One Last Thing

Despite all my whining, I have enjoyed this experience immensely. I would argue the statement that it doesn't take much time because it does (unless, of course, you do have 3-4 hours a week to spare). Unfortunately, if I could find a way to buy extra time to complete everything I'm expected to do (at work and home), I would (my fault not that of the class). My favorite part has been the blogging, which I hope to continue doing. I've veered off the educational path pretty far in most of my posts as it is, but I hope to continue the thread on a more personal vein. And, while I don't know how or when I will use many of these skills in my classroom, I treasure the knowledge of knowing how to do them and want to pursue more experimenting. Somewhere in my bones is a love of graphic design/marketing/visual art and I'd like to spend a little more time with Flickr and some of the "manipulation" sites.

The best discovery of this course (neigh, this lifetime) has been Cake Wrecks. This site is brilliant and having it on my reader has made my day much more complete. I've shared it with countless friends and family (I even spent several hours with my mom on her birthday visiting and laughing until it hurt). So, in honor of this glorious website, Veteran's Day, and the completion of this course, I give you this:


caption: "Because nothing says "America" quite like a dead, blank-eyed dog with a flag stuck in his head. [patting heart] Ah, it gets you right here, doesn't it?"

On another note:

Last week, I was at Target gathering stuff together for a baby shower gift. Inadvertently, I grabbed (and held tightly to my torso) a bottle of baby shampoo that had been slit open by a sloppy stock clerk. Not surprisingly, I my belly was covered in goo (did I mention I was dressed to go to my mother's birthday party and had no intentions of returning home?). Frustrated and sticky, I asked an employee for help only to realize she was more concerned about teaching a new stocker how to clean up than actually helping me (I had to ASK her if I could have some of her paper towel to clean myself off). I then stomped off to the women's department to find myself a shirt and change in the changing room. Before I could get the entire request out of my mouth, the employee, who - like her co-worker - was more concerned with the phone convesation she was having about a cat, cut me off saying, "You have to pay first" and pointing in the direction of the registers. I gave up. On the verge of tears, I trudged off to the register and asked to see a manager.

At this point, you're probably wondering why I'm sharing this story. Well, my point is this: I go out of my way to make sure my "customers" (students, co-workers, parents, etc.) get the very best I can give them. I don't brush them off or ignore their needs. I respond at the earliest moment possible to their requests and my personal life takes a back seat to their needs during school hours. I readily admit that I am a recovering perfectionist, and I set my standards pretty high, but I expect as good as I give. That's why I got so mad about my experience at Target. I shouldn't have been kissing their butts, they should have been kissing mine. I spent quite a bit of time (particularly in the middle of the course) feeling very frustrated. Once the high of learning began to dwindle, the extensive requirements (in addition to the demands of job and family) made the experience much less enjoyable. Granted, I'm an English teacher, but I often felt the instructions were needlessly obtuse and confusing and in some cases, could have used some updating because the programs/sites had changed. I make mistakes, but I feel it is my job as a leader to prepare the path everyday for my students so they can clearly follow it toward their destination. With this said, I felt, especially in the beginning, there could have been better communication between the facilitators and students. There were times when multiple emails were not acknowledged and it became necessary to contact other members of the MISD23Things instructional team in order to have administrative tasks completed so I could continue with my Things. Overall, however, I am very pleased with the experience I have had. I'm even more pleased that this has all been completed on-line at my own pace.

Thing # 7a/b

Many of blogs I subscribe to have had Halloween themes of late (weird, huh?!). It is common knowledge that I have a rather bizarre sense of humor and an over active interest in the more grotesque, morbid and creepier sides of life (death), but this just didn't sit well with me: a Halloween meatloaf hand. Now, I like meatloaf as much as the next person (except my brother who actually loathed it), but somehow, putting it in hand form makes my stomach turn (or it could just be the result of the almonds and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies I had for breakfast). I do have to admit that it looked pretty darned good, though; not "good-enough-to-eat" good, but good in the "realistically-creepy" sense. I particularly approved of the onion "bone" where the hand was dismembered from the rest of the meatloaf body and the broiled mozzarella cheese slices to replicate burnt skin. I wish I'd thought of it myself.

Also in the holiday spirit, NPR podcast George Romero (of zombie-movie fame) playing Wait, Wait. Don't Tell Me's "Not My Job" game. Did you know, at the beginning of his career, Romero was hired by Mr. Rogers to film his tonsillectomy for the ever popular Picture,Picture segment? Neither did I. NPR also reminded me I need to get a copy of the new Call of Duty 6 for Paul for Christmas - nice of them don't you think?

I also discovered my reader's "Recommended Sources" folder. I was surprised to find Four Wheeler Magazine listed with my other subscriptions. I was even dumb enough to think "How'd they know I off road?" Kind of like the time not so long ago when I realized half and half is called this because it's HALF cream and HALF milk. Yes, I really am that stupid.

Thing #23 - It's a Ning Thing; You Wouldn't Understand

One of the AP sample tests I give my kids each year has to do with educational marketing: Should we allow companies to brand our schools and students as a way to supplement our funding shortfalls? This is exactly what I thought of as I read the Thing #23 blurb on Ning. I was really pumped and planned a whole post in my head discussing the pros and cons of requiring students to use a site that contained third-party advertising . . . And, then, I kept reading. Ning has developed a non-ad version just for education. Obviously, this was designed by (or the idea of) an actual educator. One thing I've discovered about the "real" or "civilian" world of non-educators . . . they do not have that built in preemptive filter that we educators do. How will this affect my students? What are the possible repercussions of this? Are there any potential problems associated with it? Etc., etc. I don't think most people realize the extent of the politically correct world we live it . . . and, it bleeds into our personal lives as well. I'm regularly shocked by what comes out of my friends' mouths. I have to remind myself they actually can say that or do this. Maybe that's why I am so careful about my social networking profiles; I don't want anything to find its way back to me that could potentially hurt my job or professional reputation (although, as much as I may want to, I'm not doing anything truly reprehensible).

I have been noticing just how repetitive of the educational application aspect of the web 2.0 goodies is. Like many of the other things we've looked at, Ning has many educational applications predominately collaborative in nature: online discussion, research, etc. Not a bad thing, just something I feel I've discussed a bazillion times already. And, there's the time issue. I haven't had a moment to myself since last Wednesday, and, while I like the idea of getting together with like-minded adults for a good ol' intellectual discussion on Gather or any other social networking site, I just don't have the time. However, social networking is an awesome resource; the more information and connections at one's fingertips, the easier to solve problems, improve methods, and enhance projects. Whether it's done for the classroom or for professional advancement, social networking is an awesome resource and having education specific resources is important for the sheer fact of having others who understand the specific needs of educators.

