Pete the Cat

A Big Thanks to our wonderful Garland County Library for bringing Pete the Cat to school AND the author, Mr. Eric Litwin!  

What a priceless memory for these kiddos to put a face to a real live author...a guitar playing "groovy" author nonetheless!  Allie and Garrison cannot wait to read about his new characters. 

Special thanks to Mrs. Jill and Mrs. Katie for these special memories! 

Creating Life-Long Readers

My hope for my children and students is to help them love to read and become life-long readers.  Well, my heart melted today when I went to check on A and G during "rest time."  Here's what I found:

Allie reading to her friends. 

...and Garrison doing "Writer's Workshop." 

G also did some reading...Curious George, of course.

I am so incredibly thankful to their teachers who are encouraging their love of learning! 

Keep it up my darlings and friends out there...Never underestimate the power of reading a story.... just for fun! 

Boating with Nanny

We loved having nanny come camping with us last night!  :) 

Getting in the boat was quite comical! 

She made it!

Wait!!! 

Snuggle time! 

Addison loves to dance and feel the wind in her hair with her best buddy, Allie. 

"The Best Day Ever"

....and they're off...

The day began with an excited Garrison hopping in bed to wake me up.  He then slurped down his yogurt smoothie and gobbled up his muffins.  Allie was surprisingly the opposite, as she took her time to wake up and get moving.  Since I cried many tears last night (on the eve of Kindergarten), I actually did pretty well at drop off. 

Here Garrison was ready to pose.

Allie did not want to smile, so these are our 'grumpy' faces (not very flattering, but very memorable). 

Garrison's declaration of "the best day ever!" makes for one happy mommy.  Allie was a bit more descriptive about her day and ended by saying, "I have a great teacher!"  Another happy mommy moment. 

Both kiddos were fascinated by the "Choice Box," and proud to proclaim they did not "sign" the box.  I hope this is true... 

...and here's the end of the day photo taken when  I stopped by aftercare...they really wanted nothing to do with me, which means it was a great day! Right???  Garrison did flash a smile, but not so much from Allie....maybe tomorrow, but not today. :) Happy school year!

First Day of Kindergarten 2013

'twas the night before Kindergarten Prayers

'twas the night before kindergarten 
All snug in their beds 

  

Prayers for God's blessings 
Danced in mom's head 

Lunches are packed
Clothes are picked out

Tears will be shed 
without a doubt

The kids are excited
And all filled with glee

Mom's a bit nervous
But pumped for Park IB!

Words cannot express my feelings as I prepare to send my babies to "big" school... 

As a former Kindergarten teacher, you'd think I'd have it all figured out, but these are my babies. My only babies to send to K on the very same day...it's monumental!  

My prayer for all the teachers who are beginning their year is for you to fill the children you teach with a love of learning.  Parents, may we remember to support these teachers who work tirelessly and pour themselves into our precious babies.  For my children, may you be a blessing to everyone you meet, let the joy of The Lord shine from your heart! 

The Home Stretch

My hangers are empty and bags are packed ready to fly home tomorrow.  It's bittersweet because I feel like there's more to learn and I've enjoyed my group so much. Yet, I can't wait to snuggle my babies! 

Complimentary chair massage? Why yes, please! Thank you Wingate hotel for feeding me breakfast and caring for my tired shoulders.  

Day 4 of 5 consisted of "getting our hands dirty" with the iPads and Audacity.  Before this course, I had never posted to Youtube. I guess it seemed a little scary. Now, I have successfully created an instructional videoe and an advice video which are both PUBLISHED on the Web.  I like that word 'published,' as I guess all doctoral students do.  :)  

The possibilities with today's technology are endless.  With the ease of uploading videos, I can see the flipped classroom having a great impact on student achievement.  I am looking forward to watching my new friend (and group member) implement the flipped classroom this year.  What are your thoughts or experiences with the flipped classroom??? Any tips?  

Hard Work, Free App and Eeek…Dissertation!

Our beautiful group of hard working ladies!  I love them!  

We have many hours of work left on our project, but it really is beginning to come together.  Yesterday morning, I woke up (and didn’t sleep) worrying that we would never have enough time to complete a quality presentation, and then the first words I read for the day were from my Jesus Calling devotional: “Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice.”

It is amazing how everyday this app that is preplanned speaks directly to my heart. Then when you really think about it, our lives are preplanned.  God knows the plans He has for me and knows I need to be reminded to place my focus on Him, to take the time to acknowledge Him and His holy presence. Thank you, Jesus. 

