Winter Break- what break?

I spent much of my winter break trying to clean the house and do some of the daily tasks that have been pushed aside, now that I am in grad school full time.  I also picked up a few more hours working to try and put some money aside for when school gets busier (if that is possible).  I also spent some time on the trusty Internet looking for research material on a number of my upcoming projects, and again I was amazed at the complexity and patience it takes to find good material.  I am glad I have the new tools for surfing the web, because I am able to find more valuable information.  The one area I am still struggling is to find research articles by scholars.  If anyone reads this and has any clues, they would be much appreciated.  The break was good, but I miss the influx of new information and the feeling of learning and accomplishment, so I guess my batteries are recharged, atleast half full, and I’m ready for the next challenges.  As long as these challenges keep inspiring and exciting me to teach, I am sure it is well worth the hard work and will prepare me to myself excite and inspire the students or as I see them the future of the world. 

Internet: Fact or Fiction

I was amazed after we completed an exercise in class, in how many non-factual, or bullsh*t websites there are.  I think the story in our class reading about the young boy who did a paper on the Holocaust and stated that it was all about lice, is sad and ridiculous.  I see the Internet as a powerful and amazing tool to communicate across huge distances, and also as a powerful tool to expanding knowledge.  The problem is that some people have seen the Internet as a joke, or a way to make money.  I guess the saying that a few bad apples can ruin a bunch, can be true.  I think what I have learned is that as a user of the Internet, and as a future educator, my job is to teach or educate myself and my student to not be fooled by a few bad apples.  I think learning about the advance searches on google or any other search engine, and the power of the linked site search (google: type in the word link: and the website)) are huge to determining the authenticity of a web site.  I also like the fact that a user can tell alot about a website depending on its ending, like .gov and .edu being dependable and reputable sites because of their affiliation or sponsorship by the government(.gov) or by a university(.edu).  I also have learned to look for an author that will take credit for the information expressed on the website and for a recent date the site was update to help determine the validity of the information.  All of this information is simple and easy to investigate on the Internet, now my job is to use this information and to pass it on, so the Internet can continue to be a good thing, and not turned into ”rotten apples”.   

New Appretiation for Excel

I feel since I have returned back to school after 8 years in the “rat race” of the “real world”, that I am learning so much information in Grad school.  For instance, I am learning so much useful and practical information in my technology class.  I can’t believe I have had so many tools such as word and excel at my fingertips for so long, and I have had no idea had to utilize them to make life more organized and learning more fun.   My wife is running her fathers diner and she has been having issues with scheduling and who is working were and when, along with what needs to be done by whom and what the specials are on what days.  Now, just typing that was confusing, so living it was a nightmare.  We sat down last night and I helped her make a spread sheet for her scheduling of workers adn it is also going to be used to help with payroll.  We also came up with nice and organized checklists for job duties and also for daily specials.   Now that she see,s my secret talents, I have been informed that our next task will be organizing the ordering of supplies.  I am not so sure I like what I have learned quite so much, now that my wife is in control.   

The “Super Powers” of Microsoft Word

In class on Thursday January 31, we dissected the unknown powers and potential of Microsoft Word.  I have used Word for over 15 years and have always thought it was a great word processing program and I knew I few little tricks like hyperlinks in a paper, but I had no idea how much could be done with Word.  I am now capable of inserting pictures and clip-art from not only my harddrive, but also from the Internet.  I can make pictures hyperlinks to the Internet and pictures as backgrounds or pictures with text.  I can change the color of the text, as a way of puting emphasis on certain words or phrases, or depending on my mood or just for a change of scenery.  I think it is great that all of this can be done, and none of it was mind boggling, I just needed someone to show me it was there (thanks Dr. Ransom).  I think it is a great tool to be used by teachers to try and make learning more fun and interactive for children, but is also great for students to learn to use and utilize easy technology to express themselves.  The other amazing thing about Microsoft word, was brought up in our class on January 24th.  I never realized Microsoft had developed a simpler version of Microsoft word, power point and excel for younger age children to use.  Click hereto view the software.  I especially like the software because it takes away allot of the options or buttons that exist in Microsoft Word that are not needed by younger learners , yet it still allows the children to accomplish tasks that they will use throughout their education, all while using software that will become important in their future development as learners.  Like I have said in past posts and will continue to say, we as teacher and as a society need to change how we teach because how children learn has changed.  I still believe in the fundamentals that have existed in teaching and learning for a long time and the foundation of reading and writing is crucial, but if children aren’t interested or stimulated by education, they have no reason to want to learn.  Learning needs to be fun and their are lots of ways to learn and to teach that inspire learning along with inspiring fun.  It is up to the teachers and parents to push for these new and technologically advancing ideas and programs to be funded and to be put into practice in schools.  There is no time like the present, and the longer we wait the greater the gap grows between teachers and learners.  No more finger pointing or excuses by schools, teachers, parents or students is going to fix this problem.  It has far exceeded the time for everyone to look at the bigger picture, being the survival of our society, and lets all figure out how to compromise and make these changes for the good of our nation and the good of our future.