I realize this is not one of my better posts. I'm sleep deprived and running purely on caffeine. As I've been writing, I've wondered at the exact number of times I've used the words or derivatives of the words "education" and "things". And, thank god for spell check; my spelling is frightening on a good day and down right horrific today.

Thing #22 - MyBook & FaceSpace

I have both a MySpace and a Facebook account. The first profile was actually created for me by Paul so that I could access the MySpace page of our dog Barney. I've been there a total of maybe three times. As a matter of fact, anyone visiting my MySpace page who actually knows me can tell I didn't set it up because it's decorated in fuchsia and bubble gum pink hearts (so not me). I've also found that it's a little awkward to negotiate using my Macbook at home . . . like most of the world, MySpace doesn't speak our language.

My Facebook page, however, I set up specifically for keeping in touch with a good friend in Georgia. I hadn't really intended to go crazy with the cheese whiz or anything, but, before I knew it, I had like 100 friends. Okay. Not THAT many. I don't actually know that many people I'd want to keep in contact with. But, it did help me find a few people I had lost contact with and wondered about over the years. For those of you who don't really know me, my family moved A LOT when I was younger. By the time I started teaching, I had lived in six different states (one of those I'd lived in twice). Needless to say, I've had quite a few lost friendships over the years and it was really confidence boosting to know so many people not only remembered me, but wanted to know what I was up to. I will say, it was hard for me, at first, not to write a book and include every little detail when someone asked me how I was doing. What I realized, eventually, is that people on Facebook do not necessarily want to converse; they want to talk about themselves and allow friends to keep versed via those updates. Only one or two people do I really "talk" to beyond reading each others' updates. And, I've found, that while I started out visiting daily, I hardly ever go anymore. My boyfriend and our group of friends use it to organize events (the boys even have a special profile set up for their 4x4 Fridays - see the "White Trash Weekend" post). I really think I would use it more if I had an iPhone. Both Paul and our friend Vanessa use their iPhones to instantaneously post pictures and blurbs about their goings-on. If I had that kind of access, it would be fun to stay connected, but I just don't have the time (nor do I remember to) log on and post when I get home. Fortunately, I can live vicariously through Paul, who is also into the Farmsville application on Facebook. Being a farm girl myself, I really think this would be fun, but I just don't have the kind of time to take care of virtual pets (I can barely take care of the live ones I've got some days).

Now. Here's where I may get into some trouble with this post (and if that's the case, I hope xxx let's me know and I will rectify the situation). I am REALLY weird about who I accept as a "friend". I try to keep the circle very limited and I NEVER allow students (past or present) on. Most of my students seem to understand this (as I think most of my teacher people do) and we agree to keep in contact via email instead. When I post, I want to feel I can be myself and this just is not possible if I allow certain people on my profile. I also want to keep this blog as annonymus as possible with the hopes that I will be able to continue it after this course is over and no connection can be made between me and my alterego. Whith that said, I am not going to provide a link to either my MySpace or my Facebook. I want to receive credit for this thing, so, if I have to, I'll create a blind profile, but I'd really not have to waste the time if I don't have to. Those of you who do want to "friend" me can contact me privately about that. I know it seems odd, but I'm really very careful about not letting my personal life into my professional one.

Thing #21

An old friend of the family, Google Earth has saved my butt many a time by giving me a bird's eye view of, well, the Earth via satellite. For the visual learners among us, this is key to getting anywhere. How do I get to Los Lupes (my favorite Mexican restaurant) from Mesquite? Where exactly is Cromwell St.? Haven't a clue how to tell you, BUT I can get there. Now, thanks to this awesome ap, I don't have to know street names to go ANYWHERE (ok. Maybe a couple street names); all I have to do is look it up on Google Earth (which is even handier if you have an iPhone or internet capable gadget), pick out the streets I do know, anchor my barrings with a couple land marks and go. This is especially great when I don't have access to our TomTom (another great invention for the directionally challenged like myself). It's also kind of cool just to look up places you know: your house, your parents house, the childhood homestead, the vacant lot that is now a megaplex, etc. Many times Paul and I have used this to acclimate ourselves to a new and undiscovered (by us) part of the Earth. If I were a world geography teacher, I'd be so stoked by this ap. Add to that the ability to project "live" maps via the ceiling mounted projector and there are endlessly fun ways to integrate it into the classroom. Way cool!

Considering I spend most of my day next to a computer, Google Update doesn't really appeal to me (if I want to know something, I just look it up the old fashioned way), but I can see this being quite addictive for the sports fan forced away from the TV/radio during an important game. As a matter of fact, I sat behind a couple guys yesterday at a yoga competition (don't ask) that did just that (received updates not yoga). They were there to support their wives but were missing out on some game (no clue what . . . I'm nosy, but not THAT nosy). Not wanting to miss out on a single basket/touchdown/goal/homerun/whatever, the used their internet capable cell phones to receive email updates. Again, I'm not nosy enough (nor, at the time, did I care enough) to find out if they were using Google Update, but the idea is the same. They had their cake (keeping their wives happy) and ate it too (didn't miss a single play all afternoon long). I guess it's kind of like Twitter (or what I think Twitter is supposed to be if I cared enough or had enough time to find out). Immediate gratification. Not my thing, but I can see where it would work for some.

I will admit (and my friends will confirm) that I'm an organizational freak. I can't concentrate if my desk is too cluttered (or my brain for that matter). I've been keeping a notebook of "To Dos" since elementary school for that very reason, and, under normal circumstances, the idea of Google Calendar would thrill me to no end. But, in this day of over-abundant techie gadgets, I just don't know how practical this ap would actually be. Every gadget I regularly carry on my person has some sort of calendar application. My crappy, non-internet capable cell phone, my Kindle II, and even my digital camera all off some sort of calendar and/or memo function I can use to keep track of various activities. And, because I don't have an iPhone, I don't have instant internet access to Google Calendar wherever I go. So, while the idea is great (and was probably awesome a few years ago), it's just not convenient for me now, and probably even more impractical for our tech savy students. HOWEVER, like teaching students how to use note cards for researching, everyone must start somewhere and for the right person, this may be the perfect solution for organizing their homework/meetings/obligations/birthdays/etc.

