Final Reflection

So, for our FINAL blog post to end this class, we are supposed to basically grade ourselves and reflect on ourselves as a learner... So, what did I learn, did I do the required assignments for this class, and how do I see myself as a learner???

Let's start with what I learned... Really, I think this has been one of the best classes I have taken during my Graduate career at USD! I'm not just saying that because I want a good grade in the class, but it was a practical learning experience. Jeff taught us different tools to integrate technology in the classroom and we were VERY hands-on in actually using the tools. We were able to see the successes and difficulties of using technology in the classroom by actual classroom teachers (teacher panel class and visiting the Lindsay Community Day School). And best of all, we created our Personal Learning Network and REALLY networked with other people in the education field. We didn't necessarily talk sooooooo much about theories and "important" education people out there, which we get so much in all of our other classes... we were just in it in the sense that we really dove deep into the technology aspect and I LOVED IT!!! So, what can I say about what I learned??? I learned a lot! I now have a real understanding of what Twitter should be used for and it definitely is not what I thought it was! I learned about Prezi and how much cooler it is than PowerPoint!!! I learned about how we all learn differently, which is seen in our classrooms that we teach in. I learned how to create a symbaloo and how to add a voice-over using jing. And, I learned how to blog and how to manipulate and add cool things to your blog!! Now, that's not everything I learned, but bits and pieces!

Now for the technical part... did I do the required assignments for this class... YES!! (haha) I may have been a little late in a few posts or lagging on becoming a resident in the virtual world, but I got there. I think with the flexibility Jeff gave us this semester, this class was not only a learning experience, but it was stress-free and FUN!!!

How do I see myself as a learner??? From Pink's book, I would definitely see myself as right-brained, but I do have left-brained tendencies... Like I mentioned in a past blog, I'm a little bit of both, which is a great mix in our world today, since we are moving away from the left-brained world to more of the right-brained side! I think this class made me think a lot about my future students that I will have in the classroom. With technology, there are so many different aspects to bring to a curriculum that hit different learning styles, but it is important to know my students and how they learn and apply that to my curriculum. I really like what Natalie mentioned in our teacher panel about how she was using technology to help her with the different learning styles, but what she didn't realize is that she wasn't doing anything bodily kinesthetic. Her students were forced to sit in a chair and use their laptops, but they way they learned best was by moving around, so her curriculum had to change. I think this is such an important aspect in teaching that many teachers do not "get". They are so stuck in "their way", that change is impossible... I think as teachers we need to move out of the "well, that worked before, so why won't it work now?" attitude and more towards really getting to know our students as DIFFERENT learners.

So... with that said... what grade do I think I earned this semester??? or do grades even matter?!?! ;)  Well, if I would have to grade myself.. I'd say A is for Annie, and A is for Awesome (which I am), so I think A!! (haha) All in all, I really enjoyed this class, my classmates, and our professor. Jeff-- I really do hope you continue to teach this class at USD because this class was definitely one of those classes that I actually wanted to go to!!! and it was very informative!

I do plan on continuing to tweet and blog and hope to see my classmates on Twitter and Blogger as well!! Also, I plan on updating my personal blog with more recipes and more upcoming travels in the future (new post on our trip to Anguilla will be up in January!!!)

Thanks for reading!!! And Happy Holidays!!

Annie

Digital Reflection Part 2

Sorry that this had to be broken down into 2 parts... I actually didn't think I would go past 5 minutes with my reflections!!  Also, part 2 may sound a little rushed... I had a few technical difficulties with using jing and decided to press cancel not just once, but twice after recording my reflection, so if I sound tired, I was (since it was my 3rd time around!!)  Anyways, ENJOY!!!!

Digital Reflection Part 1

This is Part 1! I actually didn't realize I was already at 5 minutes, so I'll finish the rest in another video!!!

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My Symbaloo Creation

Stay tuned... My Digital Reflection piece will be using this Symbaloo creation!!!

Teacher Panel & our last EDUC 578 class

First off, I would like to thank our teacher panel, Jen Roberts, Greg Ottinger, Natalie Priester, and Susan Glassett for taking the time to join our EDUC 578 class last night and share what you do with technology both inside and outside of the classroom!  The discussion was very insightful and helped me really pull together what we've learned in EDUC 578 from Professor Heil and what I can potentially do in my very own classroom when I finish my Credential and M.Ed. journey at USD.

Some things that put insight on using technology in the classroom was that integrating technology is not easy and takes time to show real progress.  Hearing our panel's journey throughout their careers is very motivating.  Like the saying goes, "what you get out of life, is what you put in" and it goes hand in hand with integrating a new innovation in the classroom.  I think it is very important as a new teacher or any teacher that is going outside of the "norm" is to know is that things won't change right then and there, it takes time, guidance, and development for that change to be really noticed.  With technology in the classroom, there will be those who are hesistant, but I think with our progress in obtaining our M.Ed's at USD, we are already taking a step forward with being prepared to implement this innovation.

From our EDUC 578 class, our main objectives are to looking at how we were learning as a student when we were in school, how we are learning now as professionals/M.Ed. students, and how our students learn.  What stuck with me from the panel was how important it is to have that individualized instruction for EVERY student in the classroom and how technology can make that possible.  Whether it be from programs that Natalie shares with us that allows her to individualize her lesson plan on the computer and hitting submit right there on the spot, to Susan talking about the ability to give her students to choose what they want to do.

