Since starting this new job, I have been constantly playing catch-up. After 2 and a half weeks, I am starting to get caught up. It feels good. But my Bloglines account has been severely ignored. I have done a little reading over the last two weeks, but tonight I had over 1200 posts to read. There is no way I can really read that many posts!
So it is time to clean out my account, weed out those feeds I often skim over at best. This will require that I think seriously about what my needs are right now and what my interests are. I think they have changed a bit over the last few months.
All of this is, I hope, preparatory to my return to blogging on a regular basis. I miss it!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
I love my job!
I am back to teaching what I really love: adult ESL. I find that it really energizes me. Right now it is a lot of work; I have had to really shift gears. But it is getting easier.
One thing that I have to see, though, is how/if I am going to be able to incorporate technology in my classes. Right now it doesn't look like it -- although there is a computer lab that I could possibly arrange to use with some of them. There are some classes that could not use the lab because they meet off-site. Do I want to use the lab with some groups and not with others? This is something I am going to have to think through before I make a decision.
One thing I need to do is follow what Barry Bakin does with his adult ESL students. His students are about the same level as my most advanced group. And I need to look for other adult ESL instructors using the Internet. This is all part of my shifting gears. It's fun!
One thing that I have to see, though, is how/if I am going to be able to incorporate technology in my classes. Right now it doesn't look like it -- although there is a computer lab that I could possibly arrange to use with some of them. There are some classes that could not use the lab because they meet off-site. Do I want to use the lab with some groups and not with others? This is something I am going to have to think through before I make a decision.
One thing I need to do is follow what Barry Bakin does with his adult ESL students. His students are about the same level as my most advanced group. And I need to look for other adult ESL instructors using the Internet. This is all part of my shifting gears. It's fun!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Finally!
In what I hope is the last of my self-indulgent personal posts, I wanted to let you know that I have found a job. I am doing adult education ESL in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was hired last week and started today. Although I am a little overwhelmed at the moment, I feel sure this is a good move for me.
My husband is still in Louisiana finishing up things there. Once he and all our stuff are here, I will feel better. By that time, work should be running smoothly. At least I hope so!
Thanks to all of you who have written encouraging me over the last several months. Maybe I can gradually get back to blogging again!
My husband is still in Louisiana finishing up things there. Once he and all our stuff are here, I will feel better. By that time, work should be running smoothly. At least I hope so!
Thanks to all of you who have written encouraging me over the last several months. Maybe I can gradually get back to blogging again!
Friday, September 07, 2007
Preparing our students
Darren had an interesting post about "Empowering K-12 Students Online" that you should check out. It is actually his notes from a talk by Jeff Catania, another Canadian educator. He looks at school mission statments and says, among other things:
At first reading, I thought that this was a really good question. But then I wasn't so sure. In the second set of tasks, there are only tasks. We don't know anything about content. I wonder if email and instant messaging really prepare our students "to succeed in a changing global environment". I would argue that, without some serious thought to the content of those messages and emails, they may not be much more helpful than completing the square.
I think that we need to show our young people how to use these tools in increasingly sophisticated ways. Somewhere I think the question of thinking and evaluating and analyzing have to enter into it. I think we need to be showing students how to interact in a meaningful way with each other and with the online world as a whole.
I guess what it comes down to for me is that we need to be doing a lot more for our students than we are. Technology is a necessary component of what we need to be doing, but I am not sure that technology in and of itself is going to fix anything.
In fairness to Jeff and to Darren, I should make it clear that I don't think either of them believes that technology in and of itself will solve all our problems. I just think that this was the tack that Jeff, as an eLearning Instructional Coordinator, took in the presentation. The discussion that I am envisioning is an offshoot of that tack.
I guess, for me, this is the other side of the coin. I have been thinking for awhile about the need to avoid doing the same old things with the new technology. Darren's post made me think about how we have to use the technology to do meaningful things, not just new things.
It's an interesting post. Check it out.