Thing #20

I really can't believe our facilitators asked for only one collaborative idea for using Google Docs because, it seems to me, the collaborative ease of it is what makes it so freakin' cool. Goodbye are the days when students ask for another copy of the assignment; now you can require them to just download another from the internet. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I HATE repeating myself or having to do something again after I've already done it (like making the bed, coloring my hair, getting a hair cut, etc). And, now, I can hold on to my temper just a little bit longer.

My three groovy ideas:
1. As already stated, my favorite use for Google Docs is the endless copies it puts at a student's finger tips mostly because I no longer have to keep messy stacks of "extras" lying around my room (an English teacher's classroom is messy enough), but also because students can't complain that it was "lost" or, my favorite, "stolen". All they have to do is download and print a new copy. Depending on the assignment, because it is an electronic document, students could download, complete, save and then email the results back to the teacher. And, dogs don't usually eat computers, so no more eaten homework (although I did have a dog that ate a bible).

2. Having a department meeting? Don't have time to make copies? Upload to Google Docs and ask the members of your department to print them out and bring with to the meeting. This works especially well for cross-discipline meetings (hey! Inks expensive! Let some other department pay for it and/or the copies).

3. And this could be the handiest of all my ideas: the ability to pull up your work no matter where you are or what computer you're using. We have all gotten to our destination only to realize that the document we need is neither physically available or is on the thumbdrive we left at home/work/the computer of the international spy from whom we were stealing documents. NOW, however, we can have our paperwork within a finger's reach (assuming we have computer access that is . . . but, who doesn't these days with iPhones and laptops?).

Frankly, I think these are rather ingenious ideas, but I'm biased.

Thing #19 - My White Trash Weekends

As many of my colleagues know, with in the last year, I have been inducted into the ranks of white trash sports . . . also known as off-roading. It started simply enough. A friend with a Bronco and another with a four-wheeler invited us to join them for a weekend in the East Texas mud (actually, it was dust. Red dust. LOTS of red dust). We borrowed my "brother-in-law's" four-wheeler and had a great weekend. This, however, spawned. We now own an 87 Jeep Wrangler (our 4th vehicle), take at least a day trip into the backwoods once a month, and are now part of what the boys in our group refer to as "4x4 Fridays" (my favorite part because I get the house all to myself for an entire evening every other Friday). I'd like to somehow differentiate what we do from what Rednecks call Muddin', but it's the same damn thing (sometimes there's mud, sometimes not). In all truthfulness, I do enjoy riding the trails with Paul and hanging out with friends; I'm also an undercover gearhead. I even like the parts where we have to winch others out of precarious predicaments; it's just a lot more fun to pretend I suffer through to make my man happy.

So where is this story going and what does it have to do with Voicethreads? Well, this: for some unknown reason (and for probably the same reason young men video tape themselves doing stupid stunts that result in broken bones - see my post for Thing #18), off-roaders frequently take one guy with them to hold the video camera. They then take it home, mess around with it in iMovie (or the equivalent), drop in "Sweet Home Alabama" and then post it on YouTube. We haven't gotten to that stage yet (thank God!) but Paul is a gadget junkie so the Voicethread video is inevitable. As I mentioned in Thing #17, I'm not real keen on my recorded self, so I'm not really looking forward to the day when my fat butt ends up in one of these things.

The bottom line is this: Much like the infamous Summer Vacation slideshows of the 60s & 70s, we can now torture our guests with the slide's modern cousin (and, thanks to HD TVs that hook up to the home laptop, we can take them with us to friends' houses - They think they can avoid us, but HA! They are wrong). Any time and for whatever reason you might create a video, you have an excellent opportunity to create (a) Voicethread. As a matter of fact, many people are already doing so and they don't even realize it. Assuming one has the technology at hand, one can easily create his/her own presentation whether for personal, professional, or spousal abuse use. Groovy the things you can do with technology now-a-days ain't it?!

Thing #17 - Check. Check. Sibilance. Sibilance.

Remember when you were a kid and your dad let you play with his 10 pound portable tape recorder? Ok. Maybe you don't, but my brother and I spent HOURS recording ourselves doing everything from singing songs, to recording our own radio shows, to actually recording the audio of our favorite TV shows to listen to later at night when we were supposed to be sleeping. I even have some of those tapes, but I'm not sharing my portion of our recordings with anyone. Why? Because I hate the sound of my own voice. I cringe when my boyfriend plays aloud my voice mails I've left for him. I sound so stupid! And, frankly, this is my greatest fear about creating my own podcasts. Well, that and the fact that in my head I'm 5'9" and rail thin; reality is just too cruel. I have, however, subscribed in the past to several other peoples' podcasts through both iTunes and NPR. My first attempt was with Garrison Keillor's Tales from Lake Woebegone. Each week, there would be a new update waiting for me on my iPod (assuming I remembered to plug it into my computer once a week for updating). I ran into two problems. First, I never got around to listening to a podcast until after it had been deleted (Mr. Keillor only shares his stories without charge for about a week). I had hoped that they would just keep piling up until I got around to listening to them all and then I could have a Lake Woebegone marathon. Second, I, unfortunately, have never taken the time to actually master the workings of my iPod. I mean, I know how to work it, but it gets a little more complicated in my car which is where I do most of my listening. As a result, I had trouble actually finding the stupid podcast nestled somewhere between Guns N' Roses and Ella Fitzgerald on my iPod. My boyfriend just dies when I say this, but, it just isn't important enough to me to spend the time figuring it out. If only I could pay Mickey to do it for me . . .

Anyway, although I hate my recorded self, I have no qualms about making my students do podcasts. Unfair, but the world is a cruel, cruel place. :) Anything I would require a video for would make an excellent podcast: presentations, scene re-enactments, well that's about all I require, but the possibilities are endless. I guess, technically, I could even have them discuss via podcast: one posts a question and others respond via their own podcast.

Sadly, I had trouble subscribing to the podcast I really wanted: Grammar Girl. For time's sake, I've decided to skip it for now and return to it at a later date. I also chose NPR Books, which happens to be one of my favorite parts of the NPR lineup anyway. I chose not to download iTunes for the simple reason that I rarely work on my 23Things on my personal computer. As I've already mentioned, I'm not very good about "listening" to things (ironically, I do listen to TV, however). I rarely even listen to music (again, Paul is cringing), so this makes a podcast kind of awkward for me. Considering how much I've complained about my lack of time, one would think podcasts would be my dream come true. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I even tried subscribing to the transcript of Grammar Girl (forgive me Father, for I have broken the commandments of Web 2.0). I promise, however, that I will make a concerted effort to listen to a podcast BEFORE I write Thing #7B so I can include it in my post.

