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!

Two Months To Go!

Well, I am really starting to feel the crunch here. We still have a lot of work to do in this course and my others. Many of the points to be had are still out there for the taking and I don't like to get B's. It is silly, but I am a competitive person even when I'm just competing with myself.
I am starting to get nervous about the website project so I've been looking online for some help and I found a great website that many of you probably know about. It's 4teachers.org. It has some great ideas about integrating technology and I especially like the list of technological tools for teachers. It is great for me because I've been away from the field for so long that I feel out of the loop. I know there are tools out there to make what I want to do easier, I just have to find them. (I didn't know about Rubistar until one of my classmates mentioned it.)
There is also a blog on the 4teachers website that I am now following. I'll let you know about the quality once I've read a few.
Enjoy the weather!

Weather or Not

So, I had plenty of inside work to do today and NONE of it got done. I think I'm actually a bit giddy about this! I had a blast today outside with my kids. I have been so busy with school and everyday life, that I've been neglecting the people I'm doing this for. We had a "Family Fun Day." According to my five-year-old, it's a new holiday to be held twice a year and it is a day when you must spend time with your family and not work. I swear that kid is wise beyond his years. Well, maybe that's not quite the right phrase. He is wise and he acts his age. We should all act his age when we can. Wow, a little sunshine and I get all philosophical. Go figure.

Go Ahead and Judge. . . I Deserve It.

Lots to do. Throwing a shower for my soon-to-be niece-in-law, planning a nine-hour car ride to the wedding which two of my three children are in, 3 classes with projects due this week, and the usual stuff. So, I'm trying to find independent activities to keep the kids (ages 5, 4, and 22 months) happy and entertained while Mom is working at the computer. Here's what I found for all of you who are trying to do the same. Prongo, a site with a list of safe and free kids sites with activities for kids 10 and under. Yes, I am using the computer to entertain my kids, I have nothing to say for myself.

I Wonder What Would Happen if I Just Ate the Coffee Beans

Well, I'm definitely not underwhelmed!

So, I just finished my Learner and Context Analysis for Dr. Ingram's ID course and I am about to write a journal for Dr. Kovalik's Tech. and Learning and I haven't yet touched my Website Design assignment for this course. Yikes! I'd better get working! I do have a lot of work to do, but I am surprised by how much I am enjoying the material in all three classes! What a great feeling! (Like my money is not being wasted.) In all three classes, at least one person has posted a comment about being overwhelmed. I remember this in-over-my-head feeling from my undergrad days at Ohio State, but thinking back I know I was just green. I had nothing to complain about then compared to now. It would be great to be able to go back to those days and kick my own whiny butt into gear.

So, I started thinking about stress and how to relieve it without taking up so much time that I get more stressed and I found this site and the name alone was bold enough to get my attention. Tranquility is Yours. Like it's been sitting on the shelf waiting for me to grab it and sprinkle it around the house. It's a site where those of us with enough time can read about how to relax your mind and body to improve your overall perspective on life. Great stuff. I like the videos of the ocean and the moon especially. So sad that I have to watch a video of the moon because I don't have the time to get away form my computer to see the real thing, but I digress.

And for those of us who don't have the time to relax ourselves. . . Time Management Tips from the Mayo Clinic The tip that stood out to me most was "Say no to nonessential tasks. Seems like common sense, but I have trouble saying "NO" to anyone who asks me for help and it gets me in trouble time and again.

So, good luck with your websites and don't forget to breathe!

Feeling Winded!

Well, this first month of classes has been very interesting for me. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot about technology and how is should be applied in the classroom. I have also battled pneumonia, dealt with a flooded basement, and taught my almost-two-year-old to walk in a cast. Maybe three classes during my first semester in the program was not a stellar idea after all. :)

Even though I am losing some sleep this semester, I am excited about what I am learning. Just a month ago I was grossly uninformed about blogs, wikis, podcasts and the like. These classes have opened my mind to new avenues of information that I previously thought were only used by "perps" on Law and Order. So, I started investigating some blogs that follow my personal interests and I found one that is very popular with other moms. http://www.dooce.com/ is a site written by Heather Armstrong, a witty and somewhat caustic mother of two children. What has struck me about her blog and many of the blogs of others is how imperfect they are. Heather does not claim to be an expert at anything motherly, but she writes in an honest and candid way that the masses must find refreshing. Until these blogs surfaced, the online sources that mothers had for advice were HGTV and Martha Stewart's website. Each of these seem to strive for perfection in all things motherhood. I think that moms like sites like Heather's because they want to see that it's okay to be imperfect. They want to see that there are others like them who are struggling to get a healthy meal on the table and check that everyone has what they need for school the next morning. Ironically, Heather was just hired by HGTV to be herself on their website, so maybe they have caught on to the way ordinary moms feel about her.

I really hope I can get everything done this week! I'm still striving for perfection. ;)

RSS, Where Have You Been?

I just finished reading the Richardson chapter on RSS and I am so excited about this new (to me) technology! Of all the tools we've discussed this semester this one seems like it will be the best at saving me time. That is worth investigating! So, I have already set up my RSS at Google Reader and I have all of the class blogs, the local weather, and a couple of other sites fed into my site. It was very simple to set up. In fact, when I opened the Reader page, all of the blogs I am following were already being fed to the page. Is anyone else a little disturbed by the power and scope of the Google Empire? I kind of feel like Big Brother is watching. Regardless, I love Reader so far.

The Secret Life of Bees

Here is the link to Will Richardson's site about The Secret Life of Bees that he mentioned in the book. For anyone who has not read it, it is a wonderful book and I think it should be added to all high school modern lit. classes. What an exciting time this must have been for these kids to actually interact with the author! I'd love to have that kind of motivation for my class!

http://central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/

Responsible Educators

So, I just finished reading the first chapter of the text and I can't help but reflect on a point that Richardson made. Do we have a responsibility to teach proper Internet use and safety when we know that the majority of our students are publishing online? Is this one of those things that should be worked into the curriculum at each level like sex education has been? Or is this something that should be left to parents to sort out? (Much like we expect parents to teach manners?) Are parents the best people to teach this when many of them may not have access to the technology that their children are using?

I feel like a freshman!

Wow. Up until three days ago the terms wiki, podcast, and blog were quite foreign to me. I feel a bit like I've been buried in an underground bunker for about six years and I've reemerged to find the world has not stopped for me while I've been raising my kids. I'm sure I'm not the first person to feel this way and I won't be the last, but can anyone out there please humor me by agreeing that a lot has changed in education while I've been away?
My first impression of bloggers was that they must be some pretty conceited individuals if they thought that their every thought was worthy of publication, but after reading some of the material online I can see some great potential for this technology. Huh. I was wrong and mainstream America was right. Maybe I need to stop relying on Sesame Street for world news.