Clearly, educational institutions (likely including your own) have made it their mission to prepare students for a changing world—but do they actually do it? Even with significant reform efforts, K-12 curricula have not changed dramatically since the 19th century.He then poses the question:
Which of the following do you think best prepares our children to succeed in a changing global environment?Obviously, the first set of tasks is much more common in schools than the second set.• Express y = ax2 + bx + c in the form y = a(x – h)2 + k by completing the square.
• Describe the stages of mitosis – prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
• Recognize and use passé composé of verbs conjugated with être.
• Identify by characteristics the major rock types (for example, igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic).- or
• Handle and compose email.
• Participate in conferences and bulletin boards.
• Navigate and create electronic content in a variety of forms (for example, web sites).
• Use instant messaging.
At first reading, I thought that this was a really good question. But then I wasn't so sure. In the second set of tasks, there are only tasks. We don't know anything about content. I wonder if email and instant messaging really prepare our students "to succeed in a changing global environment". I would argue that, without some serious thought to the content of those messages and emails, they may not be much more helpful than completing the square.
I think that we need to show our young people how to use these tools in increasingly sophisticated ways. Somewhere I think the question of thinking and evaluating and analyzing have to enter into it. I think we need to be showing students how to interact in a meaningful way with each other and with the online world as a whole.
I guess what it comes down to for me is that we need to be doing a lot more for our students than we are. Technology is a necessary component of what we need to be doing, but I am not sure that technology in and of itself is going to fix anything.
In fairness to Jeff and to Darren, I should make it clear that I don't think either of them believes that technology in and of itself will solve all our problems. I just think that this was the tack that Jeff, as an eLearning Instructional Coordinator, took in the presentation. The discussion that I am envisioning is an offshoot of that tack.
I guess, for me, this is the other side of the coin. I have been thinking for awhile about the need to avoid doing the same old things with the new technology. Darren's post made me think about how we have to use the technology to do meaningful things, not just new things.
It's an interesting post. Check it out.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Why not take the job?
Ever since Sarolta commented on my earlier post about not wanting to take a middle school teaching job because it would just be a job, I have been meaning to respond. Guess I am finally going to do it now.
Sarolta couldn't understand why I didn't take the job if it was offered and I needed one. It sounds simple, I know. But to me, at least, is isn't.
First of all, I have temporary work which keeps the bills paid for now. And my husband works. So we aren't destitute.
More important, though, is the other aspect Sarolta mentioned: that I could just leave this job if a better one came along. In the US, public school teachers are under contract. We cannot just walk away from a job as you can do in other countries. Now, I know people here do it all the time, but I come from a time when you honored a contract.
So that makes the issue more complicated. If I take a teaching job now, I am committing to it until June. No matter what else comes along. That makes it hard for me to want to take a job just to have a job. Of course, I may have not pursued this job and still not get offered anything closer to what I am looking for. That is a gamble I have to take. But I would rather take a job at a bookstore that I could walk away from with two weeks' notice than sign a contract that I would be tempted to break.
So, I don't think it is entirely a cultural issue, as Sarolta suggested, but it is tied more to the differences in conditions of employment. Either way, I am still looking for a job. But today, at least, that is OK.
Sarolta couldn't understand why I didn't take the job if it was offered and I needed one. It sounds simple, I know. But to me, at least, is isn't.
First of all, I have temporary work which keeps the bills paid for now. And my husband works. So we aren't destitute.
More important, though, is the other aspect Sarolta mentioned: that I could just leave this job if a better one came along. In the US, public school teachers are under contract. We cannot just walk away from a job as you can do in other countries. Now, I know people here do it all the time, but I come from a time when you honored a contract.
So that makes the issue more complicated. If I take a teaching job now, I am committing to it until June. No matter what else comes along. That makes it hard for me to want to take a job just to have a job. Of course, I may have not pursued this job and still not get offered anything closer to what I am looking for. That is a gamble I have to take. But I would rather take a job at a bookstore that I could walk away from with two weeks' notice than sign a contract that I would be tempted to break.
So, I don't think it is entirely a cultural issue, as Sarolta suggested, but it is tied more to the differences in conditions of employment. Either way, I am still looking for a job. But today, at least, that is OK.