Class Day 3 of 5:

Today, we watched a Monty Python clip from Youtube to learn about qualitative research…are you thinking what I was thinking???  How do you learn about qualitative research from watching a clip of four old men stretching the truth about the good ol’ days?  Well, my professor did it very nicely!  What a great example of making learning meaningful.  We then learned about the dissertation process…SCARY is the only word I know to use.  While I was extra excited to learn more about it, I know many daunting days are to come. 

FYI: Pic Collage is FREE!!!  I love this app and the Pro version is free right now! It’s a nice little update from the lite version, which actually works really well. Get it while it’s free! Here’s an example: 

Kiddos, Google Drive and Access

Missing my sweet kiddos, but I am enjoying learning lots and lots of new information!  While I am away, my sweet husband is painting Allie’s and Garrison’s rooms.  I am a bit anxious to see his handy work complete. Can you guess the colors??? Pink and Orange! Eeek!  

"Picasso and Rembrandt" hard at work! Can you tell mommy's not home by the look of Allie's hair??? ;) 

Day 2 of 5 was packed with great information.  We learned about Google Drive and it is life changing. 

What an amazing way to collaborate with others in real time on multiple devices.  I am just learning about all of the features, so any tips would be great! We are using it to create our presentation, and I am impressed!  

Also, as a lover of Mail Merge (using Excel and Word), I was excited/hesitant to learn about Microsoft Access.  Really what could this technology do that Excel can’t?  Well, I am sold that the features are quite beneficial and hope to learn more about it soon.  However, thinking about it…one feature I really liked was for surveys and such and can I not just use the forms in Google Drive for that???  Hmmm…maybe I should take one technology at a time…  

Do you have any advice or favorite lesson ideas for Access or Google Drive???  Please share! 

Happy learning!!! 

The beginning and Endnote

Wow!  Day 1 of 5 is complete…where to begin???  Our group is going to be great!  The girls are all fun and hard workers! We shared laughs and some anxiety about our group project, but asthe Piaget said learning does not occur without a period of disequilibrium.  It is a necessary evil to experience that sense of confusion and not understanding.  It is not fun and definitely not easy, but in these moments, we grow…yes, we grow!  

So what did I learn…ENDNOTE!  This great referencing software was almost the straw that broke the camel’s back!  However, our group conquered Endnote and will successfully be sharing our references.  This capability will hopefully, put us on the same page to get our theoretical framework and presentation organized tomorrow.   THANK YOU Dr. Dunn for all of your help, even if the screen was too dim and the font too big. :) 

  

Key Notes:  

Always think outside the box and be brave.  Here’s to day two!

My roommate Michaelia, the Google Scholar Master! Your knowledge is powerful!

Group Work????

What are your thoughts on group work? Do you dread it and avoid it like the plague?  Or Do you embrace the opportunity to share the workload?  I, for one, am a collaborator and enjoy working with others, but working with strangers in a partially online course???  Scary! However, after I signed up for my group, Mobile Devices and Apps, I ‘met’ in Cyberspace three amazing ladies.  I cannot wait to meet them in person during our on campus portion of our course.  I think we are going to do very well!   

Here is a fun little image to represent our team name! 

Fears, Reflections, and Challenges: Preparing for Class

 Sometimes getting started is the hardest part!  

As I prepare for a doctoral level technology course, the differences between RAM and ROM run through my head like a bad commercial lyric.  Many would say I am “techy” and should have no fear entering this journey of “Technology Practice for Instructional Improvement.”  However, the fear of the unknown is always a bit unsettling.  My professor seems to have a good sense of humor, as he provided a comical scenario of what life during our class will be like and he is frequently “spamming” us with good reads that he admittedly knows we may not read (I will, of course!). 

To me, technology is a game changer.  It links our classrooms to the outside world in unconceivable ways.  I began teaching ten years ago and was thankful to have three classroom computers.  During my second year teaching, I “won” a district essay contest on how I would use a projector in the classroom.  What a difference it made to have the ability to project my computer onto a standard whiteboard.  Noting the improvements and increased interactions of my kindergarteners, my principal purchased a Promethean board for my classroom the next year.  Using this experience, I now provide professional development on the use of interactive white boards to increase student learning.   

With the development of mobile devices, like iPads and other tablets, learning has transformed.  In my fourth grade classroom, the use of the devices helped provide immediate feedback, numerous connections to life outside of the classroom, and the ability to research the Web that once was limited to the coveted three classroom computers.

My concern is not the use and the implementation of technology, but the lack of use and implementation of technology.  Staying current on the latest and greatest developments in technology is difficult for any busy teacher, and all too often school districts invest money in amazing technologies that end up sitting in a closet and collecting dust.  

My goal as an educator is to inspire teachers to use the best tools available and prepare students to be successful life-long learners!  

As a classroom teacher, what are your challenges with technology?