I'm back...

It has been a while since I have posted. My excuse is school, work, Grace, church, and many more obligations. The good news is that I am now on winter break. Christmas is over and a lot of my stress is melting away. I have now officially completed 12 hours of coursework toward my MEd. I also completed the extra course, Exceptional Children, that I need for certification. Right before Christmas I took the Basic Skills GACE tests and I passed them. Next week I take the Media Specialist tests and if I pass them, I will be employable. So things are starting to fall into place and I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I will not graduate until next December, but I am still going to try and convince someone to hire me. I really am a nice person...isn't that what is truly important?

My Fall Book Club.

For my 5th grade book club we are reading Rules, by Cynthia Lord. We had a great second meeting because the kids actually read the pages I assigned. That's half the battle right there! I am excited about reading this book because of the wonderful plot. It is about a 12 year old girl and her 8 year old brother, who has autism. The story focuses on Catherine's relationship with David, her desire to protect him, her embarrassment about the things that he does, and her need to spend time with her parents—who are often more focused on David's needs. The reason the book is called Rules is because Catherine writes down rules for David, since he often doesn't understand the social rules of society. One rule is: "A boy can take of his shirt to swim, but not his shorts." Obviously, that is a good rule for David to know!

I love the rule she has for herself: "Sometimes you've gotta work with what you've got." I totally understand that one. Like when my pancreas stopped working, I had to work with what I had really quick!

The students seem to be really enjoying the book so far and I hope when we are finished they will have gained more empathy for individuals with special needs. Life is tough enough when everything goes right. We need to help those who've gotta work with what they've got because sometimes what they've got, is one tough, never ending struggle.

(image retrieved from: http://www.cynthialord.com/rules.htm)

Who Am I? Why Am I Here ? What Am I Doing?

So I'm now a full time graduate student. I have gone to the first session of each of my three classes and already I am feeling overwhelmed. The classes are great, the professors are great, and I feel like the work is do-able. I am just feeling like I know nothing and it is bothering me.

For some reason, I Googled "carbon dating" last week, just to see what it is all about. I could not even read through the entire description and I couldn't even ask a question about it, if I had wanted to. Today one of my professors showed an image of the world with blurred lines representing the flow of information being shuttled around on the internet. I wanted to raise my hand and ask, "can you explain just HOW the internet works?" I don't get it. And I know if someone tried to explain it to me, I still would not get it. I could go on with more examples of all the things that I don't know and that I don't understand, but I'm afraid I would wind up in the fetal position. I guess I am overwhelmed by my own ignorance. Welcome to graduate school!

I'm done with technology...yeah, right!

I finished the final assignment for the Technology and the Modern Media Center course that I took this summer—the 9 hours, every day, for a week, course. I had to create a newsletter using a resource that we used in class. There was a list of things that had to be included in the newsletter too. I decided to use Netvibes for the assignment.
Here is a link: www.netvibes.com/juliemra
This week I begin the Exceptional Children course I am taking through RESA. I am trying not to stress about my classes, but it is "me," so I'll be stressing.

I am also getting the kid ready to send off to school again. I cannot believe Gwinnett starts on August 9th! It is way too hot to even think about school. I think I will send her to school in a swimsuit. That should make a statement.

Cataloging...one more assignment 2 go!

I have one more assignment to complete for my Cataloging course. It is due on Friday. I am working on a Keynote presentation. I have never used the software before and I thought it was time I learned how it works. So far so good...I think. I am half way done, but I have run out of steam. I need to get over this hump. I have "presentation block." I have spent the weekend resting and in the fetal position after the technology marathon. Perhaps, I will get to work on Monday. Sunday is a day of rest, right?

On a personal note...we are dog-sitting this week. We have a sweet little dog named Gracie. Our dog, Lily, is not the best host. She is very territorial. Gracie is mellow so I'm hoping that by the end of the week they'll be friends. I hope Lily will benefit from the experience. She needs to get over her "me-me-me" issues!