What kind of blog is this?
Jenn had an interesting post with a SlideShare presentation on why people blog. I looked at the presentation, anxious to see how I would categorize my blogging. What I discovered is that my kind of blogging doesn't seem to exist! Maybe that is why I have had such a hard time blogging lately! And here I thought it was because my life was sort of up in the air!
Actually, the presentation outlines 25 styles of blogging. I found it interesting. I don't know that I would ever do some of the kinds of blogging mentioned there, but you never know.
So, in spite of my recent lack of posting, I have to ask myself again what exactly this blog does. I guess it discusses technology and education and the places the two intersect in my life. Again I must acknowledge the fact that I can't blog if I am not reading blogs. (That is another part of the reason behind my lack of blogging. Lack of focus on reading!)
I guess, too, I must admit that I don't know the exact purpose of this blog. And I am OK with that. All I am hoping for now is to get back to the kind of regular posting I did for the first two years. I miss it. I miss writing. I miss reading. I miss the communication!
Actually, the presentation outlines 25 styles of blogging. I found it interesting. I don't know that I would ever do some of the kinds of blogging mentioned there, but you never know.
So, in spite of my recent lack of posting, I have to ask myself again what exactly this blog does. I guess it discusses technology and education and the places the two intersect in my life. Again I must acknowledge the fact that I can't blog if I am not reading blogs. (That is another part of the reason behind my lack of blogging. Lack of focus on reading!)
I guess, too, I must admit that I don't know the exact purpose of this blog. And I am OK with that. All I am hoping for now is to get back to the kind of regular posting I did for the first two years. I miss it. I miss writing. I miss reading. I miss the communication!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Decisions, decisions
It has been almost six months now since I started my job search. I have officially been unemployed for a week short of three months. I am being paid to do some course design, but I haven't found a full-time job yet. This is rather amazing to me. I have always been able to get a job. But, seemingly, this time I cannot.
At least that's what I thought until I heard about a job yesterday. My former colleague has accepted a job teaching ESL at an upper elementary school - a middle school in south Louisiana. She told me that the school district is still looking for an ESL teacher. So I called this morning and talked to the woman in charge.
She gave me a very convincing sales pitch. 4 hours of classroom time a day,2.5 hours of prep and meeting time. More that 1.5 times the salary I was making at the college. Good benefits. I was starting to get interested.
And then she asked me why I was interested in the job. I gave her some answer or other, but I realized almost as I was saying it that the only reason I am interested in the job is just that: it's a job.
And I don't think it would be fair to me or to the school district, much less to the students, for ma to take a job just to have a job. So while I haven't made a final decision yet, I think I have pretty well decided that I will call the woman and tell her I am not interested. It seems like the honest and professional thing to do.
But there is that little bit of me that is scared, that is afraid that I still won't have a job another 6 months from now. Will my standards and my concern for others be as high then?
At least that's what I thought until I heard about a job yesterday. My former colleague has accepted a job teaching ESL at an upper elementary school - a middle school in south Louisiana. She told me that the school district is still looking for an ESL teacher. So I called this morning and talked to the woman in charge.
She gave me a very convincing sales pitch. 4 hours of classroom time a day,2.5 hours of prep and meeting time. More that 1.5 times the salary I was making at the college. Good benefits. I was starting to get interested.
And then she asked me why I was interested in the job. I gave her some answer or other, but I realized almost as I was saying it that the only reason I am interested in the job is just that: it's a job.
And I don't think it would be fair to me or to the school district, much less to the students, for ma to take a job just to have a job. So while I haven't made a final decision yet, I think I have pretty well decided that I will call the woman and tell her I am not interested. It seems like the honest and professional thing to do.
But there is that little bit of me that is scared, that is afraid that I still won't have a job another 6 months from now. Will my standards and my concern for others be as high then?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Using Pageflakes
I have been looking at Pageflakes for some time now but haven't done anything with it really. Then today I read a post the the TESL-L from Barry Bakin about how he is experimenting with it. Anyway, I checked out his Pageflakes page and his class blog and his professional blog.