Lastly, I think I resonated with our panel when they discussed how technology may be seen by some as alienating one another from face-to-face and critical social interactions, but in reality it is a way for those students who are shy or quiet or don't have as strong of a voice to really be able to express themselves.  This allows for our shy students to step forward in sharing and collaborating instead of forcing them to stand up in the front of the room and speak when they are not yet comfortable.  I know this, because I was that shy student all through grade school.  I absolutely hated speaking in the front of the class and I was hesitant to raise my hand and share my thoughts because of that fear of speaking in public.  I personally didn't get over this until my junior/senior year in high school, but it was a terrifying experience!

Again, thank you to our panel and it was a great close to a great semester with my fellow EDUC 578 classmates!!!

(If you want to check out some notes from the Teacher Panel, click on my Class Notes tab)

My New Year's Resolution...

So.. I know it's awhile til the new year, but I feel like 2011 has come and gone way too quickly!!  With finals (or in grad school... final presentations and final papers) here basically next week, I've been trying to keep myself sane by thinking about how much fun I am going to have with all of my family home for the holidays!  Then, I got to thinking about what I want to do for my new years resolution.  To be honest, I've NEVER kept my new years resolution past... maybe a month (and I think that's pushing it!).  So, this year, I REALLY want to knock completing my New Year's resolution off my bucket list...

Here are my ideas (in inspiration to some of my facebook friends who have kept their resolutions):

• Complete some organized work-out/run/marathon (ie: Mud Run, Breast Cancer walk, Turkey Trot, Bike the Bridge, etc.) at least once a month. (I had a friend do some sort of 5k or more once a month and she truly was an inspiration!)
• Become part of the 365 days picture group (talked about in my blog reflection for EC&I 831)... or maybe a 52 week picture group since once a week sounds a little more realistic... (but with today's technology of smart phones, why wouldn't I be able to take a picture with my cell phone and post it somewhere every day???)

Any one else have other inspirations for their New Years resolutions???

On a side note... I'm counting down the days til the 20th (15 more days) until I pick up my nieces and nephews (and bro and sis-in-law) and we meet the rest of the family + extended family and head to Disneyland!  I can't wait to have all of my nieces and nephews together for the first time since my youngest niece was born!! :)

My nephew Anthony (Aaron's brother)

Kaila, Andrew, and Karessa (My nieces and nephew in Seattle, WA)

My newest niece Elissa

My nephew Aaron on his 1st Birthday (Anthony's brother)

Technology in the Classroom: Lindsay Community Day School

For one of our actual "assigned assignments" for our EDUC 578 class, Professor Heil had required us to observe a classroom that integrates technology in their curriculum.  Now, I was actually kind of excited to do this outside of the classroom.  The reason?  I have yet to experience seeing a teacher use technology in their classrooms.  Not in my practicum experience, not in my community service learning experience, not in my volunteer experience, and not in my work experience!!!  (I've worked at a middle school in the LAUSD school district for 6 years, a high school in the GUHSD for a year, and currently work in a middle and high school in the SDUHSD).  I kind of expected something technology besides the use of a computer lab along my Credential and Master's journey, but it has yet to happen!

Now, what did I envision in my experience??  I expected to see SMART or Promethean Boards (since I've heard that many of my classmates in this class and other classes have them in their practicums), maybe some tools on the Internet, or even computer collaboration.  What I REALLY hoped for was to see a classroom that is integrating the use of iPad's, since this was my "focus" in EDUC 579 and I had written a grant for iPad's in the Science classroom for a curriculum innovations class I took this past summer at USD.  But since I procrastinated and waited last minute to research what schools in San Diego use the iPad (if there is even on), I instead was given the opportunity to accompany Professor Heil and Christina A. to the Lindsay Community Day School and I was VERY impressed with what I saw at this small school.

Students at Lindsay school share lunchtime with their children.
Photo: Sam Hodgson

Lindsay Community Day School "is a high school program for pregnant and parenting teens. Lindsay offers a comprehensive academic program including prenatal and parenting education classes. It has a staff of two fully credentialed teachers who are assisted by two teacher aides. It also offers childcare for babies and toddlers while students attend school. Our two major goals for pregnant students who do not wish to attend a regular school setting are as follows:

• To help each student cope with her special needs because of early pregnancy and approaching parenthood.
• To help each student continue her academic education.

(Excerpt from: Juvenile Court and Community Schools)

(Also, check out SDCOE's website that shows a video about best practices at Lindsay and also features Dawn Miller, who is a teacher at the site and past graduates of the school).

Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect, since all I knew about the school was that Professor Heil worked in conjunction with the site and that the school was focused for pregnant and parenting teenagers.  When we first arrived at the school, I had no idea that we were actually already there.  Lindsay is located on the corner of Ash and Union in Downtown San Diego which is not the ideal location for a high school.  From the outside, the building looked like a regular building you would see if you walked down the streets of Downtown San Diego.  We entered through a door on Union to see walls filled with art and work of the students.  We entered Dawn Miller's English classroom and immediately, my focus was on the babies!  Now, I don't have any of my own, but I have lots of nieces and nephews and I LOVE playing with babies!  We introduced ourselves to Dawn, then she went on to guide the class to their activity of blogging on their laptops.  The classroom was not filled, but had about 15 female students, most of who had their infants right alongside their desks.  Girls would come in at different times to sign-in and then proceeded to sit at their desks and catch up to their other peers.  Dawn went on to have other students help those who have not yet signed up for their blogger accounts and one student even went up on the SMART board and used the laptop to visually show how to sign up for blogger.

