Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Day 3 1/2

I found that I got so engrossed in looking at all of the websites that until the very last minute I didn't create a delicious account. That is my problem. There is so much out there, screening and deciding what you want to save can become an issue for me. I'll need to figure out how to narrow my search when I go online and not attempt to cross topics. I was very excited by the literature on adolescent literacy. Hope to also be able to find some good links for math. That will be my next topic...followed by middle level learning, smaller teams, student engagement, relevance.......and oh so much more.

I still need time to play around, practice adding links, and figure out how to read those crazy codes they give you at the bottom of the screen. (Cristen and I tried four time before I got the access code right for delicious.) It all looks foreign to me!

Day 3

I can't stop thinking about how we can make use of the things we are learning. People need to see the value of the tools and what better way to do that than to have those that are using them showcase how. As I look towards staff meetings for the year, I am thinking about how to promote the use of the tech tools. Steve is promoting the idea of starting a staff blog where people share their ideas. This might be a way for people to share their ideas and the cool things they are doing. Another idea might be to start every staff meeting with one tech tool. People who were interested could then pursue more information.

For me personally, I am feeling like I can do much more than what I could last week. Each day brings a bit more clarity. What an exciting feeling!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Day 2 1/2

Playing certainly helps. I am a hands on person and the ability to get in there and muck around helps cement the learning. What also helps supplement this is a specific set of steps that I can always revert to when I get stuck. I have made some notes for myself that I think will help although they are far from complete. If only Borders would call and say that my book is in! I am not one to shelve the resource manual. Personally I like to pull it out and put on my technical reading hat to see if it can get me out of a jam.

In terms of what this means for kids...I can think of a number of ways teachers can use this. It will mean that people need to rethink how they use their time. I would not want people to spend inordinate amounts of time at their computers at home. If it comes to this then I think people will avoid using the technology.

For me personally, I think being able to receive RSS feeds specific to things we are working on would be helpful. Searching the web can be overwhelming. I'd like to get more proficient at finding sites so that I can then share information with others electronically. Maybe eventually I will get to paperless or almost paperless!

Day 2

So I am back. I must admit that I turned my computer on last night and felt confident enough to upload the new security suite from Road Runner. I usually get frustrated half way through and walk away but last night I stuck with it. Louie wants a google email account. I think I might be able to do that for him. And a few more times playing with blogs and I think I'll have that it too. Next step is to locate Michael and Marci's blog(nephew in Tacoma)so that I can see how the baby has grown. So much to learn and do and so little time.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Day 1

I took a class this summer on CMP math. I have to admit that on at least one of the days I felt like parts of the class were in a strange foreign language. It was quite a surreal feeling. I bring this up because I am feeling the same way today. I "get" the basics-my analogy would be knowing how to ask where the restroom is in Spanish-but beyond that things are a bit fuzzy.

I consider myself an intelligent person. I believe that I can learn new things. The true test will be when I don't have a support person wandering around providing helpful hints and bailing me out when I am stuck. Can I go it alone? I guess I need to look towards "The Little Engine That Could"......I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Oh and lest we not forget practice, practice, practice!!!!