I'm Starting to Breathe Again!

Well, this has been an interesting semester. I have battled pneumonia (and learned how to spell it), kept a husband and three children alive, taken an eighteen hour car trip with those three young children, and threw a wedding shower. Though pneumonia was not fun, I recommend it over the car ride. :)
On a professional level, I have taken a good step toward my masters degree. I took three classes and enjoyed aspects of all of them. I particularly enjoyed this class because I learned things here that I KNOW I will use even before I secure a teaching position. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these tools and I loved creating with them. My children are already hooked on Audacity. I bought a cheap microphone for this class and they are now more proficient with it than I am. I love to write, but have never blogged. Although I don't think anyone will read it, I will continue to blog.
I enjoyed this class and now I will enjoy the things I have been neglecting. Like my husband, laundry, children, kitchen, garden, dog, and the outside world. :)
Great class everyone!
Have a happy summer!!

I Now Speak Internet

I was on the phone with my sister this morning and she asked how much work I had left for this semester. I started telling her the list. I just contributed to the wiki, though I may do more, I want to blog at least one more time, I am almost finished with my Moodle, my podcast is done, and I have a few papers to write. She paused and then asked what language I was speaking. I have been home with my kids for six years and have not learned this much useful information in such a long time. Before January, I had no idea what the words Moodle, blog, tweet, podcast, screencast, or wiki were. I have learned so much and enjoyed the journey. I can't wait to take more classes.

High-Ho!

So, I love Moodle! I can definitely see some areas where it could be improved, and the overall feel was a little archaic, but Ilove the concept. I liked getting the perspective that an online instructor would have in setting up a course. More so, I loved the possibilities of using this as a great organizational system for a high school course. I loved being able to set upi the course from scratch and divide the units and see everything so neatly organized. I would definitely use this in my classroom. I am almost done with this assignment, but my other classes are kicking my butt right now. Off to work I go!

Light at the End?

I have completed my podcast and have been thinking a lot about how I would use podcasts and screencasts in my own classroom. I think it would be an amazing thing if I could record the most important lessons or instructions for projects and post them where students could refer to them at will. Of course it would be a great resource for students who were absent on the day of instruction. I would love to think that I could get into a rhythm where recording myself could become old hat and that I would do it religiously, but I have my doubts. I remember those teaching days with 150 students as over-scheduled. I hope that I could force myself to add this to my day, but it would definitely be a struggle.
I think that is one thing that makes teaching so difficult and so rewarding. At least in part, I get to choose how to present material to the students. I love this trial-and-error part of teaching. If a lesson doesn't fly in first period, I can tweak and adjust before the next section of that course. Sometimes I can't wait to get back in the classroom. Especially after I read One Fish, Two Fish for the third time in one day.

Podcast. . .Check

I love crossing things off my list and that's what I just did!!!! Podcast done, yeah me! If I had more time on my hands I know I really would have enjoyed this assignment much more than I did. Even though I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed these days I did have fun making the podcast. The editing part was the best for me. Audacity is really great once you get used to it. I have to admit that I was very nervous about this project. I know it is silly, but I hate the sound of my own voice. (Sadly, my husband agrees and wishes I would give my voice a rest more often) It sounds much better in my head. :) So, when I started recording it and plating it back, I was actually cringing. Oh well, at least I don't have to suffer hearing it everyday like he does :)

So, here is a poem that I used in my podcast. It is fitting for many of the educators out there!

Afternoon in School
The Last Lesson
When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?
How long have they tugged the leash, and strained apart
My pack of unruly hounds: I cannot start
Them again on a quarry of knowledge they hate to hunt,
I can haul them and urge them no more.
No more can I endure to bear the brunt
Of the books that lie out on the desks: a full three score
Of several insults of blotted pages and scrawl
Of slovenly work that they have offered me.
I am sick, and tired more than any thrall
Upon the woodstacks working weariedly.


And shall I take
The last dear fuel and heap it on my soul
Till I rouse my will like a fire to consume
Their dross of indifference, and burn the scroll
Of their insults in punishment? - I will not!
I will not waste myself to embers for them,
Not all for them shall the fires of my life be hot,
For myself a heap of ashes of weariness, till sleep
Shall have raked the embers clear: I will keep
Some of my strength for myself, for if I should sell
It all for them, I should hate them -
- I will sit and wait for the bell.

D. H. Lawrence

Digital Libraries Discussion

Well, my turn with leading a discussion is over and I'm quite relieved. I did enjoy it, but I feel a bit out of my element when I'm attempting to lead my peers.

Though I posted three questions, it was the one that was a bit controversial that elicited the most responses. This does not surprise me in the least, it is much more fun to talk about topics that people care about. I think this is what drew me to studying and teaching literature. Although many high school students do not care about Shakespeare, they do have an opinion about controlling parents and whether sixteen-year-olds should marry. I truly enjoy hearing their opinions on these topics and it makes my class time fly by to have a debate on something they care about.

So, it was nice to hear the opinions of my classmates on whether digital libraries could ever replace brick and mortar ones. Though the question seemed a bit far-fetched, it served the purpose of eliciting responses from those who cared about the topic. Controversy is fun! I really don't know how math teachers get students to care about math problems, I give them a lot of credit because I could never do it.

Where's the Switch on my Internal Clock?

What a week. I have been extremely busy at home and have been working hard on school stuff. Then the government pulls the rug out from under me with this time change stuff. UUUHHHGGGG! I am a creature of habit and become more so with each passing year. My children are so used to their schedules that this one-hour shift sends them into a state of chaos. So, I spend much of this week each year trying to wake up tired kids in the morning and get them to go to sleep before they think it's time in the evening.

I found this site about the time change and found it interesting. http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/k.html The best part is titled Incidents and Anecdotes. I love this part:

Births and Birthdays

While twins born at 11:55 p.m. and 12:05 a.m. may have different birthdays, Daylight Saving Time can change birth order -- on paper, anyway. During the time change in the fall, one baby could be born at 1:55 a.m. and the sibling born ten minutes later, at 1:05 a.m. In the spring, there is a gap when no babies are born at all: from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.

In November 2007, Laura Cirioli of North Carolina gave birth to Peter at 1:32 a.m. and, 34 minutes later, to Allison. However, because Daylight Saving Time reverted to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m., Allison was born at 1:06 a.m.

As for class, things are going as well as can be expected. I am working on my website in two different programs because I can't decide which to use. I just ordered a microphone for the podcast. Overworked and underpaid. I feel like a teacher again. :) And, GREAT job to the two discussion leaders from last night! You are brave souls!