This definitely was not what I expected to see, since I've seen other programs for pregnant and parenting teens look like.  These girls were there to participate and learn.  They were open to helping one another out and most of all, they were using technology that I had not seen in the classrooms I have been in!  Walls along the building had pictures of the girls and showed their progress to graduating with a diploma.  The SDCOE's video explains how many of these girls pass the CAHSEE, get their diploma, and go on to college or a vocational school.  This truly was an environment that was student-centered.  It may not be a traditional school environment, but these girls were getting the attention that they needed to succeed and also were getting the help and resources they needed in their personal lives.  I very much enjoyed my visit to Lindsay and had a great tour guide who was a prior graduate of Lindsay and now works as a teacher's assistant at the school.

Lastly, check out the article about Lindsay Community Day School in my blog below!

*On a side note, I would appreciate any help with embedding the video on SDCOE's website to this blog post!!

Lindsay Community Day School

Check out this article that gives insight on the school Professor Heil took Christina A. and I to this past Friday!!

Teen Mothers Toil for Diplomas at Lindsay School - voiceofsandiego.org: News: Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008 | No one batted an eye
when a pigtailed toddler wandered into Dawn Miller's high school
history class, picking her way…

EC&I 831: Introduction to Connected Learning

It was really interesting to see how this EC&I 831 class is very similar to our class here at USD!  I really like the idea of "Open Access Courses" and I really like the structure of how this Blackboard Collaborate works!  Bummer that it is expensive like Alec Courcos mentioned!

Anyways, here are some take-away points and ideas that I thought of during this video:

• How can something like this open education course be used in our classrooms in our schools?  Whether it be at USD or another college or in our schools that we work in?
• Can Blackboard Collaborate be part of the new M.Ed. in Math, Science, and Technology Education program that USD is re-vamping? (Who can I mention this to?  Because I think it is a great tool if USD wants to make the program a hybrid course!)
• San Dieguito Union High School District (where I work) currently offers online/distance ed. for their students.  This is completely online and does not require students to come to school.  There are no restrictions as to who can take these online classes and are geared towards helping those students who are behind in college credits "catch-up" to graduate on time.
• Now, my issue with this is that I personally have taken online classes in college and have found that distance ed. classes take A LOT of self-motivation.  With SDUHSD allowing any students to enroll in these classes, are they setting up these students, who are already behind, for failure?  If they already exhibit that they are "failing" classes, what makes the school district think that they will have the self-motivation to learn on their own?
• Maybe something like an open classroom with scheduled meetings may be more beneficial rather than just having an entirely online class where the student is basically learning on their own??

• The idea of an open course or open classroom.  I personally REALLY like this idea because I am a big believer in networking.  With having an open classroom, I think that the more people involved, the more ideas and collaboration we are able to work with, but I did have my doubts like many of my classmates about the credit versus non-credit participants.  In this video, I think I was given more of an understanding about how credit students are noticed by the professor and how he mentioned that he looks out for those students more than the non-credit participants, which I think is very important in that classroom environment.  I think that it is great that non-credit students can participate to improve their professional development in a formal classroom-type setting.

• The idea of network mentors.  I think this is great and I'd love to be a network mentor for this USD class next year!

• Blackboard vs. Adobe Connect: I have a friend who is in the credential and masters program in Los Angeles and she posted something on facebook today about how she doesn't like Adobe Connect because she can't pause, rewind, fastforward, etc. the recordings of her class.  I've asked her if I am able to see one of her classes and she sent me a link.  (I currently can't get past the "connecting" part, but hopefully I can update you all with my thoughts on Adobe Connect!)

To view the EC&I 831 Open classroom, check out their website at: http://eci831.ca/

EC&I 831: Social Media, Networked Learning & Digital Identity

After watching this video, it made me think again about my own digital identity and how "open" I've been in this digital world.  Personally, I think these past few weeks I've been a visitor rather than a resident in my own digital identity.  There are so many other "factors" that take part in my journey (classes coming to a quick end very soon, work becoming more hectic, Thanksgiving break, being on a "personal" vacation), but I feel that I really need to step it up and really make that effort to become part of this network of learning because it will be so valuable in the future when I do have my own classroom!

Now, looking at how I want to become an "open educator", I've been planning ahead in my educational and professional development on making sure I am a resident even after this class is over (in less than 3 weeks! YIKES!).  Personally, I think it is going to take a lot of self-motivation, especially with Christmas break coming up, to maintain my routine of checking up on TweetDeck, Blogging, Bookmarking on Diigo, etc. but I really do not want to lose my Digital Identity with the people I've connected with building our PLN's.  Some of my plans are to:

• Keep up with Twitter--I was VERY hesitant at the beginning of our journey, but have caught the Twitter bug!  After this class is over, I plan to keep up with the resources of #ipadchat, #ntchat, & #edchat, but I hope to find more "hashtag groups" to follow that are of personal interests like cooking!
• Maintain my personal blog--It's been hard to find the time, but I hope to update my blog and document my personal journey!

