Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Preparing for NCCE

In March I will be presenting at our regional computer educators conference in Spokane. My presentation is called "Creating a Learning Legacy, Incorporating Kid Created Multimedia Into Standards Based Lessons". I have one hour to share what I want to share. Hmm... where to start? I think right now, I have more ideas than examples so I will need to get busy when school starts back this next week. I was thinking instead of sleeping last night (this is common with me) about my presentation last night. I was thinking about the fact that the reason I like using technology in class is that I can use it as a tool to create and communicate. I have never been a big fan of educational computer games. I have always, since the very beginning used technology for creating and communicating. I think that I do a pretty good job of using technology as a teaching tool and a communication tool in my class. I incorporate videos, Power Point, blogs, websites etc. into my daily teaching. Now I really want to go a step further and have my students be able to use technology to share their learning. I have a ton of ideas now I just need to incorporate them into my daily teaching. I need to think of ways to have students using technology to teach. I need to do this in a way that enhances the learning of Standards and doesn't get in the way of their learning. I want to use video, PowerPoint, PhotoStory, podcasts, and whiteboard movies.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Introductions

I think that one reason I like writing and blogging is that I know that I am more than meets the eye. When people meet me, I think that they see a rather frumpy elementary teacher with a bit of a Texas accent. I don't think that it is obvious that I am someone who has lived and traveled all over the world. I am someone who cares deeply for the world's poor and hungry. I am rather adventurous. And, I have become quite the technogeek with a love for how I can use technology to be creative and share with others and continue to learn new things daily.

It has now been 6 1/2 years since I have lived overseas. This is really a piece of my identity that I don't want to lose. I think that my experiences living in places like the Navajo Nation, Kenya, Ecuador and Indonesia and my work with the poor in Mexico, Haiti, India, Honduras and Somalia has done a lot to shape who I am. I love my life here in Mount Vernon, WA. My husband and I have a neat 100 year old house in a great neighborhood. We have the world's most wonderful dog and we are both very happy. A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to go to Honduras with Heifer International. Since leaving Indonesia, I had traveled extensively in the US and Canada, but hadn't been back to the "3rd world". Landing in Tegulcigalpa was like coming home. It refreshed a part of me that I had been missing. I vowed then not to let that part of my life go away. I need to be in touch and aware of what is happening in our world and I need to share my passion for the world's hungry and poor with my students and any one else who will listen.

So, If I am the one painting the picture, that is how I want to paint myself. I am a teacher , a lifelong learner, a happy wife with a passion for caring about the world's poor and hungry.

Today is a Great Day to Learn Something New

Blogs are great. I love to share my thoughts in writing and this is a great way to do it. The problem is that there are about a million different ways to use a blog and even though I can theoretically host thousands of different blogs, I really don't have the time to do so. So, where do I go with this one? I'd love to have a family blog with news of what is going on in our life here in Mount Vernon. I envision lots of pictures of Roswell our dog, up to his never ending antics. I know I love to look at cute pictures of my puppy, but posting to the web might be a bit of overkill. Then there is the idea of writing as a teacher to other teachers. I have a couple of blogs for my students already. I have class blog which is really just a place to post our daily news. Not really that exciting, but a great place for parents to keep informed about what is going on in our class. (Which IS exciting.) I would love to have a more interactive site for my students to share their learning, thoughts and ideas. Hmmm... I envision podcasts, video, pictures, student artwork and student writing. I like this idea, but I could also do this and have to some extent on our class blog. I think that I will start this blog as a place to share new learning. This could be things I am learning, or things my students are learning or things I have learned, that I think others would be interested in learning. We will see where this goes. If it seems to seperate itself out into seperate blogs, then, thanks to blogger, that is what I will do. But, for now, this will just be a place to celebrate learning.