And, for those who don't get my title, it's a Tom Hanks SNL reference (think Wayne's World and the Aerosmith roady).

Thing #18 - I Told You YouTube Was Cool

As much as we complained about the mother who posted her daughter for all the world to see, YouTube is awesome. As a lover of all those home videos of young men busting their butts in attempts to prove just how manly (and stupid) they are, YouTube is a gold mine. Granted, most of the videos I watch are on television (God bless The Smoking Gun and their World's Dumbest series), but at least 99% of those videos started out on YouTube. So many so that I actually recognize videos from YT that I later see on TV.

One of my personal favorites is of this young jackass who, having broken his left arm the night before, attempts to jump two flights of steps on inline skates and with the assistance of his friend driving a JEEP. As he launches toward his destination, common sense seems to grab hold of him, and as he hurtles toward sticking his landing, he decides to try and protect his injured arm only to use his good right arm as a battering ram. As he rolls around on the pavement, grasping his arm in a writhing fetal position and bellowing in pain like a 2 ton holstien, his friends cry out, "Someone call 911! He's broken his other arm!" Both tibula and fibula (as he later refers to them at the hospital) are jaggedly snapped in half and protruding from his skin. Some my find this gross, but I call it Natural Selection and laugh my butt off at his expense.

One of our fellow teachers (Caw who teaches Espanol) uses videos from YT to help his students practice adjectives. The kids watch the video and then yell out the adjective (in Spanish of course) that best describes what they've just watched. And, despite what the institution of Education will have us think about YouTube, it works. The kids are much more likely to remember some chuckle head face-planting off the roof of his bi-level onto the cement pool surround than they are the creepily drawn cartoons found in the text book.

I could never get my YouTube video to embed into this post, so here is my link.

Thing #16 - Library Thingy

Other than being some of the most simplistic writing I've ever encountered in a marketing tool, it really doesn't seem to actually DO that much. Let me start at the beginning.
1) If I'm visiting LibraryThing, I'm probably an avid reader (unless I'm just visiting as a requirement for 23 Things); If I'm an avid reader, I've probably got a pretty extensive vocabulary and a pretty sophisticated reading comprehension; this said, do they really need to sell there product with simple sentences? LT does this. LT does that. With LT, you can x, y and z.

2) My theory behind the above mentioned simple sentences is this: the emptiness of the text is a direct representation of what the product actually offers . . . Little to nothing. If it had something to offer, the description would require in-depth, complex sentences and this tour just doesn't have that.

3) I found the frequent repetition of the mantra "we don't sell books; we share them" rather humorous. This is such a transparent reaction to napster and its legal fallout. I can't say that I blame them, but they are walking a very fine line.

4) My favorite line in the whole tour is "We don't sell books, we just KNOW books". Granted, this is similar to the mantra discussed in #3, but what differentiates this line from the previous is the all caps "KNOW". In actuality, LibraryThing doesn't KNOW books; LibraryThing is nothing more than a complex database that can track trends and find patterns. And, I'm willing to bet, the people behind LibraryThing are not "Book people" but IT gurus who know how to keep the server(s) up and running. If anything, these people know Sci-fi and fantasy (hows that for type casting and racial profiling?!).

5) My bottom line is this: if you are a particularly anal retentive/OCD kind of person (which I am) this service may be just be the greatest thing since sliced bread because it allows us to catalog our personal library. However, back to #1, the techno-readers amongst us are probably reading online of via Kindle already and, therefore, have their literature already cataloged. For those who prefer the smell and tactile experience of reading, a virtual catalog would be unsatisfactory; such people would be much more satisfied with an old-fashioned card catalog (which actually sounds pretty cool).

On a final note, like the rest of the things, LibraryThing is dependent on a students accessibility to technology and, as much as we like to tout our technological prowess, there just isn't the funds to make such tools mandatory. Until then, we will have to continue with the old school ways of doing things.

Thing #15 - Not so Delicious as say Ben and Jerry's or a Fresh Pizza

I have avoided working on my 23 things this week because I just have so much real work to do. Normally, I would do anything rather than grade essays, but the very thought of investigating social networking makes me whoozy. I'm beginning to feel A) like a circus lion jumping through flaming hoops, B) that this is all busy work, and C) that no one is actually reading our responses (except for all of you who are fellow web 2.0 learners). I like the knowledge I've learned thus far, but I have to wonder if it's really all that important if I know how to use, let alone know of, Delicious. SIGH. I'm not trying to be a spoil sport, but I'm frustrated and I feel more like one of my students than a highly educated adult with 14 years experience in education. I'm not having fun anymore. Alas, I've come to far to give up; I'm more than halfway finished. Unfortunately, I have to include a link in this post to prove I've completed my task, and I'm a horrid liar, so here it goes:

I have absolutely no idea how I would use this professionally. Personally, yes. I am, as my friends know, a fanatic "virtual" on (and off) line shopper (this means I don't actually have to buy anything . . . I just love to look). I have pages and pages of bookmarked sites I visit on a regular basis in search of cool things I might want to buy or give as gifts if and when I ever have the money. I think Delicious (or devilicious as I think I will call it) would work smashingly for this. Of course, I'm not acctually going to do that, because it would be a total pain in the butt; I've got a system I like and prefer to remain in the 20rd century (that's for you Salinger).

On a side note, I found this while searching for sites to bookmark. Everyone should have one of these (see, now you're going to have to follow my link to know what I'm talking about. C'mon. All the cool kids are doing it. You know you want to. Give in to the peer pressure and enjoy). Also, The Truth is Out There.

Thing #14 which used to be Thing #13

***UPDATE.2***
I have changed the name of this post yet again because I'm afraid I won't be given credit for Thing #14 if this post isn't OBVIOUSLY labeled Thing #14. That's all.

**UPDATE**

Some how I managed to "mashup" thing 13 with thing 14 which really sucks because I have the same comment for both: great ideas IF one has the time and no restrictions (if only such a world existed without having to be Paris Hilton). I did find this groovy skeleton thingy (and holiday appropriate). Originally, it was going to spell out Ninja Mickey, but it became too much work to save each individual letter, paste them into the post, link them, yada, yada, yada. Sorry, but all you're getting today is a link to the spelletons - get it?! Skeletons + spell = spelletons! Ha! I kill me. I feel sorry for the dude on the right side of the N - man, that's gotta hurt (weird train of thought . . . why does the spell-checker have issues with "thingy" but not "gotta"?! Stupid thingy!).

ORIGINAL POST:
This post will have to be short and sweet seeing as I've already lost too much time to a 24 hour tumor and must get back to the job for which I am paid.

