Friday, January 30, 2009
You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
I would like to thank Robin Howell for helping me out with my tech tasks. I was so confused! In turn, I taught her techniques for pen and ink for our EAES class assingment. In the end, we scrathched each other's back. This reminded me of a story that my friend Jon once told me on the way to Pemberton Music festival. "They" (I love saying that, it's so funny-who are THEY?)... Anyway, they once did a study researching what makes everyone happy. They examined accross various aspects of diversity, mainly culture, of a universal cause of happiness. In the end, it turned out that everyone agreed that reciprocation was a universal cause of happiness. Everyone wants to feel like they can contribute, and in turn, they want to feel appreciated for their contributions. Which brings me to another point. Connotations of words. Most people think that "selfish" is a bad word. It implies the evilness that I was just talking about. However, the word selfish, which is in the end really what drives us to survive and get what we want, is not a bad thing. Helping out at Souls Harbour gives people a warm-fuzzy feeling... this is selfish. They are hoping to get that feeling, and this is not a bad thing. ... Wow, that was a rant-and-half. In any case, the moral of the story is, reciprocation is the key to happiness. So go ahead, do something nice, spread the good karma.
K-12 Online Presentation-
Steven Kimmi Salina, KS, United States
Blog: http://expeintech.blogspot.com
Bio: Steven is a fifth grade teacher in Salina, KS. He graduated from Kansas State University three years ago, where he pursued many other majors before choosing on Elementary Education. He is the author of Experiments in Technology and In Transit(ion). He is in the process of creating numerous open source resources for teachers in his district and beyond. However, he is the parent of three children under four, so his time is…well, time is…of the essence.
Presentation Title: “Traveling Through The Dark”
Description: This presentation examines how to get started using educational technology through metaphorical analysis of William Stafford’s poem, Traveling Through The Dark. Through this analysis we will look at the obstacles teacher’s face, the process of implementing technology into the classroom, and the role that others can play in the process.
Trevelling Through the Dark is a poem written by William Stafford. It is about a man who is driving along a narrow country road,. with a deep valley on one side, and a rising cliff on the other. He encounters a heap in the road and he steps out to examine it. It turns out to be a deer. It's actually a doe, a pregnant doe. He can feel that there is still a baby living inside of it. He is in a difficult predicament, he can either stay and help this fawn out, or he can push the whole heap into the valley and go about his way. He is not sure what to do. There are a lot of things to take into account, he is not sure if other cars are going to be coming, will they not be expecting him. Does he have the capabilities to deliver this fawn. In the end, he makes a decision that is surprising, but it's a quite honest decision.
This is a poem about making decisions. That is something that educators do every day. However, many educators choose the easy way out. Why does this happen? Like the driver in this poem, we are all travelling through this darkness. The world is changing so quickly, that it's impossible to keep up, and ultimately we are out of balance. So choosing this path that leads us into this darkness is very risky and scary. Teachers choose the path they have already been down, because it's easy, familiar, and safe. But what are the implications? What will happen if we always go down a familiar path, we never venture out into the darkness to make sense of this changing world. We are going to create a world of citizens who are not prepared for their, and even our future. A student body that will become disengaged while they're in school. Education will become an institution that will no longer be relavent.
Teachers must keep up with this everchanging world, not always taking the easy way out. This will ensure they don't cheat their students, or themselves. He says that getting started with educational technology is the easiest and hardest thing to do. Because there are so many options, this makes it so easy and hard at the same time. You must narrow down what it is you really want to do. So many people get overwhelmed by the possibilities that they just quit altogether.
"The best teachers don't expect kids to learn the way they teach. The best teachers teach the way kids learn." - Dr. Pedro Noguera
Blog: http://expeintech.blogspot.com
Bio: Steven is a fifth grade teacher in Salina, KS. He graduated from Kansas State University three years ago, where he pursued many other majors before choosing on Elementary Education. He is the author of Experiments in Technology and In Transit(ion). He is in the process of creating numerous open source resources for teachers in his district and beyond. However, he is the parent of three children under four, so his time is…well, time is…of the essence.
Presentation Title: “Traveling Through The Dark”
Description: This presentation examines how to get started using educational technology through metaphorical analysis of William Stafford’s poem, Traveling Through The Dark. Through this analysis we will look at the obstacles teacher’s face, the process of implementing technology into the classroom, and the role that others can play in the process.
Trevelling Through the Dark is a poem written by William Stafford. It is about a man who is driving along a narrow country road,. with a deep valley on one side, and a rising cliff on the other. He encounters a heap in the road and he steps out to examine it. It turns out to be a deer. It's actually a doe, a pregnant doe. He can feel that there is still a baby living inside of it. He is in a difficult predicament, he can either stay and help this fawn out, or he can push the whole heap into the valley and go about his way. He is not sure what to do. There are a lot of things to take into account, he is not sure if other cars are going to be coming, will they not be expecting him. Does he have the capabilities to deliver this fawn. In the end, he makes a decision that is surprising, but it's a quite honest decision.
This is a poem about making decisions. That is something that educators do every day. However, many educators choose the easy way out. Why does this happen? Like the driver in this poem, we are all travelling through this darkness. The world is changing so quickly, that it's impossible to keep up, and ultimately we are out of balance. So choosing this path that leads us into this darkness is very risky and scary. Teachers choose the path they have already been down, because it's easy, familiar, and safe. But what are the implications? What will happen if we always go down a familiar path, we never venture out into the darkness to make sense of this changing world. We are going to create a world of citizens who are not prepared for their, and even our future. A student body that will become disengaged while they're in school. Education will become an institution that will no longer be relavent.
