Creativity and humor make learning fun: High-tech rap, here I come…

When I was a senior in high school, I decided to take up rapping. For those who know me, this probably sounds ridiculous and completely out of character. But I didn’t start rapping because I wanted to be the next Snoop Dogg–I took up rapping to survive a Spanish 4 class.

Huh? Yes, it’s true, but before you start to think Sara has a gangster side:the reason rap helped my Spanish skills was because I would take all of my new vocabulary words and make up a story line that combined a slew of these words. Raps that involved, “la grapadora esta en la piscina” (the stapler is in the pool) were absolute gibberish but helped me learn the words I needed to know–eventually to the point where I could speak Spanish at a (somewhat) respectable level.

The most important thing to remember when taking on a new challenge is to embrace it. Though I had never rapped before, I started to in high school (albeit behind closed doors) because it was a new strategy to learn and have fun at the same time.

And now, four years later, it looks like I may have to take up rapping again…but this time to learn the tech savvy vocabulary I need to survive in a high-tech world. It’s not that I’m afraid of technology and embracing the online world. In fact, I think I’m the two-year-old running to the pool because she thinks she can swim, but really hasn’t learned the strokes yet.

In order to ensure that I don’t drown in the online world of HTML code in the following weeks I know I won’t just need a rap (or twelve). It will take work to create my own Web site and to stay up on the latest trends.  For the love of PR and keeping up with the best of them, high-tech rap, here I come! And I have a feeling the first one will involve “HTML” and “URL”…I need them both to complete the first assignment.

April 16, 2009. Uncategorized.