If I were a stay-at-home mom with a ton of time on my hands and the holidays coming up, I could have a field day with these tools. A social extravaganza, if you will: twelve months o' babies, teething newsletters, jigsaw babies, pithy talking toddlers, and the ever popular Annual Christmas Card (capitalized because, in my family, it's a real event). And let's not EVEN discuss the scrapbooking potential here! Oy Vey!

Unfortunately, however, with the inane emphasis the state and districts put on TAKS, there is not only no time for fun, but, if it's not covered in the TEKS (which these types of tools are not for secondary English), we aren't allowed to do it. For all their bluster about technology in the classroom, they really don't want us utilizing it. Honestly, the only application I see for these tools in an educational setting is if a student of their own accord, on their own time, and of their own choosing (after all, we can't force them to . . . not when the majority of kids live at or below the poverty line), utilizes said tool to complete a portion of a project. And a very small portion of that project because they must also complete a TAKS-style multiple choice test, a series of OER questions, essays from two unknown genres, deconstruct it all, and redo it, correcting the mistakes.

And, with that, I am done because discussing the the topic further will only raise my blood pressure and drive me to the stroke I will inevitably have thanks to the educational systems and all it's infinite jackassedness! I need a new job.

Thing #7.2 (or 7a)

My newest web find is an instant favorite. I have spent literally hours perusing it's past blogs. When I'm sad, I swing by for a quick pick-me-up. I have shared its contents with my colleagues and they are now addicted too. What is this amazing find?! Why, it's none other than CakeWreck, of course! It has absolutely no educational value whatsoever other than it makes me happy and that keeps me from killing those around me. I have honestly laughed so hard and for so long at this site that I have given myself a headache. Not a good side effect, but well worth the pain. The picture shown here is just a sample of the hours of entertainment found within (thank you Michael H. via CakeWrecks.com). Obviously, much of the humor is a subtle humor that only an English teacher could appreciate. Not only are the photos a visual gag, but, often, it's the written voice of the author (Jen) that adds just the right (and oh, so familiar sounding) touch that results in food item spraying forth from my nose. As soon as I was able, I used my new web 2.0 skills to subscribe and now find a jewel in my reader every morning.

Gluten free Girl blogged about an apple festival she attended on "the island." I'm going to assume she means Long Island and not Alcatraz. Apparently, they had 70 (who new) varieties of apples for the tasting and, of course, all the cider one could drink. This reminded me so much of my childhood spent in Michigan and Wisconsin. Every fall, my family and I went to the orchards to pick apples, drink cider, and dunk the all-important plain cake donut in said cider. My mouth watered into a slippery pool down my chin and on to the floor. I MUST HAVE CIDER! NEED DO-NUT! In my hall at school, we do a monthly breakfast; Salinger, Caw and I are in charge in November. I'm thinking apples shall be the theme. MMMMMMM . . . apples. Apple strudel, apple donuts, apple compote, apple salad, apple butter, apple muffins, apple bread, apple cider, apple juice, apple, apple, apple! On a side note, she also included a recipe for GF English muffins I want to try.

Not Martha has also been talking about apples lately. She provided pictures of some exceptionally yummy looking apples she picked on a recent trip to a Seattle area orchard, as well as a link to the most orgasmic looking candied apples I've ever seen. Truly the Ben and Jerry's of candy apples. FYI, candied apples only exist in the south (and frankly, I find the red "goo" not so appetizing because) we only have caramel apples in the mid-west. In all the states I've lived in (that's six, by the way), I had never heard of a "candied" apple until I moved to Georgia (state number 5). Which brings me to another one of NM's posts/links: Recipes you've never heard of outside of your family*. In my family, like most good mid-westerns, we have a plethora of casseroles. My personal favorite, although not specific to my family only, is the chicken noodle or chicken a la king casserole. One I remember from middle school cafeteria is chili mac (that's right . . . chili with macaroni noodles). Not my favorite, however, if you have never attended public school in a farm community, you just don't know what you're missing . . . the food is - mmwah (frenchesque finger kissing sound) - fantastic!

*I'd love to connect you to this post, but, as I write, there seems to be a technical difficulty on Chowhound's end. I do apologize.

Thing #13

The night vision picture (below right) was created with a night vision capable camera (at least that's what Mickey told me). If YOU wanted to reproduce this effect, you'll need to first upload a picture into comic strip generator, add an accessory such as Mickey's groovy shades using the add props option and then save it as a jpg to a personal folder. You will then upload the new picture (the one with the prop added), and choose the funny template option. The last step is to add the green tint: to the right of the picture, there will be an "add effects" tag; click "more"; you'll be given several options, but the one you need is under colorization.

The wanted picture to the upper left (which, again, Mickey swears is the real deal from his gun-slinger days) can be created in a similar fashion to the night vision picture. Just upload the picture onto comic strip generator, chose a funny template, and then gave the whole image a sepia tone.

The final masterpiece to the left I did actually create using the trading card program. It is Ninja Mickey approved however.

To be honest, I stuck to a basic pattern because the flckr spell thing was p!$$!*g me off. I could never figure out how to add it to my post and, after two days of trying, I gave up. These pics were easy once I figured out how to do it. You can probably guess the order in which I completed them based just on the complexity of each picture. I had more trouble getting all three pics in and making the text work than I did actually making the pics themselves. I'm glad I'm done, though. I see myself using these programs again real soon . . . if I can find the freakin' time. OY!

Thing #12

I used Pikistrips to create this gorgeous presentation. I liked it, but I was rather frustrated with the limited options. I would like to have seen a "cropping" option for the pictures and the ability to place text vertically rather than just horizontally. Overall, though, it's pretty cool. I like the idea of being able to print the strip; with a good printer, this would be an awesome way to do Christmas cards or vacation photo souveniers. The uses really are endless although a little more challenging for education than something fun (oops! Did I say that out loud?! Eek!). To me, this strip seems pretty self explanatory. The only connection I can think to make would be to mention it would go along with my discussion of the Puritins and The Scarlet Letter. Like Salinger whose theme is the seven deadly sins, finding school appropriate pictures for tag words such as "temptation", "sin", "satan", "sinners" and "the devil" wasn't very easy. Obviously, I'm rather fond of old Lucifer, though (the picture not the actual demon). This is a rather stylin' rendition of him which I think deserves posting on my blog twice.