Barry's use of Pageflakes finally made it all come together for me. I could see how I could effectively use Pageflakes to coordinate all the different things I want students to do online. Check it out. I think you will see what I mean.
(cross posted at Moving Along)
Barry's use of Pageflakes finally made it all come together for me. I could see how I could effectively use Pageflakes to coordinate all the different things I want students to do online. Check it out. I think you will see what I mean.
(cross posted at Moving Along)
Sunday, July 15, 2007
A strange time for me
It's that time again - the time when stores start having sales on school supplies. I used to love it. I still love it. But it feels very strange not to be buying anything this year. (Actually, I moved so many things out of my office in May that I am sure I have all the supplies I could possibly need for a new job when I get one!)
I have been very fortunate to get a temporary job developing a course, so we are OK financially for awhile. I still have a few applications out there that might lead to something, but I am not holding my breath.
So for now I just look at the ads in the paper and think about how nice it would be to have to go out and buy more notebooks and pens and binders and pencils and...
I have been very fortunate to get a temporary job developing a course, so we are OK financially for awhile. I still have a few applications out there that might lead to something, but I am not holding my breath.
So for now I just look at the ads in the paper and think about how nice it would be to have to go out and buy more notebooks and pens and binders and pencils and...
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Are you addicted to blogging?
65%
Rachel is much more addicted to blogging than I am, I guess.
My husband walked in as I was completing the quiz and saw the banner at the top which read Mingle2 100% Free Online Dating. I had to do some explaining. So you might want to complete the quiz when your partner is away!
Try it for yourself here.
Rachel is much more addicted to blogging than I am, I guess.
My husband walked in as I was completing the quiz and saw the banner at the top which read Mingle2 100% Free Online Dating. I had to do some explaining. So you might want to complete the quiz when your partner is away!
Try it for yourself here.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Check out this wiki!
While I may be the last person to learn about this, I want to pass it on anyway! Reading Rachel's blog, I found a reference that led me to a wiki that you are sure to like. It is called Educational Software and Web 2.0.
This wiki is a collection of resources. Included are:
It's a little like looking at Mashable or Solution Watch but organized as only a wiki can be.
Anyway, I thought it was a great resource, and I wanted to make sure everyone knew about it!
(Crossposted at Moving On)
This wiki is a collection of resources. Included are:
Audio Programs
Art and Design
iLife in Macs
Office Programs
Photo Editing
Special Needs
Teacher Tools
Video Editing
Visual Organisers
Web Authoring
Writing Software
Calendar Sharing
EduBlogs
Mindmaps and Charts
Mashups
Office Apps
Picture Sharing
Pod/ Vidcasts
RSS and Feeds
Slide Shows
Social Networking
Social Bookmarks
Video Editing
Video sharing
Widgets
Wikis
Internet Basics
Web Hosting
Web searching tips
Internet Safety
Free Hit Counters
Free Image Libraries
Digital Still Camera
Video Resources
Audio Resources
Other Resources
Similar sites
Digital Storytelling
It's a little like looking at Mashable or Solution Watch but organized as only a wiki can be.
Anyway, I thought it was a great resource, and I wanted to make sure everyone knew about it!
(Crossposted at Moving On)
Saturday, June 30, 2007
The Future of Education
Derek had a post about an interactive Map of Future Forces Affecting Education. The map legend shows us that it looks at
In the resource library they have a couple of presentations about the map. They give a pretty good overview of it. There are links to other resources connected to the various trends, etc. discussed in the map. There is a lot of valuable information here. And a lot to think about.
Drivers ... These are six categories driving all trends, hotspots and dilemmas.The map looks at things that have not really been considered much in education up until now. To give you an idea, among the trends mentioned in the map is "increasing chronic illness". Clicking on the box tells us about rising youth obesity and the fact that 40% of public school students need mental health care. Looking at a real world application of this, they say that it is becoming harder to be healthy and we must look for ways for students' need for medical care not to adversely affect their ability to participate in school. It also says that that the health needs of children can help to create real change in education.
