Language... What will heaven be like?

So I've been thinking about language from God's perspective, and I've come up with several questions and ideas that I hadn't previously considered. I'll just throw them out, here, and see what you think...

1. Tower of Babel: God created the concept of multiple languages at the Tower of Babel. He did this to frustrate humanity's plans, so my understanding/assumption is that multiple languages were originally necessary because of our arrogance and power.

2.  Speaking in tongues: Turned on its head, these same two problems are addressed when God gives people the gift of tongues. People are able to very quickly, or instantly, overcome the language barrier. I wonder.... Since God is gifting it, I would assume that He is bestowing His power to bring glory to Himself, or the gift would not exist. Also, the vessel of this gift (the person speaking in tongues) would not have issues with arrogance, or (again) the gift would cease.

However, I do not have experience with the gift of tongues, so I may be way off here. Paul talks in the Corinthians about people abusing their spiritual gifts, so I don't know...
I do know someone who's a Bible translator, and this helps me imagine absolutely appropriate ways this gift would be used, ... again, connected with the idea of arrogance and power.

3. In Heaven: Here, I have mainly questions... What language will we speak? What language will we understand? Just one? Several? All of them? A new one that no one speaks now?

The need for a Tower of Babel-type frustration of human effort because of our arrogance and power will be irrelevant, because we will be perfect. There will be no sin, selfishness, arrogance, or inappropriate power! We will have much more power than we have now; we will be (and are) sons and daughters of God; we will rule with Him; etc, etc.

This side of heaven, miscommunication is often the culprit for countless pain and tears. This is true in marriage, at work, politically, and in every area of life. This happens when the participants are speaking the same language! Since there will be no pain or tears in heaven, I have to think that language difficulties will not exist, then.

However, I wonder about all the millions of people whose job it is to translate, teach language, etc. What will they do in heaven? I believe that we will still work, most likely in the area in which we have become most passionate about here on earth. Carpenters will probably be building mansions, or whatever. Singers will certainly be singing to God. Other jobs are more difficult, though. What will tax accountants do?
Now for my topic here. What will people whose job is immersed in language do? What about the beauty of the different languages, and how we can have fellowship across different languages.

Most of this is beyond our ability to imagine and comprehend.

I remember in my classes in college, one of the language profs said something light about how the Tower of Babel is responsible for her job. This was very interesting, but incidental to the task of the day. Only recently did I consider following that train of thought as far as I have here...

Anyone have any answers? Leave a comment. This is fascinating stuff!

If you're green, you're growing!

"As long as you're green, you're growing. As soon as you're ripe, you start to rot.” - Ray Croc

My principal shared this with us in the context that we're all growing... He doesn't expect anyone to be perfect, and he doesn't ever put irrational or unkind pressure on any of us. He just wants us to continue to grow, as he, in fact, is doing, as well. A good place to be.

By the way, a few minutes earlier, our superintendent shared a version of this idea - a quote from one of his mentors: "If you think you're good, you're dead."

The LEARN Act - What really IS the best way to teach reading?

Here, Susan Ohanian quotes a letter sent by Stephan Krashen to the Congressional sponsors of the LEARN Act.
Conversations like this always make me wonder... What research really counts, and what "research" is merely opinion couched in authoritative-, academic-, and scholarly-sounding language?

Krashen says that the LEARN Act is "Reading First on steroids". He goes on to list lots of reasons why the money is misplaced. That we should instead be investing time and money in having kids READ instead of going overboard on direct instruction of phonics, etc. I was glad to see that he made a distinction between Intensive Systematic Phonics, Basic Phonics, and Zero Phonics. (He advocates Basic Phonics.)

INTENSIVE SYSTEMATIC PHONICS
phonics taught in sequence
all "major" rules
all rules consciously learned
reading = practice of learned rules

BASIC PHONICS
no optimal sequence
consciously learn only basic rules
most rules subconsciously acquired from reading
reading = source of most phonics knowledge

ZERO PHONICS
all rules subconsciously acquired
reading = source of all phonics knowledge

He says that the LEARN Act insists on Intensive Systematic Phonics, and most of what he says in the letter opposes this. However, he clarifies by saying that he is NOT in favor of Zero Phonics.

Interesting conversation, which I presume will not be over any time soon...

More YouTube tricks

Just ran across this website (via Twitter tweet) about more things you can do to use YouTube videos.

1. View high quality videos
2. Embed higher quality videos
3. Cut to the chase and link to the interesting part
4. Hide the search box
5. Embed only part of a video
6. Autoplay an embedded video
7. Loop an embedded video
8. Disable Related Videos
9. Bypass YouTube Regional Filtering
10. Download Video

I would add http://youtubekeep.com/ to their #10, as well as Zamzar.com