Photo Credits:
This is Not an Apple by kT LindSAy
Apple Temptation by Lawrence OP
The Devil that You Know by Thomas Hawk

Thing # 11.5 - We K.A. all the Way

This actually has absolutely nothing to do with this class other than it is on the internet and it's about education. I found the article rather poignant not because it bashed on parents or because it allowed teachers to blame everyone but themselves for the problems of education, but because it does what few administrations (local, district, campus, state, federal) and communities fail to do: recognizing/rewarding good teachers. And I don't mean the Ron Clarks or the Freedom Writers of the world, but those teachers in the trenches everyday.

So often, our societies (maybe this is part of our Puritan culture), especially in education, recognize only the BAD teachers . . . or the obnoxiously perfect ones that we average teachers could never come close to replicating. I'm willing to bet, we could each open our home town newspapers today and find at least one story about an evil teacher, principal, coach, school board member, superintendent, etc., but we'd be lucky to find a single mention of a good educator.

I've also been thinking a lot about our state professional evaluation process (PDAS). In Texas we offer the labels "below expectations", "proficient", and "exceeds". As Rhonda, Salinger, and Blakester can tell you, there's been much heated discussion about these labels lately, but it wasn't until this morning that I realized something. "Proficient" isn't an insult; it means we do our jobs. No matter where a person works, upon hiring, there is a set of expectations that employee is to live up to whether he's flipping burgers at McDonald's or teaching kids. "Proficient" merely means we are completing all our assigned tasks. Unfortunately, teachers have an ever growing, infinitely complex list. It's no longer special to be wiki-ing, moodle-ing, Flickr-ing, blogging, etc. Web 2.0 IS the expectation. Granted, I'm sure there are a lot of crappy teachers who also receive "proficient" because it's easier to give than a "below expectations", but this also allows for those teachers who may not be paperwork mavens but are still good in the classroom to remain "proficient". Personally, I know I do my job and I don't care what I'm labeled. Admittedly, in the past, I was concerned with how my superiors and colleagues saw me, but, as the list of "things to do" has grown to unending lengths, I've found that I don't HAVE to be perfect on anyone's scale but my own.

Thing #11

I'm with Rhonda on this one . . . I feel like I've been in family-vacation-picture-hell. I realize "we" (we being the general public) are responsible for updating sites such as Flickr by "tagging" and modifying, but there has got to be a better way of finding what one needs. My god! I must have looked a million pictures and only found three (THREE!) that were suitable for my theme (which is Original Sin, FYI). I almost hate to complain, though. If I don't like the setup of a living site, isn't it my responsibility to re-tag or whatever to make it more user friendly? Of course, my Puritan heritage reminds me that no matter what I do or how hard I try, God hates me and I am, therefore, worthy of his wraith . . . damn the fruit and his serpent friend (i.e. Original Sin). Anyway, I SO don't want or have the time to overhall flickr. To be honest, it's almost easier to take my own pictures (I carry my camera in my purse everywhere just in case). As a matter of fact, Blakester and I have both taken advantage of this little habit to add pics to our blogs, sandboxes, etc. Why can't anything ever be easy?!

By the way, the above picture is courtesy of Flickr and Thomas Hawk. It is titled "The Devil You Know." Hmmm . . . doesn't look anything like the devil I know, but I guess that's kind of the point: the devil doesn't LOOK evil; he just IS evil. Better for tempting, my dear (said the wolf dressed as Grandma).

To be honest, I just don't know how often I will actually go to Flickr to find pics. It's way too much work for a slide show/presentation/power point/lesson/whatever that will really only be looked at for a quick second before we move on. I do like knowing how to embed links, though. That's going to be really handy. I have a feeling my family and friends are going to be sick of me and my embedded links before too long. Mwaaa-ha-ha-ha! Just call me Old Scratch!

Thing #10

I have noticed the CC at different times, but I couldn't for the life of me tell you where. Maybe I'm flashing back to typing class and cc: carbon copy. I don't know. Sadly, I don't think cc will affect students' work at all. Not because they don't know about it, but because they don't cite their sources any way. Thus the cut and paste essay (my personal favorite). This is not for lack of trying on teachers' parts; we spend inordinate amounts of time showing them format & examples and practicing. When all is said and done, though, if it's not important to a kid, they ain't going to remember and God forbid they should look it up. The result is a mish mash of styles based on what little they can remember from years of education. I can't completely blame them; I'm the same way. Do you know how many times I've had a car's engine explained to me or the ins and outs of computer basics (bytes, ram, firewalls, etc)? I've made three different attempts to learn Spanish (my boyfriend is even hispanic who speaks fluent Spanish) and I still can't say much more than chanclas. The truth is, I just don't care enough to keep the info in my brain (except the Spanish . . . that's just lack of practice and insecurity). And, I was just as lazy when I was in high school. I guesstimated every time. Probably not something I should confess, but it's true.

Thus far I haven't used any images, films or sound I found on the internet in class because I haven't known how (well, I do, but I'm lazy, remember?) and my TAKS scores have been too high to have technology given to me (Blakester, Rhonda, and Salinger are in the same boat). Recently, the English department did receive ceiling mounted projectors, but we were not given the remotes because we haven't had training. When will this occur? Your guess is as good as mine. Ironically, I did receive an Elmo projector (You know. The thing you can use to project books & papers onto the wall). I haven't been able to use it, though, because I haven't had the required projector (or the remote for the projector). This very expensive piece of technology is still sitting in its box, in the original packaging, unopened, and being used as a printer stand.

I suppose, technically, my teaching materials are owned by the school district. After all, our contracts do state that MISD has the rights to all intellectual and physical property created while under contract with the district. The oodles of ancilleraries given to us by text book companies may be owned by the state (since the text books are). Frankly, they can have it all because I don't use it anyway. Every year, I reinvent the wheel and create my own documents. Probably dumb, but that's the way it goes. If I chose to place any of these incredible docs on the internet, to the district's chagrin, CC would allow other educators to use my stuff for FREE. For that reason, I'm surprised we're even allowed to get on the internet.

Thing #9 - In Limbo

While I wait for my confimation of membership to the sandbox (who knew sandbox membership would be so much like joining a country club), I thought I would begin posting my feelings regarding and the steps I took with said sandbox. I haven't found it nearly as frustrating as others (maybe their warnings prepared me for the inevitable), but I do find it frustrating to have to wait for confirmation of membership before proceeding. What can I say? I'm an impatient person. ? One person I spoke to waited multiple days to receive her sandbox confirmation. Argh! I don't have days. I rush to complete my Things as is.

