Misfit Shine

I don't often post blog entries about gadgets in my life that haven't been used in my classroom (even the posts from last year's IRLQuests for 3DGameLab had to do with school since 3DGL is something I really want to use in my classroom), but I kind of feel like I should...

I will also certainly post an update if my opinion changes or the company fixes the item without my having to the refund route.

My Misfit Shine arrived today, and its awful. I'm really quite disappointed because I've been researching fitness trackers for more than a year at this point, waiting and hoping for one that would work with swimming since that is my favorite form of exercise, although I also enjoy using WiiFit and work with a personal trainer.  I had just decided to purchase the FitbitFlex, especially when I saw it at Target, and on sale, when a relative told me about the Misfit Shine.  He's definitely an early adopter of gadgets, and researches as well, although looks for different things than I do. I can’t get it to sync with the app or log anything at all. The company says that Android users or iPhone 4 and under users can still have the device track, even if it can’t log, but mine does neither.
I posted a comment on the Facebook site, and was told to email. The company then posted & tweeted all of the positive comments made within 2 hours before and after mine, but have yet to respond to mine. Browsing the Twitter feed and Facebook page indicates answering email is a difficult concept for them. 
I was a little bit sorry 9 days ago when I ordered the item, discovered that my money from PayPal was gone and I hadn’t received a receipt; the discomfort increased when a visit to the local Apple store showed the Shine available there for the same price. If I used credit cards for optional/recreational purchases, I would have bought it then—but I do not, so I came home and posted a comment on their Facebook page. I was told it would soon be shipped, but received no response to my request for a receipt. This morning, I went to get my mail, and it was in my mailbox. Again, no receipt or packing slip in the envelope, but I did get an email with a tracking number; the email was dated for this morning. USPS says the package was mailed two days ago. But, hey–I had it in hand! Exciting! Until it wasn’t, because I received an error saying my Shine was linked to another account, and that user would have to unlink it. Another quick browse of the Twitter stream and Facebook page indicates this is a VERY VERY VERY VERY common error.  Update: In looking on the Facebook page again, another person has commented on my post that they also had the same problem.

If I don’t receive a response in the next 48 hours (since the company clearly responds on weekends), I’ll be returning the device and requesting a refund, so I can buy a tracker that works, even if it doesn't allow me to use it while swimming.

What Should We Be Teaching?

I was having a discussion with a non-teaching friend today. When I say non-teaching, I mean she isn't a classroom teacher... She kept saying, "This you need to write about. You should write about this." And so, because she usually gives me pretty good advice, I decided to do just that.

I teach students with autism, and have taught students with other significant (also frequently referred to as severe) disabilities. I've been teaching 15 years, not counting student teaching or time spent working as a teaching assistant through a program my high school offered to students in the gifted & talented group. That program allowed G/T students starting in 9th grade, and all students starting in 11th grade, to be mentored by a professional in their field of interest. I wanted to be a teacher, specifically a teacher of the Deaf, so I started working as a teaching assistant in classrooms that had Deaf students as a 9th grader. It was one of the highlights of my high school career. I gave up my study halls to be a part of it.

My discussion this evening centered around what we teach our students, and the reason that some students hate school so much. I've been saying that I hate teaching core content classes. And that really isn't true: I love teaching history, but I don't like that I can't teach HISTORY. I have to cram facts into the heads of my students so they are prepared for a state test at the end of the year. There isn't time to go back and teach them how to think, to let them show me they've mastered skills that are important for after high school. I know teachers who manage both, and I'm insanely jealous because somehow, I just can't manage. It may be because I first have to teach my students the concepts they haven't yet gotten because they are behind coming into my room due to their disabilities.

I wonder why we stopped offering vocational programs in so many schools. There is no reason that a student who does well in vocational programs shouldn't go to college.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be teaching history. I am saying that maybe we need to look at what and how we're teaching... not just children with disabilities, but all children. Is it truly that ALL children need to be prepared for a university degree? Is there a reason that it is so awful to give the children choices? It makes me sad that my students don't want to be in my classroom, and they aren't excited about learning. I think I could make them excited...
if I could teach history instead of just teaching a test.