Hello, and welcome to Mr. Aitken’s blog. A little about me. I have been teaching English, Social Studies, Planning and Leadership over the past three years at Heritage Woods and am looking forward to teaching Digital Literacy 10. I have two young children (3 and 2) which occupies a lot of my spare time, however, when I have down time I enjoy watching soccer, running and exercising, reading and playing video games.
Favourite Quote:
Ok, I’ll admit it. I can’t pick just one. So I had to use two quotes.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” (Bonus points if you know what film this is from.)
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.” Gandhi
Why these two quotes?
You no doubt know that life moves pretty fast. Or maybe you are just waiting to get out of high school, get your learners permit, and obtain the freedom that will come with both of those. However, you need to remember to savour the moments. Enjoy the time that you have in Heritage Woods. Take part in activities, clubs, sports and pursue interests and hobbies. If you don’t and think, ‘oh, I’ll do it next year,’ you will quickly find that your time in high school has passed you by. Watching my children I am amazed at how quickly nearly four years has passed. It is scary. So don’t let the moments pass you by.
In a way the second quote relates not only to life but also to Digital Literacy. Your online presence is a reflection of your thoughts, beliefs, actions and habits. You can elect to make these positive, constructive, and beneficial or negative, harmful and detrimental. It is easy, in a moment of anger or passion, to lean towards the latter of these, however, one needs to remember that these words and actions will follow you for the rest of your life.
Favourite Video
The quote might have been hard. But this one was easy. Dr. Randy Pausch reprising his last lecture on Oprah. This is the condensed version. The real one is nearly two hours long. If you have time, I recommend it. Or better yet, read the book. This lecture is about achieving your childhood dreams. But it is more than that. There are many lessons that one can take from this video, about life in our increasingly materialistic, and extrinsically motivated society.
Favourite Website
My favourite, go to, website would have to be Twitter (www.twitter.com). I find it a useful site not only to find news and information but also as a means to connect and collaborate with other professionals and establish a learning network. I have learnt and continue to learn a great deal about a variety of topics by utilizing this site.
Picture That Impacted Me
So in my life I have lived through a number of significant events such as 9/11, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the dawn of a new century among others. I wanted my image to be something that encapsulates the change that is taking place in the world and how that change need not be seen as negative but as positive. Opening connections and breaking down barriers that continue to exist in our society. I therefore chose a picture of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 as a picture that has impacted me the most.