Good news! As of 8:34 PM, Wednesday, Oct 7, I was an official member of THE SANDBOX! Again, I didn't seem to have near the problems that my predecessors have discussed in their posts. Again, maybe, because I was prepared for an experience rivaling Armageddon, the reality didn't seem so bad. Also, my predecessors are significantly ahead of me, so it is possible they paved the way, trampling down the snow, pushing back the dense undergrowth, etc, etc. Bottom line: not so bad. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to choose the four categories for my portion of the sandbox, but I found ways to have fun anyway (trust me, the picture I've included is FAR better than another, live-action, bear picture I have . . . maybe I'll save it for Blakester. I do know how much she loves that one). Anyway, all is good with the world and I am going to bed.

Thing #8

First, I am very excited about the ideas I gained from Viki Davis's blog on Wiki projects. I had actually been planning a research project over themes from The Scarlet Letter; my idea was to present results in a PowerPoint presentation, but how cool would it be if students created a wiki (even a blog) instead?! Obviously, I've still got some kinks I need to work out, but I had planned on making my directions rather nebulous in nature anyway, allowing students to explore and be creative. The conversation aspect of a wiki is perfect for such an assignment.

My only complaint about Davis's post is totally catty in a way only an English teacher can be. It's written in a style I like to call The Reading Rainbow Essay. "Have you ever been to the zoo? Well, I have and today I'm going to tell you about it!" In all fairness, it did pick up considerably after the intro paragraph, but it was still awfully simplistic; I'm guessing she teaches middle school (if I missed the part where she tells us what grade she teaches, I apologize, but I was practicing my skimming). Other than that bit of snobbery, I actually liked how easy it was to follow (after reading The Scarlet Letter all day, my brain is rather mushy).

With the inclusion of creative writing in the Junior TEKS, the 1001 Flat World Tales was also intriguing. I like the fact that students edited and proof read, forcing the student to improve both grammar/mechanics and content. I get SOOOO tired of the usual teen angst gar-bage. Having a judge or group of judges that requires the author to improve or "have his head cut off" is just plain delightful.

I also checked out Room 15 Wiki and one about some class's question of the month. Before I continue, let me say, I'm tired, cranky, and have had a REALLY bad day. The complexities of this class in addition to all the rest of my work (and being observed by the new assistant principal sometime in the next nine days) is not helping my mood. With that said, I just don't see how the students are actually doing any work and, if they are, how it ties into the curriculum. Mr. Lyndsey's page is cute and informative, but, again, it was created and maintained by an adult. I also have a hard time believing that a group of grade-schoolers (albeit grade-schoolers smarter than I) could, as a class, put together such a vast reaching product as the one seen in the class question of the month wiki. Between benchmarking, milestoneing, TAKS practicing and the actual TAKS (not to mention all the paper work, parent conferences, assemblies, class meetings, emergency drills, announcements, picture days, etc) I just don't see there being time for it all. Considering we've been told be have to give up some of our "pet projects" in order to fit in all the aforementioned crappola, I resent the very existence of these wikis. And, with that, I am done.

Thing #7

I've got so much new information flowing into my brain these days that I'm having trouble actually commenting/blogging on it all. I read the articles, mentally noting ideas I want to comment on later, but when I get to the posting part, I've forgotten all those little nuggets of wisdom I had while reading. The lazy part of me hates to admit this, but I'm going to have to start taking notes.

Here goes:

For some reason, the link to the first article ("How to Comment Like a King (or Queen)") didn't work for me. The page would pop up, I would get two or three lines in, and the page would disappear. I was rather disappointed because those first few lines actually whetted (wetted?) my appetite.

As for the second article ("Ten Techniques"), I felt both relieved and dismayed by the end of it. Being new at this, I've been a little worried about how my "voice" is coming across and whether I'm doing "it" right. The other blogs I have been reading seem so much more . . . complete. Salinger has done a great job at asking questions and leaving topics open ended, just begging for comment. Rhonda also writes in a way that asks for comments and she comes across as very humble as does Blakester. And all three of these bloggers have been complimentary in their posts as well as their comments. I, on the other hand, feel like I've taken the one approach the author did NOT recommend: controversial. I don't mean to be. It wasn't my plan. I read something, get fired up, and the words just start flowing. I am actually feeling guilty for not being more humble. The truth is, though, I am oppinionated. I'm not right, but I am opinionated (I guess that means I think I'm right which makes me an even bigger horse's rear end . . . guilt, guilt, and more guilt). I think Rhonda was right. Because we can say things via blogs that we wouldn't normally discuss in person for fear of hurting a friend's feelings, we are living two separate lives. Considering the comment I made on her blog regarding this (why don't we sit down over a cup of coffee and discuss some of these topics?), I find it interesting that I have come to this conclusion. At first I was sad to think that a group of friends couldn't discuss objectively (argue in the rhetorical sense). But we do. And regularly. The venue, however, makes the conversations feel different. Salinger reminds me regularly (I can get a little defensive at times) that the problem with email is the reader has no way of interpreting the writer's emotions based on just the words used. The same is true with blogging. What complicates the "feel" of a conversation further is the delay between responses and posts. I would still like for us to get together and discuss some of our ideas sometime, but I seem to have worked through whatever angst I was feeling. I have confessed, done my Hail Maries, forgiven myself and am now free to "Go forth and sin no more!" Yeah, right!

Thing #6

I chose both an old and a new favorite for my blogs of interest. The first and oldest love is Not Martha. It plays on the fact that, while crafty, she is no Martha Stewart. The newest love is Gluten-Free Girl. I finally gave in over the summer and admitted the fact that I need to be gluten-free. With said admission, I began looking for recipes, substitutions, and cheats that I could make for dinner that I could eat and my boyfriend actually likes (he's very particular). Ironically, both sites offer a recent post on pies! Fortunately, I happen to love pie. Not Martha provided scrumptious pictures of a recent pie off (her word choice not mine ) she judged and G-F Girl teased me with mouth-watering pictures of glistening, sugar-sprinkled, blackberry peach pie for her up coming cook book . . . in book stores NEXT YEAR! A year?! This woman is just too cruel. I forgave her, though, since she also included a smile-inducing tale about writing letters to David Letterman (I know. I know. A brief missive recalling the entertainment of a hot, boring summer in college hardly makes up for the cruel tease of a possible pie, but, what can I say. It spoke to me). Not Martha also provided a link (and pictures) for Pie Lollipops. My vote is still out on this idea, but I'm leaning toward stupid.