UPDATE! I finished the project! Here's the final result:

I like books and teachers and recess...

I was assigned to read an article in class concerning the importance of using technology in education. The article seemed to suggest that without technology, students would not be able to learn. While reading the article, I suddenly felt like an old fashioned thinker! The notion that kids are "powering down" when they go to school because they have to turn of cell phones, social networks, etc. did not seem like a negative to me. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE technology, but I do not feel like education should be all about technology or that students cannot learn anything unless they are using technology. I think education should encompass a variety of learning strategies.

I am bothered that educators are often made to feel that students should be constantly entertained. I have heard that college professors should no longer lecture, but rather capture student's attention with more "progressive" instruction methods. The idea that young adults can no longer listen and take notes without being entertained seems crazy to me. I feel like there is no longer an appreciation for traditional teaching practices. It seems like many want a fun, "fast food" type education, with a diploma taking the place of the cheap toy. I am not suggesting that technology should not be used for instruction nor am I against innovative teaching, but I am not ready to throw away serious scholarship, books, and paper and pencils. Although I feel like the writer of the article had many good thoughts, I still felt uncomfortable with the technology versus tradition attitude. Basically, I just want everyone and everything to get along!

Wrong information is not good. . . just sayin'.

So in today's class we have been looking at the Georgia Standards website.
It has a wealth of information and resources for Georgia teachers. After visiting the site, I am really bothered that a lot of my child's teachers have used teacher websites for instruction, without checking into who actually is publishing the site. Often times the information is wrong, which is really frustrating when I help my child with her homework and the questions are incorrect. I have never brought this to their attention, simply because I admire teachers so much and never want to be an interfering parent, telling them how to do their job. However, if teachers would use authoritative sites such as the Georgia Standards website, this would not be a problem. Heck, an old fashioned textbook would be better! I have to wonder if many teachers do not realize that teacher websites found with Internet search engines are not always reliable resources. As a media specialist, I will make sure teachers understand the importance of using authoritative websites and I will help them locate the best instructional sites.

A long days journey into night...

I did a little sleep walking last night. I was convinced that there were attack bats in my bedroom and I tried to convince my family that we needed to flee. I managed to scare my 10 year old daughter, confuse my cat and dog, and slightly stir my husband, before I woke up and realized what was going on. I learned that if attack bats do get in the house my husband will sleep through it and the rest of us are on our own.

I'm back in class now. More tech talk this morning...


Image from: scienceblogs.com/afarensis/2006/06/16/vampire_bats_and_prey_recognit/

I'm drowning in technology.

I love technology, but I'm not even halfway through this course and I feel like I'm drowning. There is just so much to do on the web. Sometimes I get excited when I learn about a new application, but then I check it out and I decide that it's just too much for me to manage. Just having email, Facebook, and a blog is too much. The internet really is like viewing the whole world from a tiny screen. The screens are getting tinier too, like the one on my iTouch.

Then there is online shopping! It is soooooo easy to find and buy what I want online. It can be addicting. Of course, I have never felt like I was drowning in online stores... drowning in bills, maybe! Tomorrow is day three of the course. I going to bed now because I really need to get off my computer and rest. I hope my brain has some room left for tomorrow's new tech info.

Day 1 of the one week course.

I am spending the day—8 whole hours—in front of a computer. The course I'm taking is Technology in the Modern Media Center. I'm learning lots of cool stuff, but my eyeballs feel like they are going to pop out of my head. I hope my friend, Rebecca, who is seated at the computer next to me, will help me stuff them back in if they do pop out. I once heard that eyeballs actually come out of their sockets quite easily. That is scary.

My 1st Semester...

I am starting my first semester at The University of Georgia as a graduate student majoring in Learning, Design, and Technology, with School Library Media certification. I entered UGA in the summer semester and I am taking Children's Literature, Cataloging, and Technology and the Modern Media Center. Three courses down, nine to go! My group, Cohort 10, will start in the fall. Things should really start moving then!