 Some points from the EC&I video that I found interesting:

• The Flicker idea of sharing a picture every day.  I LOVE to take pictures and hope that Santa brings me my Canon T3i that I am wishing for this year!!  One of my friends on facebook made a New Year's resolution to post a picture every week, so hopefully I can do something similar to the two ideas!
• Google: Our new business card-- I've googled myself in the past and have found it interesting to see what is shared on the internet!  I've seen my LinkedIN profile as well as my facebook and myspace on my google search.  I also found a few pictures of myself in the image section!  At first, it seems a little scary to know how easy it is to find someone on the Internet, but I see it as, as long as you don't share your entire life story on facebook, or other social networks, it is a part of the process of being a resident and putting yourself out there "professionally".
• What makes a PLN?  Not just the tools but more of the people behind it.  I hope that I don't lose that connection I've built within Twitter, blogging, EDUC 578, etc after this class is over!

"Open Education is the simple and powerful idea that the world's knowledge is a public good and that technology in general and the Worldwide Web in particular provide an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to share, use, and reuse knowledge" 

(William & Flora Hewlett Foundation)

To view the EC&I 831 Open classroom, check out their website at: http://eci831.ca/ 

Check out this blog post on PLN Resources!!

My Adventures in Educational Technology: Regina TLs Day of Learning: Anytime, Anywhere, Any...: Keynote Resources from: bit.ly/SaskTL Anytime,Anywhere, Anyone (Resources) - #SaskTL Dr. Alec Couros couros@gmail.com @courosa skype:...

I'm Thankful...

Student-Centric Learning: Disrupting Class by Clayton Christensen

**Whoops! I was just browsing through my blog and noticed that this post was in the "draft" mode and never published... so here it is!!!**
 
Disruption toward Student-Centric Learning  

What are some alternatives to the current model?  Thinking of this model, could you recommend an alternative for each of the steps in Figure 5.1.

Looking at the public education's current "commercial system" that looks at:

• Subject-matter experts (left-brained learners) to create textbooks that are part of a "scale-intensive value-chain business,
• Curriculum experts at the state and local levels to make decisions about what textbooks to use, and
• Teachers using a method of teaching that they are products of,

we (students at USD in the credential and Master's programs) are  taught to look outside of the box and change the current teaching styles to truly help our students learn.  Now the big question is... how can this be done?  In my Methods & Psychology of Mathematics (which as a Science-focused student is REALLY difficult for me to change my way of thinking "math", but is really allowing me to grow as an educator), we have been given methods of teaching mathematics that are working in other countries like Lesson Study.  Lesson study is a professional development process that Japanese teachers engage in to examine their teaching practice, with the goal of becoming more effective. Teachers collaboratively plan, observe, and analyze actual classroom lessons then draw out implications for the design of the specific lesson, then share their findings with their colleagues.  To provide focus and direction to lesson study, the teachers select an overarching goal or theme that then serves to guide their work on all the lesson studies in their “cycle”.  Currently, Japan is excelling in math scores compared to the United States.  Lesson study includes teacher collaboration and inquiry-based learning, which is lacking in the classrooms in the United States.  On top of this, Japanese lesson study includes an open-classroom environment where observers reflect on classroom lessons as a group to help the teacher improve their practice.

If I had the opportunity to move away from a value-chain business to a facilitated user network, some things that I would change are:

• Textbooks being used as a supplement for learning, not to guide how a teacher teaches lessons;
• Collaboration between teachers across all disciplines;
• Inquiry-based that allows for students to really think and less teacher lecture;
• No standardized testing so that teachers are able to teach to their students needs rather than having to cover every little bit that is on a test;
• Continued teacher professional development;
• Individualized instruction that focuses on the needs of the students;
• More technology in the classroom.

Pinterest: Social Media Icons & Online Student vs. Traditional Student

I thought these images were cool!  I saw the images posted on Pinterest and thought I'd share!!

Lasagna Night!! Sneak Peak...

Comfort Food: Meat Lasagna & Lasagna Florentine: Florentine Lasagna 15 min Prep Time 40 min Cook Time Serves 6 Ingredients: 8oz (1/2 package) Lasagna noodles (cooked) 1 container (15...

Theory of Disruption

Disruptive innovation was coined by Clayton Christensen and describes a new product that replaces an older product because of factors like efficiency, effectiveness, easily accessible, affordable, etc.  Christensen states that “an innovation that is disruptive allows a whole new population of consumers access to a product or service that was historically only accessible to consumers with a lot of money or a lot of skill”. 

The examples given include:

·      The “disruptee” being four-year colleges that may be too expensive and not as convenient for people to access, but the “disruptor” or the disruptive innovation being community colleges that are fairly inexpensive compared to a four-year college.

·      The “disruptee” being fixed line telephones that can only be used at home, where the “disruptor” or disruptive innovation being cellular phones that can be used pretty much anywhere and are a lot more convenient.

“Characteristics of disruptive businesses, at least in their initial stages, can include:  lower gross margins, smaller target markets, and simpler products and services that may not appear as attractive as existing solutions when compared against traditional performance metrics”.  

Some disruptive innovations that we see today include the innovation of Netflix or Redbox.  The “disruptee” being Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, where these companies were more expensive and not very accessible.  The “disruptor” being Netflix, that is easily accessible over the internet and through the U.S. mail system, or Redbox that is easily accessible at grocery stores, 7-11’s, and common places that you would travel during your daily routine.  Not to mention these “disruptors” were much cheaper than Blockbuster or Hollywood Video.

