I was playing around with my template today, trying to get everything to appear in a nice three-column format, but something was wrong and I didn't have the patience to learn html today when I was just tooling around to avoid doing real work. Anyways, in the course of backing up and reinstalling my original template, I lost some code somewhere and part of that was my links list, which I hadn't really updated lately anyway so it was no real loss.
So if you want a shout out vis-a-vis my blogroll, let me know and I will hook you up.
Edit: Actually, when I took Windows off my laptop and installed stupid Linux, I forgot to back up my bookmarks, so if you have anything in your "daily read" that you'd recommend, send that along as well.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Audience Participation Activity!
I have a great activity for everyone. I know you all loved the great comic I made yesterday. What you didn't know (except Tyson) is that it was very, very simple to do. Click here to go to a website where you can make your very own three-panel comic, and tell us what you have been up to lately, something that bothers you, or something like that. For instance, I got an email from a recruiter at an online university saying my employer has available $50,000 in scholarship money for advanced degrees. (Unfortunately, no one showed up to lead the information session at the public library yesterday, but that's another comic for another day.)
What is actually harder than making the comic is getting it to me so I can put it up here. Ideally, make a comic, save it as a .jpg or .bmp file, and send it to me and I will post it here. Alternately, you could save it to flickr or photobucket or something and post a link in the comments section. However, if you send it in, I will post it on the main page and we will get a little comics-gallery thing going on.
So go to! And don't miss the "randomize" button at the top of the comics creator. It is way fun to play with!
What is actually harder than making the comic is getting it to me so I can put it up here. Ideally, make a comic, save it as a .jpg or .bmp file, and send it to me and I will post it here. Alternately, you could save it to flickr or photobucket or something and post a link in the comments section. However, if you send it in, I will post it on the main page and we will get a little comics-gallery thing going on.
So go to! And don't miss the "randomize" button at the top of the comics creator. It is way fun to play with!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
My brain is full.
If you had any news for me today, sorry. I will not be accepting any new information; my brain is full.
I have just had 20 hours of training in adapting a business model for a classroom environment, and I haven't slept the last two nights trying to process all of it. If I was a hard drive, I'd be making that whirring sound that means something important is about to happen.
This whole time, I wasn't sure I was really "getting" it, but today when we started working on implementation steps with our principal, I had several people (including the trainer who came in from Salt Lake and her counterpart here at our school) tell me there was no way I wasn't going to make this happen.
Basically, we're looking at combining three classes--three teachers, three sets of state standards, and 90+ students--and using a business model to let students have choice and individual accountability to accomplish these standards. Our goal is to get out of the lecture-worksheet-test pattern of teaching and give students access to what they need when they need it. It really looks like a lot of work up front, and we put together a binder that's about seven inches thick and must weigh 20 pounds, but I think we have most of what we need.
I don't know how else to describe it without going into tons of details--we had three days to take it all in. But suffice to say I'll be doing as little thinking as possible for the next few hours. I'd take the weekend off, but there's a meeting tomorrow morning about possible scholarships for masters' degrees with the online university Tyson's going to, and then I have to get up to school to make up for the three days I haven't been in my room.
But for the next few hours, I'll be making homemade corned beef and vegetables and Irish soda bread instead of thinking about stuff.
I have just had 20 hours of training in adapting a business model for a classroom environment, and I haven't slept the last two nights trying to process all of it. If I was a hard drive, I'd be making that whirring sound that means something important is about to happen.
This whole time, I wasn't sure I was really "getting" it, but today when we started working on implementation steps with our principal, I had several people (including the trainer who came in from Salt Lake and her counterpart here at our school) tell me there was no way I wasn't going to make this happen.
Basically, we're looking at combining three classes--three teachers, three sets of state standards, and 90+ students--and using a business model to let students have choice and individual accountability to accomplish these standards. Our goal is to get out of the lecture-worksheet-test pattern of teaching and give students access to what they need when they need it. It really looks like a lot of work up front, and we put together a binder that's about seven inches thick and must weigh 20 pounds, but I think we have most of what we need.
I don't know how else to describe it without going into tons of details--we had three days to take it all in. But suffice to say I'll be doing as little thinking as possible for the next few hours. I'd take the weekend off, but there's a meeting tomorrow morning about possible scholarships for masters' degrees with the online university Tyson's going to, and then I have to get up to school to make up for the three days I haven't been in my room.
But for the next few hours, I'll be making homemade corned beef and vegetables and Irish soda bread instead of thinking about stuff.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
A Post For Tyson
Hey, hon, I know you need something to do when you get home today, so here is a post for you to read.
I sat in a little plastic chair today for too many hours at Company training, but I am really looking forward to watching everything work. I am getting a little frustrated not knowing how these things are going to be put in action, but I think everything will settle down.
Ummmm....I wish I hadn't read comics this morning so I'd still have something to do right now because my brain is pretty much fried from training and it needs to absorb silly content, not try to make my own.
OH! Speaking of computer stuff, I got an email today saying my district is offering scholarships for advanced degrees at Walden, so I will go to a meeting on Saturday and see what is what.
So I hope this is what you had in mind, but I am just too wasted to do anymore. If you need me when you get done reading this, I am probably taking a nap.
I sat in a little plastic chair today for too many hours at Company training, but I am really looking forward to watching everything work. I am getting a little frustrated not knowing how these things are going to be put in action, but I think everything will settle down.
Ummmm....I wish I hadn't read comics this morning so I'd still have something to do right now because my brain is pretty much fried from training and it needs to absorb silly content, not try to make my own.
OH! Speaking of computer stuff, I got an email today saying my district is offering scholarships for advanced degrees at Walden, so I will go to a meeting on Saturday and see what is what.
So I hope this is what you had in mind, but I am just too wasted to do anymore. If you need me when you get done reading this, I am probably taking a nap.
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