Impact areas ... These are five key areas of activity where major trends are revealed from different perspectives.
Hotspots ...These are key trends that we think have broad impact on education and often make good starting points for exploring the map.
Dilemmas ... These are issues that can't be solved with either/or thinking but require new strategies that go beyond simple problem solving.
Trends ... Trends make up the core of the map. They are major shifts, new phenomena and concepts, and driving forces that will shape the future context of public education.
In the resource library they have a couple of presentations about the map. They give a pretty good overview of it. There are links to other resources connected to the various trends, etc. discussed in the map. There is a lot of valuable information here. And a lot to think about.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
How do you define success?
I was looking at Mashable today and saw a post entitled 6 Key Ways to Measure Your Blog's Success. It is, as you might expect, a look at different rating systems like Technorati. And while I understand what they are talking about, it raised an important question in my mind: what does it mean for a blog to be successful?
I have yet to check Technorati to find out how my blog is doing -- largely because I would be surprised to see it there at all. None of my blogs have many readers. And that is OK with me because I don't think blogging is about numbers. To me, if there is one person who has gotten even one idea or one different perspective on just one topic, the blog has been successful. If one person reads something here that helps them see that they aren't the only one who thinks a certain way, it will be enough for me.
And actually, if no one reads this blog but me, I will still keep blogging because blogging is in large part about the writing and the thinking. I want to continue to do both within the confines of my blogs even if no one ever sees them because I will have learned something in the process. That in itself is success.
I have yet to check Technorati to find out how my blog is doing -- largely because I would be surprised to see it there at all. None of my blogs have many readers. And that is OK with me because I don't think blogging is about numbers. To me, if there is one person who has gotten even one idea or one different perspective on just one topic, the blog has been successful. If one person reads something here that helps them see that they aren't the only one who thinks a certain way, it will be enough for me.
And actually, if no one reads this blog but me, I will still keep blogging because blogging is in large part about the writing and the thinking. I want to continue to do both within the confines of my blogs even if no one ever sees them because I will have learned something in the process. That in itself is success.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
I'm R2-D2.
OK. I haven't taken one of these tests in a long time. And since my son and I just bought our Star Wars stamps, this seemed appropriate.
Your results:
You are R2-D2
(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)
Click here to take the Star Wars Personality Test
Thanks to Darcy for the link!
Your results:
You are R2-D2
| What you lack in height and communication skills, you make up for in industriousness, technical know-how and being there when others need you most.  |
(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)
Click here to take the Star Wars Personality Test
Thanks to Darcy for the link!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
In answer to your question...
Lesley asked if there was a downside to using OpenOffice. So I will try to answer.
I would have to say that, yes, there are some sacrifices you make. For instance, there is no built-in reading level analyzer in OpenOffice (OO). There is an add-on you can get, but it is sometimes a little buggy. It is possible to track changes and everything, though, so that isn't a problem. You can add written comments to a paper, but as far as I know you cannot add audio comments.
Some things are not impossible in OO but seem a little more awkward to do. Page numbering is one of them. If you want the title page to not have a number or if you have pages with Roman numerals followed by regular numbering, it is a little complicated to do. I think, though, that if I did it more often, I would remember from one attempt to the next and not have to go to the forums looking for help.
That brings up one of the real advantages of OO and other open source tools is that there is a great community of users out there who have either already answered your question for someone else or will be willing to answer it for you if it hasn't come up yet. (I have never yet had a question for which I couldn't find the answer on the OO forum.)
The only other problem I have ever had is that sometimes when I open my OO .doc document in Word, the formatting is a little off. This can be frustrating. But I have had worse problems with using different versions of Word on computers in a computer lab.
For me, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, but not everyone would necessarily feel that way. But I go back to what I said last time: Download it and try it for two weeks and then decide.
I would have to say that, yes, there are some sacrifices you make. For instance, there is no built-in reading level analyzer in OpenOffice (OO). There is an add-on you can get, but it is sometimes a little buggy. It is possible to track changes and everything, though, so that isn't a problem. You can add written comments to a paper, but as far as I know you cannot add audio comments.