Teachers must keep up with this everchanging world, not always taking the easy way out. This will ensure they don't cheat their students, or themselves. He says that getting started with educational technology is the easiest and hardest thing to do. Because there are so many options, this makes it so easy and hard at the same time. You must narrow down what it is you really want to do. So many people get overwhelmed by the possibilities that they just quit altogether.
"The best teachers don't expect kids to learn the way they teach. The best teachers teach the way kids learn." - Dr. Pedro Noguera
Google Tools
So, I've been checking out the Google Tools, and I must say, they are awesome! No sugar coating here, I really think they are easy to use... and to someone who is utterly technologically illiterate, that is a grrrreat thing!
I like the idea behind Picasa. I'm not sure exactly how I would use it in the classroom, but I would definitely use it for personal use. It's intelligent design actually locates and sorts photos on your computer, then organizes them into simple titled folders based on the dates they were taken/added. I have a million photos, so this would be a great tool.
It took a while for me to wrap my head around the idea, but as I explore and add to my own blog, the more I think that utilizing Blogger in the classroom would be helpful. The use of technology in classrooms frankly overwhelmes me, and scares me. This is probably based on my view that the inclusive use of technology in the classroom would create a cold climate, in which students would forget to be human... but as I explore these new functions, I realize that technology is made to compliment daily lives, not create robots out of children. (If that makes any sense.)
Google Calender is a great tool for staying organized, as well as communicating with students so they know what to look forward to in future classes, so they feel prepared for their semester. Teachers can say "ok kids, don't forget to bring your pencil crayons on the 3rd of February for Social Studies."
In anycase, no matter how confusing all of these tools seem now, the more I explore them, the more comfortable I will be.
I like the idea behind Picasa. I'm not sure exactly how I would use it in the classroom, but I would definitely use it for personal use. It's intelligent design actually locates and sorts photos on your computer, then organizes them into simple titled folders based on the dates they were taken/added. I have a million photos, so this would be a great tool.
It took a while for me to wrap my head around the idea, but as I explore and add to my own blog, the more I think that utilizing Blogger in the classroom would be helpful. The use of technology in classrooms frankly overwhelmes me, and scares me. This is probably based on my view that the inclusive use of technology in the classroom would create a cold climate, in which students would forget to be human... but as I explore these new functions, I realize that technology is made to compliment daily lives, not create robots out of children. (If that makes any sense.)
Google Calender is a great tool for staying organized, as well as communicating with students so they know what to look forward to in future classes, so they feel prepared for their semester. Teachers can say "ok kids, don't forget to bring your pencil crayons on the 3rd of February for Social Studies."
In anycase, no matter how confusing all of these tools seem now, the more I explore them, the more comfortable I will be.
Pets
This is my questionnaire! I have a dog named Gus. :)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pFTWPP1t4_hswOpi46QRpOw
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pFTWPP1t4_hswOpi46QRpOw
iGoogle Page
This is my iGoogle page!
There is a Delicious and Google Reader gadget, as well as a YouTube, weather, calender, Gmail, comics, tv guide, world news, local news, and entertainment news. I love this page because it's a one-stop-shop site to keep organized and just check things out. I will be adding more gadgets as I explore this tool out!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
HoPi Shindig
i almost forgot. it was the houston pizza staff party on sunday night.
kareokee+ $2 bev's=blast
Here's a pic of a couple of my favourite ladies, Allie and Marianne--->
Sunday, January 18, 2009
the big bad wolf followed me...
ok, you caught me. my life isn't that mysterious...
First, I went to a Wildlife Federation Dinner. It was interesting... What was on menu? Porcupine, Goose, Bear... Oh my lanta.... let's just say I stuck to the taco salad. It's not that I'm not adventurous... far from... but I was particularly missing my dog, Gus, this weekend, and wasn't in the mood to eat odd meats.
Second, I went to church for the first time in about a year. I'm sure it made my parents quite happy... maybe they thought I would magically re-convert.... In any case, I was surrounded my passionate people united by a cause. The main message this time was about shunning fornication, and the evils of mass marketing and advertising.
Wait a minute... selling an idea to a large group of people by using scare tactics such as "If you do/use this, this will/will not happen to you"?..... hmm...
Third, I learned how to sew on my new sewing machine which I got for X-mas! This was particularly exciting for me because I got to kill two birds with one stone. Bond with "G-ma" and learn a new skill. Neat-o. Oh! And I'm going to use this new skill for my EAES class. I'm going to design an outfit, or two, or three and make them! :D Exciting, I know. Oh, and we have to write a diary entry for my Dance, EAES and EDFN classes, so stay tuned as I kill more than a few birds with one stone!
One Love,
M. Bouv'
Friday, January 16, 2009
the mysterious life of madame bouvier
so, i'm just getting started on this new blog adventure. this isn't something i would normally do! when i was much younger, i used to keep a diary. but as i got older, i swore that i would keep my thoughts to myself, in fear that someone would find them-- a scandalous outbreak of information would plague the regina scene, and everyone would know my innermost thoughts, desires and secrets. how egotistical of me. ha. ... i view this blog as a challenge. i will strive to be more candid and open about my life. to you, my reader, i will grant you peek into the mysterious life of madame bouvier.
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