year so I know full well how things can quickly crumble into a complete and utter cluster.  (Yes, Grady didn't have funding for me when I got to UGA, and teaching was, therefore, put on hold.  Instead, I was shipped over to the CCSD to help their PR department write, shoot, and edit video content for cable Channel 16; Title I funding ended up paying my tuition.)

Anyway, I can just see Lincoln trying to work with those folks, and Murphy's Law mangling every effort.

So, Lincoln, I salute you, brother.  I've been there.

Finally, before I wrap things up, this next section goes out to Melissa Dengler whose inclusion of recipes on her blog (which I'm told is really amazing; I've been, uh, blocked) inspired me to add my own...

Cheesy-Awesome-Nacho-Style-Bean-Dip-Thing-With-Ground-Beef

1 lb lean ground beef
1 can black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or 3-cheese Mexican blend)
"medium" salsa
black pepper
chili powder
Tostitos (or another brand of Tortilla chips)

Start off by preheating your oven to 400-degrees.  Next, you'll want to sling that ground beef into a microwave safe bowl, and nuke it for 3-5 minutes.  If you're not seeing a lot of pink, drain all the excess grease/liquid and grind it up.  Now, it's time to dump it all into a casserole dish.  Then open up the can of black beans, draining it, and then pouring the beans over the ground beef.  Follow that up with the tomato sauce.  Then you'll want to add some salsa (maybe half a cup), chili powder (perhaps a few teaspoons), and some black pepper (if you're me, a bunch).  Stir the contents, and throw that dish into your oven.  Wait about 50-55 minutes.  Pull the dish out, stir it all up again, and dump the entire bag of shredded cheese over the mix.  Place it all back into the oven and wait an additional 5-10 minutes.  You'll probably want to let it sit for a few minutes after it's done.  Now, it's time to scoop out a bunch of the stuff onto a plate and grab that bag of Tostitos.  Enjoy the goodness that is this cheesy-awesome-nacho-style-bean-dip-thing-with-ground-beef!

Peace.