Sadly, my life is overflowing with educational thought each day for me to voluntarily read educational blogs. That may make me a bad teacher, but that's just the way it is. I would much rather read for pleasure, pulling from these ideas and examples to use in my classroom. I can't count the number of ideas I've "stolen" from NPR. Fortunately, they are also one of my feeds. Let the theiving begin! (This is a joke, by the way. My English nerd soul would never allow me to NOT give credit. My collegues and friends will attest to my ravenous hatred of plagiarism).

I don't really know how to end this other than, as I sit here, listening to the thunder, I know my rambling may be interrupted at any moment a la power outage. Knowing my luc

Thing #5

I've been concerned about the fact that I've only been given credit for Thing #0 on our spread sheet, so I've been going through said Things making sure I have crossed all my Is and dotted all of my Ts (yes, I know I screwed it up but I was more concerned with how I wrote Is and Ts . . . is this a quotation mark moment - "I" & "T" - and, if so, do I include the "s" within the quotation marks - "Is" & "Ts" or "I"s & "T"s? I chose to go without and put an end to it).

Anyway, whilst I was doing this, I came across the first non-required blog (Thing #6 I believe) I wanted to add to my feed in Google Reader. It is kind of cheating to use a blog that was given to us to read as an assignment, but the man used the word "halfassedly" and I was in love! What choice did I have but to become a devoted fan to Dan Meyer and his dy/dan blog?! And our affair only improved when I discovered he had created a video of himself paper-clipping for 24 hours! This man is a GOD!

I was scanning the Student 2.0 feed when I came across a post playing off an old Apple ad. As most of my co-workers can tell you, I'm the first person to gripe about how our federal, state and local governments have screwed up education, but I think this blogger got it wrong. The educational system may not be set up to "handle the square pegs", but the teachers do it anyway. We break rules, we fudge the guidelines on assignments, we allow for alternate assignments . . . H E double hockey sticks, some of us will even go so far as making deals with the devil himself to get our "square pegs" graduated on socially accepted terms. Honestly, our students, square or otherwise, are learning so much more than just reading, writing, and math when the attend most of our classes; they're learning how to navigate through society, that sometimes it's necessary to jump through a few hoops in order to get the treat at the end of the trick, that not all adults, not all authority figures are out to get them, that a person can be cool while still following the rules and not doing drugs. Most importantly, they learn to pick their battles. Speaking as a person who has spent her entire life in a school of some form or fashion, isn't learning to negotiate the course what school is all about?

Thing 4

This post started out as a response to a post on Cry Havoc! I realized, after reading it back to myself, that it worked much better as a post than a comment because it actually meets the criteria of our assigned "THING". Rather than write it twice, I decided to just post it here.

The same motivation behind the cynical adult critiquing children's artwork (which is hilarious, by the way) is the same motivation behind the Walmart thing: a good laugh at the expense of someone else. I agree with Cry Havoc! that writing/blogging allow us to criticize in safety that
which we think is stupid (I did read that somewhere, I just don't remember which of your posts it was in). However, when we blog (no matter how noble the intentions), we are then guilty of the very thing we have just criticized in others. The very purpose of blogging, to share personal beliefs and opinions, opens the blogger up to the criticism of all those blog readers who may or may not agree with us. Do we disallow the speaking of opinions (regardless of venue) just because it might hurt feelings? Again, I agree; Kanye West is an utter Jackass, but, sadly, he is only guilty of bad manners and a chronic case of arrogance.

If we want to spout our opinions on the WORLD WIDE web, we need to be prepared to accept the backlash; If we want to put random, anonymous pictures on the WORLD WIDE web, we need to be prepared for the lawsuits that may come. With this in mind . . . I probably wouldn't put my child's picture on the internet, but who am I to say someone else can't; and what if I was one of those that wanted to put Cindy-loo's picture on YouTube? Am I a bad parent? Some argue yes; but still others would understand the desire to share with the world how perfect their kid is (never mind that all parents think "their kid" is the greatest kid EVER!). Should adults respond with vulgarity to a video of a kid? Of course not. Can it be done? Absolutely. It's tacky for sure, but the kid's not going to read it. The only person who could possibly be hurt by said tacky responses is the very parents who posted it in the first place (please see the the first two sentences of this paragraph). My advice: if you're gonna put your kid out there for the world to criticize, DON'T read the responses.

By the way, I agree with most of what Cry Havoc! says, and, I've probably said most of those exact same things myself (with a disgusting number of explatives peppered throughout). As Americans, we have the right, no matter how abused it may be, to vocalize (or blog) our ideas regardless of what others think. It's only when we choose to put said ideas out for the public's consumption that we must be willing to accept consequences even before we put it out there. In the opening to "Thing 4" it states: "Blogging is more than writing. Blogging is reading, reflecting, questioning, researching, synthesizing, linking, conversing, teaching, sharing and expressing ideas."Bottom line, we need to think about what we're saying, writing, or thinking. With that said, "Let's get it on!"

Thing 2.2

I have to be honest. While well made, the videos were both depressing and annoying. Depressing because there is so much I could be doing; I feel under skilled, out of control, and obsolete. On the other hand, I was also pretty annoyed after the first few slides of the first video. When do the education gods expect me to find the time to do all this and how exactly am I supposed to implement these ideas when half my kids don't have computers - let alone internet - at home? It left me feeling overwhelmed and that just made me mad. Technology is only as good as the hardware being used; right now, our hardware is in pretty sad shape. Lap tops don't work; the network connection is ify; printers are finicky; log-ins are faulty. I'm not giving up, though. While I'm not ready to go full moodle (whatever that is), I am planning a research/powerpoint project over everyone's favorite novel: The Scarlet Letter. I also like to keep this blog going once the class is over.

P.S. Please don't push the moodle on me yet. It may make me cry.

Thing #1

Having just come out of masters courses, the idea of ever discussing the importance of life long learning makes my stomach turn. I'm not against L3 in practice; I love new adventures and gaining new information. I just don't feel like discussing it; I'm discussed out. With this in mind, my biggest challenge for this course is #3: Challenges/Problems. Really, this is a very petty problem and if I blog early in the morning before the bitter and cynical set in, I should be able to conquer this problem. Trait #4: Self Confidence won't be a problem. I have no problem taking the bull by the horns and jumping into the middle of the ring even if I make a fool of myself. What's even better is that blogging offers a "safe" venue for experimenting with technology . . . no one knows who I am and it's the easiest thing in the world to put yourself out into the mix if your faux pas can't come back to haunt you. The most important for me will be Trait # 7.5: Play. I want to have fun with this. Please keep this in mind, fellow bloggers, as read my postings . . . if it sounds like sarcasm, it probably is.