Week Four

I feel like I don't have very much to write about this week. I'm trying to be more positive about this class as this blog is for the class and I don't want to seem like I'm constantly complaining or incapable of getting all of the work done. I was able to get everything done before Sunday night as I am trying very hard to manage my work throughout the week a bit better. One thing I am frustrated about (briefly) is that I still have not received the Office 2007 software from school and I needed it for our assignment this week. I am frustrated with all of the points I've been missing on assignments when it seems to be for things that I cannot control. Okay, I feel better.

Some positive things that happened this week -

My tutoring at LEP High School is going well. For some reason the kids seem to listen to me when I'm telling them to do (or mostly not to do) something. I am always surprised when this happens as I am completely unsure of myself when I am left in carge of the room.

I made some delicious chocolate chip mint cookies this afternoon. There's no way an outsider would be able to tell they're not vegan!

I had an awesome Saturday evening going out for beans and rice and hanging out at Steve and Colleen's listening to Christopher Cross and A-HA! Does it get any better?

I had an old friend get ahold of me by googling me and finding my web log - is that what technology is for? I have always been so anti social networking sites but I do have to admit it was wonderful to get an email from an old friend who was thinking about me.

I got my first birthday present on Friday!!! Let the birthday week begin! I received the incredible cookbook Veganomicon from my mom and it arrived almost a whole week early. She was wonderful to let me open it!

And...we have a break from school next week. I may still do a little web logging just because Tofurkey day and my big b-day are on Thursday so I'm sure I will have something to report.

Check out the new book:

http://www.theppk.com/nomicon.html

Week 3 - How am I going to get all of this done?

This week has been a lesson in time management. I do not remember a time when I have ever taken a class that has had so much work. Of course, this is an online class and I do need to factor in the six hours a week that I would be spending in a classroom that I am not. That means I should have six hours of work per week plus the time I would normally spend doing homework outside of class. I am certainly spending six hours plus trying to get all of the reading and assignments done. Especially this week.

The assignments for this week were not especially difficult, just incredibly time consuming. I looked at what was required for this week last Sunday and worked to manage my days so I could get a little bit done everyday and not have too much waiting to be completed on Saturday and Sunday. I am done with everything at this point but am waiting for help on my pod cast before I can record it.

I don't mean to be constantly complaining about this course, it's just a bit out of my comfort zone and I feel I am forced to commit a lot of time and effort in completing the assignments. I do certainly feel like I am getting my moneys worth as I now know how to blog, create a website, and record a pod cast - all of which I had no idea how to do three weeks ago. I am glad to learn how to do all of this and now have more tools in my toolbox to work with when I do get into the classroom, I just don't know how likely I will be to actually use these tools with my students. I would love to know more about how teachers are incorporating cell phones, blogs, and pod casts in classrooms today, not just how they should work ideally or in theory.

Not class related, this was a wonderful Portland weekend. The sun was shining and sky was clear both Saturday and Sunday. I went on a couple of really nice, long walks through South East exploring Laurelhurst park and the neighborhoods between Burnside and Hawthorne. I also saw an amazing moving, Man on Wire, about the French wirewalker, Phillipe Petit, who succeeded in securing a wire between the World Trade Center buildings in 1974 and 'dancing' on the wire for 45 minutes to the amazement of the world. The movie is a documentary that focuses on this unique person and his passion for life. I definitely recommend it!

Week 2 - President Obama and Ed Tech Gripes

Wow, this week has been a whirlwind of life changes and crazy assignments. I moved on the 31st, the election was on the 4th, we had final research projects due on the 4th and the 6th in Lichau's class, and there was a ton of work to do in the MAT 533 class. I kind of wasn't sure I was going to make it through but it's 3:11 on Sunday afternoon and I think all of my assignments are complete.

The election was unbelievable and inspiring. After the let downs in both 2000 and 2004 I was beginning to doubt we could ever elect a Democrat back into office. I was actually beginning to believe it was impossible. I forced myself not to let my hope for a President Obama get too out of hand. Unlike Kerry in 2004 I truly believe in Obama and the policies he introduced during his campaigning. In 2004 I never believed in a President Kerry, I was merely praying we could oust Bush once and for all. This emotional, incredible, historic event was only clouded by the fact that we were in class giving final presentations when the votes were coming in. Not seeing his acceptance speech in real time was incredibly disappointing, but I could not be happier with the outcome.

On a more class related note, the assignments we had for our MAT 533 class were time consuming this week. I am not sure if other people had an issue managing their time but with the final research project for Lichau and doing so many website credibility surveys, a reflection, two discussion board postings, and creating a website, it was a lot to manage. I felt like there was so much work. I was really overwhelmed by the creation of the website. It was fun to do and I am happy to be able to create a website, of course, but there was just too much to do for one week. Hopefully now that we are down to only the Ed Tech class I will have more time to do an hour or two every day instead of trying to do it in two or three sessions.

Using Blogs in the Classroom - Assignment 2

I like the idea of using blogging in the classroom to teach civil discourse, as outlined in the article, "Don't feed the trolls". It is true that providing students with a platform for discussion could go very well and enrich the learning environment, or could be potentially disastrous or negative. These outcomes will be determined by the guidelines provided surrounding the assignment or creation of blogs and the monitoring that is done by the teacher. As discussed in the article, guidelines for having a civil, productive, enriched discussion on student led blogs should be similar to guidelines given to students to lead a productive life: i.e. no name calling, think before you speak (type), respect your peers, etc. Assuming the students will abide by the rules, the medium of the blog is a great environment to teach them assessment, reflection, and discussion skills. Using a blog is also a way to reiterate lessons learned in class, spark dialogue around topics brought up in class, and share web based resources with students in real time.

The example provided for a blog used in a classroom environment, Mr. Harbek's Math Blog, was interesting. From what I saw of the blog he really used it to assign and explain homework on a level that his students were most comfortable with. He was clever in adding YouTube videos to add in explanation of difficult math concepts and had great links to pictures and chatrooms which gave his students space to share and contribute thier ideas. It seemed as though his blog provided space for his students to upload their assignments without having to turn them in during class time. It seemed like an interesting use of time, but not one I would feel comfortable with in a math class.

After reading the article "Don't feed the trolls" I would have preferred to have an example of a class blog where civil discourse was actually taking place rather than a teachers space to reach out to his students on their level. While the math blog was interesting, it's not anything I would like to integrate into my classroom.

Very First Blog Post - Assignment One

My name is Kimberlie Larson.

I hope to teach Language Arts and Health in the Middle School and/or High School levels.

My favorite animal is a giraffe. I think they are beautiful and extremely adaptive. They are also wonderful specimens of evolution.