One situation that I see in the school systems are the newly innovations of tablet computers, like the iPad or products like the Kindle that are giving schools a new and possibly more efficient way to replace textbooks.  Currently, it is often times cheaper to buy a digital version of textbooks for college classes, versus buying the actual book itself.

Just thought I'd share!

So, as I am here waiting for WebCT to come back to life (USD's WebCT/Blackboard is currently down and I have homework due!), hopefully it will be sooner than later... I thought I'd share a few pictures of our Zipline Excursion in Puerto Vallarta!  Enjoy!

Right before we start our adventure
(after the speed boat ride and
BUMPY trek in the Jungle Jeep)

My Donkey... La Guitarra
I think she ate some bad grass before
we left because she was tooting up
a storm!!

Coolest experience ever! (Before they dropped me straight down
down into the water!)

One of the many ziplines!

#ntchat

So, I'm currently participating in #ntchat at the moment, well, I'm being more of an observer because we are chatting about how to build a new teacher and principal relationship.  Since I'm not quite in my own classroom yet, I think the advice that is being given will help me in the future.  More info to come!

On a side note, I'm using TweetChat for the first time, and I REALLY like the pause button feature since I find myself doing 10 other tasks at the same time!!!  So cool!

(Update):  So I basically observed #nt chat for a little more than an hour.  I saw our classmate, Marissa, on there as well!  Since I couldn't really give my feedback on the discussion of building a new teacher and principal relationship, I figured this information would be beneficial to me in the future!  Anyways, I really like how involved veteran teachers and administrators are in participating in the #ntchat.  Its great to see the collaboration and support to pretty much strangers!  I'm glad to have this extra support in my M.Ed. & Credential journey!

On my 2nd side note, I had a harder time trying to figure out TweetChat other than pausing!  I was trying to figure out how to follow people, and didn't want to miss out on the chat, so I was going back and forth from TweetChat to TweetDeck (which I feel I have mastered!)

The Life of Good Food... Good People... & Good Travels...: Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushroom, & Font...

Here's a link to my other Blog... I'll be posting my recipes here :)

But for now, enjoy the one's I've already posted!!


**Disclaimer: After learning about all the in's and out's from EDUC 578 about how to change settings in our blogs, I have yet to change anything from when I first published this blog, so the design will change soon as well... Now to find the time!

The Life of Good Food... Good People... & Good Travels...: Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushroom, & Font...: Hands-on Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4 1 small butternut squash (2 lbs), peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes 1/2 button ...

The rundown of my Innovation Week!

Previous Weeks Dinner: Grilled Tilapia, Roasted Eggplant, Wild Brown Rice Medley, and Steamed Veggies

Day 1 (Monday): Stuffed Feta and Spinach Chicken, Brown Rice Medley with Roasted Red Grapes, and Steamed Green Beans

Day 2 (Tuesday): Grilled Rib-Eye, Steamed Veggies, and a Baked Potato 
I forgot to take a picture this day!  The boyfriend is in charge of making dinner on Tuesday's since it is my long day.  He surprised me with some wine, candles, and a yummy dinner!

Day 3 (Wednesday): Tortellini with Roasted Butternut Squash in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

 

Day 4 (Thursday): Panko Breaded Pork Chops with Roasted Brocolli topped with Feta (I LOVE FETA!!)

Day 5 (Friday): Arugula and Spinach Salad with Feta, Shredded Parmesan, and Red Grapes (this was lunch)

For dinner I made Shrimp Tacos with Black Beans and I forgot to take a picture because I was in such a hurry to eat before I went out to play a soccer game!

Day 6 (Saturday): Stuffed Asparagus and Jack Chicken, Roasted Parmesan Acorn Squash, Side Spinach Salad

Day 7-14 Consisted of Carnival Cruise Food
For those of you have have been on a cruise, you know how you gain at LEAST 10 pounds off of their unlimited all you can eat food!  For those of you who have yet to cruise (you HAVE to do it at least once!), my menu included anything from Eggs Benedict, Belgian Waffles, Buttermilk Pancakes, Eggs, Oatmeal, Cereal, Fruit for breakfast.  Burritos, Mongolian Noodles, Grilled Paninis, Tandoori, Pizza, Calzones, Burgers for lunch.  And for the best part... DINNER!  Consisted of Steak, Prime Rib, Chicken, Pasta, Lobster, Mac & Cheese, Mahi Mahi, Tilapia, Spankopita and Stuffed Peppers, and so much more, I'm sure I forgot...

Now, after that binge, here's my projected lineup for this week!

Monday: Chicken Enchiladas with Fat Free Pinto Beans
Tuesday: Boyfriend's Choice (hopefully healthy)
Wednesday: Spinach and Spring Mix Salad topped with Grilled Chicken, Almonds, & Feta
Thursday: Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
Friday: Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad
Saturday: Open for suggestions!  Any other favorites????   

**I'll post recipes soon!

I'm Back!!!

Ok.. So in between Innovation Week and my cruise vacation, I've been away from all sorts of phone, internet, television connection for almost a week and boy did it feel good to disconnect, but in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about work and things I needed to do for school.  Now, I kind of was forced to stay away because the slow Internet connection on the boat, a $0.75 per MINUTE charge, plus tax and connection fees were ridiculous and out of my price range!  Anyways, looking at Tweetdeck and everyone's blog posts, it seems that I missed out on us connecting with other students at U of R!  I'm excited to hear more about everything I missed and I will be posting more on my Innovation week later on tonight!  I'm sad to have ended my vacation, but I'm glad to be back home!