Some things are not impossible in OO but seem a little more awkward to do. Page numbering is one of them. If you want the title page to not have a number or if you have pages with Roman numerals followed by regular numbering, it is a little complicated to do. I think, though, that if I did it more often, I would remember from one attempt to the next and not have to go to the forums looking for help.
That brings up one of the real advantages of OO and other open source tools is that there is a great community of users out there who have either already answered your question for someone else or will be willing to answer it for you if it hasn't come up yet. (I have never yet had a question for which I couldn't find the answer on the OO forum.)
The only other problem I have ever had is that sometimes when I open my OO .doc document in Word, the formatting is a little off. This can be frustrating. But I have had worse problems with using different versions of Word on computers in a computer lab.
For me, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, but not everyone would necessarily feel that way. But I go back to what I said last time: Download it and try it for two weeks and then decide.
Voice Thread 2
Darren had a link to Voice Thread, and I decided to give it a look. I initially wrote about it on my other blog but it wasn't possible to embed it there. So I came back over here to see what happened.
I think that this tool, which is free, could have potential for classroom use. It would be interesting to try.
I think that this tool, which is free, could have potential for classroom use. It would be interesting to try.
Voice Thread
This is a test of Voice Thread and my blog's ability to embed it.
Look at the armadillo that came into my yard!
Look at the armadillo that came into my yard!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
In praise of open source
Thanks to a post over at Kairosnews, I learned about an article in Linux Insider about the use of open source software. As a computer user running Ubuntu Linux, using Firefox, OpenOffice, Abiword, Audacity, and many other open source programs, there wasn't a lot that was new to me. But it was an interesting read.
The first part of the article discusses myths about open source. One of them that I have heard over and over is
My son was recently enrolled in a college level IT class where he had to use Microsoft Office products. I tried to convince him that he could do it all in OpenOffice; after all, how could the professor tell what program he had used to prepare a document? He did most of it that way. Some assignments, though, required a discussion of the process of doing something in Word, for instance. He had to borrow a computer for those assignments.
The article addresses this myth, saying:
While we can't expect schools to all immediately switch to open source, do you think it would be possible to introduce it slowly? Could teachers get permission to download OpenOffice, for instance, and use it with their students?
This brings me to another myth:
And if you aren't willing to do that, at least read the article.
The first part of the article discusses myths about open source. One of them that I have heard over and over is
Myth: Students need to learn the standard applications.When you look at the job ads out there, this would seem to be true. I have really been looking at job ads lately, and it is amazing to me the number that want you to be able to use specific Microsoft programs -- even down to Outlook. There is seldom a discussion of what one needs to be able to do with these programs, merely the requirement that you know how to use them.
My son was recently enrolled in a college level IT class where he had to use Microsoft Office products. I tried to convince him that he could do it all in OpenOffice; after all, how could the professor tell what program he had used to prepare a document? He did most of it that way. Some assignments, though, required a discussion of the process of doing something in Word, for instance. He had to borrow a computer for those assignments.
The article addresses this myth, saying:
Schools have a responsibility to give students the skills they need to succeed. By the time high school students get to the job market, today's applications will be antiquated. Students need to know how to use word processors to communicate and spreadsheets to explore numbers and graphs. Their technical skills should transcend the particular idiosyncrasies of the applicationsI wonder, though, if it isn't our fear as older adults that keeps students using "standard" applications. For many of us, this is all we know about computers. We are still, some of us, a little afraid of the machines. So we stick with what we know. Until we break out of the mold, we can't really help our students do it.
While we can't expect schools to all immediately switch to open source, do you think it would be possible to introduce it slowly? Could teachers get permission to download OpenOffice, for instance, and use it with their students?
This brings me to another myth:
Myth: Moving to F/OSS will require retraining and relearning.The author's response was:
People are often reluctant to try new computer programs, though most users find only subtle differences between one program and another. In the course of giving conference presentations about F/OSS, two computer coordinators shared stories of upgrading some users' Microsoft Office suite with OpenOffice.org, leaving Microsoft Office icons as the means to start OpenOffice.org. In both cases, most users failed to notice that they were no longer using Microsoft Office.So my challenge to you, if you are not using open source already, is to go out there and give it a try. Download a program and use it exclusively for two weeks. See if you don't like it. It may take some getting used to, but it won't be any more difficult to adjust to than a Microsoft upgrade.
