I'm on a listserv for the AP (advanced placement) course I teach; people on the listserv can email the whole group. I get about 10 emails a day from other teachers - sharing cool articles or websites or lesson plans...or wasting my time. Here are some real life examples of how people like to waste my time.
If you are a good person and don't want to listen to me complain about people who are both annoying and bad at technology, stop reading. This is your only warning.
Email #1:
I know the FRQ's [free response questions - there are four on the AP exam in May] are posted on the college board's website but does anyone have them in word format? I would like a copy if you do.
What I want to say to this person:
You copy and paste. Seriously? Are you too lazy to go to the website and find the document...is that what this is about? So instead you send an email that goes into all our inboxes and we have to delete it? In the amount of time it took you to write that email you could have gone to the website and copied and pasted and been done with it. Control-C! Control-V!
Email #2:
Ok, I admit it I am behind in these things and I don't have time nor the interest to be a slave to them. However, I find that there are some political ramifications to them. I need a quick and brief instruction guide to the use of these innovations on the internet and possible uses for me as an AP teacher. Any suggestions? I have an account with both Facebook and Tweeter (internet)
What I want to say to this person:
There are a lot of things I want to say to this person. I like lists. I will start a list.
1. Correct me if I'm wrong, English teachers - Erica, I'm looking at you - but shouldn't this be "I don't have the time or the interest"? OR "I have neither the time nor the interest"? This is my first problem with this email. Oh, this list is going to be a long one.
2. If you don't have the time "nor" the interest, WHY ARE YOU TRYING?? Just do what you've always done - it's probably okay, and it hasn't gotten you fired yet.
3. Is technology going to enslave you? Because you insinuate that it is. And buddy, you're not making any friends ON THE INTERNET LISTSERV YOU BELONG TO.
4. This listserv is for us to exchange ideas, not for me to teach you all about Facebook and "Tweeter," so no, you will not be getting a "quick and brief instruction guide" from me. [Note: Thanksgiving IS the time for me to teach you all about Facebook and "Tweeter," as I did for my dad last week. Dad: you get bonus points if you remember what "Tweeter" is really called - show this guy up!!]
5. "I have an account with both Facebook and Tweeter (internet)" is the best sentence I have ever read. I am giggling so hard right now I have started laugh-crying. In my office by myself. If you are not giggling, you are not my target audience for this blog.
Rant over.
Dear Teacher Lady:
ReplyDeleteThe website is "Twitter". A message is a "Tweet" (n.). To send a message is "to tweet" (v., transitive). [I will admit that I had to look up "transitive", "intransitive" and "direct object" before I determined that "tweet" is a transitive verb. I am a nerd.]
Dad, you get a GOLD STAR. Hooray!! I am very proud of you.
ReplyDeleteClaire, as the resident English teacher, I am here to tell you that you are correct-- that guy is a moron, for multiple reasons. :)
ReplyDeleteJust want to report that I was, in fact, giggling out loud reading this post, before I got to the part that told me I should be. I am clearly in your target audience. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I assume that your dad is already up-to-speed on RSS feeds, since he is a loyal blog reader and commenter, so that's another big gold star. I tried teaching my mom about RSS a few months back and she was not getting it.