Innovation Week

So, I had to share... even though I know we were told not to blog until Saturday-ish... but I've started my innovation week off by cooking homemade dinners!  Kind of exciting because the boyfriend and I have REALLY been trying to eat healthier... I'll share recipes and pictures soon!

Anyways, my technology innovation that I attempted to learn more about was GoogleDocs... and although I love GoogleDocs, I hate it as well.  So, as you (my classmates) have heard, I will not be in the country next week.  (Scott (the boyfriend) and I are leaving on Sunday to the Mexican Riviera to celebrate his birthday and our 3 year anniversary... Not to mention, we booked this cruise REALLY cheap a few months back on a Travelzoo special!! $300 a piece for 7 days on a cruise ship)  Anyways, I've been trying to "share" a PowerPoint presentation with my group members because we are assigned to present on Tuesday while I am gone and I volunteered to do my share of the slide and audio record whatever I'm talking about in my slides.  I got that part done (my first time really recording myself and attaching to a PowerPoint), but for the life of me, I could not figure out how to share the PowerPoint (without screwing up my format and theme that I had on my desktop) and make the audio work through GoogleDocs.  I tweeted, I used jing (unsucessfully), I used a new converter website, I tried uploading to YouTube and NOTHING!  So, basically with the limited time I have, I decided we were just going to have to share using regular old email!  So, I finished my slides today and I go to attach, and of course, my file is too big.  I try to compress my file, still to big, then I remembered the the dropbox Jeff had us sign up for!! YAY!!!  So that worked and I sent off my PowerPoint contribution... Now, I am just waiting for one of my group members to respond to me saying that they are able to open the PowerPoint and hear all of my audio.  I sent it to myself and opened it up on Scott's computer and that worked, so hopefully it will work for my group members!!!!!

10 Thoughts on Whole Living

I subscribe to the magazine Whole Living and found this to be something that could relate to what we have been talking about within Pink's book and our Innovation Week of doing something for us!!  Enjoy!

10 Thoughts on Whole Living

1. A meal shared with family and friends sustains you in more ways than one.
2. Gratitude cannot always change circumstances, but it can help you see beyond them.
3. With rejection comes a decision: You can either turn back or find a new way forward.
4. Feeling restless may be a sign that you haven't sat still long enough.
5. Stop seeing life as a problem to be solved and, instead, as a mystery to be enjoyed.
6. Sometimes you have to travel to a new place to rediscover the old you.
7. To make the best use of your intuition, think less and listen more.
8. Give above and beyond what you think will help.
9. Rather than worry about how your body should look, focus on how you want it to feel.
10. Virtuous and delicious aren't mutually exclusive; the most nourishing foods can also be the most delightful

** This was taken from the November issue of Whole Living (g. 91)

Our blogs!

So... I tweeted out our blogs!  Let's see how many people will actually look at our blogs!! :)

And if you're a visitor, please check out my classmates blogs in the blogroll!!

We are M.Ed. students either in Curriculum & Instruction or Math, Science & Technology Education taking a Learning and Technology class at the University of San Diego.  We are gather tools to build our PLN's and are designing a portfolio based on our interests in the classrooms.  These portfolios are ranging from integrating iPad's in the classroom, to adding art in the classroom, to creating an ESL writing cookbook, to integrating math and technology.

Any help, suggestions, tools, or resources would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!!

One Laptop per Child

Hi all!

I was wondering if anyone has heard about the guest speaker that will be at SOLES next Tuesday?  His name is Robert Hacker and he is the founder of "One Laptop per Child".  In my Tuesday class, we are voting on whether or not to go, so hopefully everyone votes yes!  I don't know too much about the program, but here is their mission from their website:

One Laptop per Child
We aim to provide each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop. To this end, we have designed hardware, content and software for collaborative, joyful, and self-empowered learning. With access to this type of tool, children are engaged in their own education, and learn, share, and create together. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.

Can you find the mistake?

My First Re-Tweet (by a stranger!)

So, I just saw that I got my first re-tweet and it had nothing to do with this blog!!  Someone actually re-tweeted my post on my other "personal" blog about the butternut squash recipe that I made for dinner last night!  I'm wasn't following the person, nor do I think the person was following me, but maybe he had a search of "butternut squash"???  Anyways, it got re-tweeted to the #food feed! :)

Too funny!!

I saw this tweeted in #edchat... thought I'd share!

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink

To be honest, I don't think I've read a book, let a alone a homework assigned book that actually grabbed my attention.  I've ALWAYS been the one that is jealous of those who have the time to read novels just for fun.  Now, I do read, but nowadays, it's reading that is assigned for a class.  I've bought many books that I've been interested in, but finding the time to actually sit down during my free time is scarce...  I guess maybe because I choose to sit on the couch, relax, and catch up on my DVR'ed shows during my free time... After reading Chapter 1 of Daniel Pink's, A Whole New Mind, I left myself wanting to know more!  (Now I haven't felt this way about a homework assignment for a really long time!!)  I think it's fascinating to read about the new technology that allows us to view the human brain.  I've always considered myself a little more right-brained because of that creative, empathetic, and simultaneous side that I demonstrate, but I can also see the sequential side of the left in me.  Now, reflecting on Part 1 of the book, I can see where both sides are tied together, especially with things that I do.  Although I write right-handed and throw right-handed, I bat (in softball) left-handed, do kartwheels left-handed, and many other things left-handed.  I now don't know if I was actually trained to do things "lefty" or if it just came more natural that way (when I first started playing softball, I was pretty fast, so they trained me to hit left-handed, but I could also hit "righty", but it felt more natural on the left side).  Anyways, after reading Part 1, I found myself really interested to read more about the quote on the front of the book "why right-brainers will rule the future".  I can't wait to read more!