And if you aren't willing to do that, at least read the article.
Monday, June 11, 2007
The burden is on us
A History Teacher has an interesting post on plagiarism and how he has changed one of his assignments to avoid it. This is exactly the kind of thing that I think should be happening. Like the cheating with iPods I wrote about earlier, it seems to me that this is what we should be doing. Rather than expecting students to complete assignments that resemble the ones we were given as students with enthusiasm and integrity and then getting upset when they use their creativity (or lack of it, in the case of a lot of plagiarism) to get around it, we should be looking for ways to make our teaching and our assignments more relevant and more creative.
Dan mentioned a particular WebQuest assignment he has changed over the years to make it more "cheat-proof". That got me thinking about my own WebQuests. Granted, I will probably never again have an opportunity to use my Will the Real Thomas Merton Please Stand Up? assignment, but you never know. There was little in this assignment that did not lend itself to copying from the sources if my students had been so inclined. The other WebQuests I have done are about the same. But, I ask myself, what else could I have done? These assignments were for writing classes. They ask students to read, summarize, and synthesize information. If they wanted to copy from the sources, it was certainly possible.
This, for me, is the problem. I am the problem. I need to learn to think outside the box more. That is why I love reading blogs where teachers talk about what they are doing with their students. It's why I love Clarence Fisher and Darren Kuropatwa; they share their thinking and their work and allow me to learn from them. And there is so much I need to learn!
Dan mentioned a particular WebQuest assignment he has changed over the years to make it more "cheat-proof". That got me thinking about my own WebQuests. Granted, I will probably never again have an opportunity to use my Will the Real Thomas Merton Please Stand Up? assignment, but you never know. There was little in this assignment that did not lend itself to copying from the sources if my students had been so inclined. The other WebQuests I have done are about the same. But, I ask myself, what else could I have done? These assignments were for writing classes. They ask students to read, summarize, and synthesize information. If they wanted to copy from the sources, it was certainly possible.
This, for me, is the problem. I am the problem. I need to learn to think outside the box more. That is why I love reading blogs where teachers talk about what they are doing with their students. It's why I love Clarence Fisher and Darren Kuropatwa; they share their thinking and their work and allow me to learn from them. And there is so much I need to learn!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
A bit of persepctive
That's what I am hoping I have, at least.
I have returned from another unsuccessful job interview trip. At first I was devastated: how could they not want to even have a second interview with me for a job I was well qualified for? But that is what happened. We drove 1100+ miles for me to have a 20 minute interview.
Since returning, though, I have been thinking about what various readers have written about taking my time and trying to find what it is that I want to do. And I have really been thinking about the idea of NOT having a job. At least not having a 9-5/8-4 job I go to each day. The freedom of that is quite appealing. My concern with that before was that I know myself: I throw myself 110% into whatever I am doing. Could I do that with a variety of part-time jobs? A better question might be, do I want to give 110% to a job now? That obviously didn't work so well for me n my last job.
One thing that I know is that I do not want to define myself by my job anymore. I have more talent and ability than I give myself credit for. I am trying to develop a little faith in myself and a little more persepctive. And I am ready to get on with life.
Since returning, though, I have been thinking about what various readers have written about taking my time and trying to find what it is that I want to do. And I have really been thinking about the idea of NOT having a job. At least not having a 9-5/8-4 job I go to each day. The freedom of that is quite appealing. My concern with that before was that I know myself: I throw myself 110% into whatever I am doing. Could I do that with a variety of part-time jobs? A better question might be, do I want to give 110% to a job now? That obviously didn't work so well for me n my last job.
One thing that I know is that I do not want to define myself by my job anymore. I have more talent and ability than I give myself credit for. I am trying to develop a little faith in myself and a little more persepctive. And I am ready to get on with life.
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