Visitor or Resident???

After watching the video, I would say that before EDUC 578, I definitely would consider myself a visitor.  Although I participated in social media networks like facebook and myspace, I was completely (and still am) private about what I post and who can see my posts, photos, uploads, check-ins, etc.  For awhile, I was very active in "posting my status", but found that to be too much information to be sharing even with my selected "friends" on facebook.  At this moment, I would say that I am still private, but like the presenter mentioned, I am a visitor in the "non-institutional" way where I keep my family and personal life "private".  As for the context of the institutional way, I would consider myself on my way to the resident continuum.  I'm not all the way there, but I am participating in twitter, LinkedIn, Diigo, my blog, etc. that is much more open for everyone to see my footprint that I have left on the web.  I don't think my facebook will ever turn into a "resident" way, but I use that social media tool as a way to keep in touch with people I already know and use that in the non-institutional sense.  To close, I really like how he described a visitor and a resident...

A visitor sees the web as an untidy toolbox.  They go in knowing what they need, mill around in the tool box, find their tool, use it, and then put it back, whereas a resident sees the web is a collection of tools.  The web is a social space to mill around in and leave your footprint behind.

SDUHSD looking for AVID tutors!! (Part-Time Position)

Thought I'd forward this to anyone that may be looking for a part-time job.  They (San Dieguito Union High School District) are REALLY flexible with your school schedule and the only job I've ever worked with that really follows through with they're saying that your schooling comes first!  Here's the info... Feel free to forward to anyone that my be interested in the AVID tutor position!  Send me a message and I'll send you the job description/who to contact!

Hi Tutors and others,

 

Our district still needs tutors, so please talk to friends and classmates to help find possible good candidates. If you are enrolled in an education class of some sort, please ask the prof if you could announce to the class that this job opening exists.

 

Remember that candidates must currently be enrolled in at least one college class and be available during the day (roughly within the window of 7:30-3:00) on weekdays.

Tagxedo vs. Wordle

So, I was browsing through some cool programs similar to Wordle and came across Tagxedo.  You can shape the word clouds to resemble many different things.  Check out the ones in their gallery.  Pretty cool!!  Here are some that I designed using my Passion post!

Now, how do I remove the tagxedo.com from my image?? :)

Here are some from their gallery!

New Teacher Chat #ntchat

So, I had to take a break from my homework in EDUC 572 (The Psychology of Mathematical Thinking).  My break consisted of literally sitting on the couch and thinking about how overwhelmed I am right now!  School, homework, three jobs, having to drive all over San Diego for my three jobs, and balancing my personal life are all catching up to me this semester!  Anyways, after all that thinking, I logged onto tweetdeck and found some cool posts on #ntchat (New Teacher Chat).  Since many of us are new teachers or going to be new teachers, I thought there was tons of great info and I was able to stumble upon their archive of educational chats and their website... so I thought I'd share with you all!!

Here are two resources for New Teacher Chat!!
New Teacher Chat #ntchat (from the creator, Lisa Dabbs @teachingwthsoul
New Teacher Chat

I have yet to REALLY check it out (I really need to get back to my other homework) but I'll let you all know if I find anything else interesting!!

Question...

So, I'm on campus at USD and I'm using a computer in the lab upstairs in SOLES.  I was going to try to do a little work for our class and browse some chats that I have on my tweetdeck on my computer that is currently at home.  I tried to log onto tweetdeck through using the browser and not have it on the desktop (since this is a shared computer), but is that possible?  On tweetdeck's homepage, there is an option for "web" but you have to be approved to use the Beta application.  Has anyone else used something different to check out different hashtags??  I tried searching #ipadchat on twitter, but it only gave me posts of people who I'm following.  I think I'm missing a step inbetween there to actually find everything posted to that hashtag, so any help would be appreciated!!

My First Educational Chat on Twitter!!

So, I participated (well, kind of participated, more observed) my first #scichat or first educational chat ever during my EDUC 573 class. (I promise I was participating in both the class and chat at the same time in case Dr. Spencer ever reads this!!)  Anyways, I was actually viewing the chat through tweetdeck and was going to switch over to tweetchat, but saw that the chat was actually going pretty slow, so I was able to keep up.  Some of my initial impressions after hearing about other classmates experiences was that I would be overwhelmed with the number of posts, but I felt ok observing.  The chat started off with people "trying" to suggest topics for the night.  I guess since there were not many people involved and for the time that I was there observing, they mainly talked about different engineering programs (I forget what it was called and I just tried to look up a transcript of the chat, but does that exist?  I thought it did somewhere).  Anyways, I hope to participate in either the #ipadchat or another #scichat in the future!

What is my passion??

While thinking of what I want to concentrate on for this class, I immediately thought about the grant that I wrote this summer in my Curriculum Innovations class on iPad's.  Since I have yet to start taking classes for my action research project (I plan on taking EDUC 500 this summer in Tokyo), I have not really thought about what I want to do, nor do I even know where to start with action research!!!  So, I have started looking at the #ipadchat &#scichat posts through tweetdeck and I have even started bookmarking websites related to using the iPad specifically in a science classroom.  I have done a little bit of research this past summer on the benefits of using an iPad in a Science classroom and have been gathering that information as well.  Of course, one of the challenges is sustainability and getting funding, but I think I have that covered with the grant that I wrote.  Now comes relating the iPad to a Science curriculum.  I guess one of my questions about our project is can I be specific in using the iPad to a specific subject or do I need to be more broad and say using an iPad in schools?

I would say that one of my passions is technology and I really do hope to learn more about technology education especially since I have transitioned from the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction to the M.Ed. in Math, Science, and Technology.  I think I would still like to go beyond just using the iPad as a technology tool in the Science classroom and maybe add more "personal" passions, but I am still thinking about that... but for now, here are some of my personal passions... Being outdoors, traveling, being healthy/eating healthy, and adult sports/exercising.

Communities of Practice and Situated Learning

What are communities of practice?  That was a question that I posed when I first started reading Wenger's article on communities of practice.  I find the concept very interesting especially since we are building our own PLN's for this class.

One quote from Wenger's article that I found really interesting was "From this perspective, the school is not the privileged locus of learning. It is not a self-contained, closed world in which students acquire knowledge to be applied outside, but a part of a broader learning system. The class is not the primary learning event. It is life itself that is the main learning event. Schools, classrooms, and training sessions still have a role to play in this vision, but they have to be in the service of the learning that happens in the world."  When we look at where children learn, we think of the classroom, but this concept looks at the point that life and experiencing learning moments is where the "main learning event" occurs.  From the inFed article, they point out "we often assume that learning 'has a beginning and an end; that it is best separated from the rest of our activities; and that it is the result of teaching' (Wenger 1998: 3)".  But Wenger and the concept of communities of practice oppose this statement.  They state that learning opportunities happen in communities of practice that we sometimes don't even know we are a part of.  Learning happens not just in the schools, but in every day experiences.  We are constantly learning in every situation that we are a part of.  

Some main points that I thought were interesting from the inFed article include:

• Learning is in the relationships between people.
• Educators work so that people can become participants in communities of practice.  
• There is an intimate connection between knowledge and activity.

There are those who disagree with the concept of communitites of practice and situated learning and feel that formal learning is a big factor of how we learn in our schools.  From the Knowledge Jump website, they view learning to happen in both informal and formal situations.

The article states that "A two-year study calculated that each hour of formal learning spills over to four-hours of informal learning or a 4:1 ratio (Cofer, 2000).  Bell (1977) used the metaphor of brick and mortar to describe the relationship of formal and informal learning.  Formal learning acts as bricks fused into the emerging bridge of personal growth.  Informal learning acts as the mortar, facilitating the acceptance and development of the formal learning. He noted that informal learning should NOT replace formal learning activities as it is this synergy that produces effective growth". Those who oppose the concept of situated learning feel that formal learning is needed in order to set the context and to learn the crucial material and informal knowledge is where the learner can add more to that concept that they taught.

Personally, I feel that both formal and informal learning needs to happen.  Giving a student the building blocks for them to learn is essential and also experiencing real life situations will help reinforce the learning that happened.

How to Create a PLN: What I Learned...

I guess I started off thinking to myself that I have heard about many of these tools, but I was hesistant to join them because it would take a lot of time to explore many of these tools and I feel that I don't have very much free time available! I first heard about almost all of these tools from one of my method's classes last Spring while I was taking my credential courses.  This class was designed around the Method's of Teaching Literacy, but one of our co-professors was big on using technology in her classroom at Point Loma High.  In this class, we explored many of these PLN tools in our lectures, but never had the chance to REALLY get to know the tools.  I am very excited for this class because I feel that I am a very "technologically savvy" but I don't know much about free tools on the internet.

When I googled "how to create a PLN", I found many interesting blogs about using tools on the Internet to build your PLN.  Here are a few that I checked out...

What the heck is a PLN??
This blog explains what a PLN is and gives subscribers a challenge every week to enhance their personal PLN's at their schools.  I thought that this blog is a great way to introduce new tools for those getting started with building their PLN's and so far.

Creating a PLN
This blog is also another introduction to what a PLN is.  What I really liked about this blog was all of the resources the blogger had listed for his viewer and the links to the websites.

Build a PLN: A Newbie's Guide
This too was another guide for those just starting out their PLN's.  The blogger set up a general guide for a busy teacher to help build their PLN.

Using Twitter to build your PLN...
This post is an extention to What the heck is a PLN?  They posted useful information about Twitter.  My initial thoughts about Twitter was that it was just another "facebook" type social website.  I didn't see the great benefits of Twitter until my method's class when our professor showed us that we were following the "wrong" people on Twitter!  I actually didn't realize that Twitter could be a learning tool rather than somewhere where I could find out that "a celebrity was spotted eating yogurt at YogurtLand!"

Making Time to build your PLN...
This too was a post that was an extension to What the heck is a PLN?  I thought that this gave great ideas about how to manage your time to set up a PLN.  From this blog, I thought that it was important to set goals when building your PLN because that will help you stay in one direction when building your PLN instead of straying off and not maximizing your PLN's potential.

List of other articles relating to using blogs, PLE hub, iGoogle, Diigo, webinars, etc.