It's all coming together: Weaving a Course

After discussing the common core standards it became very clear that this is the time to make the BIG changes to my courses that I have wanted to. I fell asleep last night with my copy of the standards and my notebook next to my head..... The mental stew of the last couple of days is becoming something real. And I'm very excited about it!

Minecraft vs. Secondlife: I like Minecraft, it's very cool. However, for the ways I plan to use an online environment, I think Secondlife has and does what I need. Now it's to find a way to get the kids in and keep them away from the unsavory elements. Ahem.... Mr. Foxy, you freak!

Gaming, Teaching, Learning, and New Ideas

All our discussion yesterday left me with a mental stew. Thinking about what online learning is and how I want to continue to grow and change with the needs of my students. Things are murky in here at the moment and hours of weeding have helped the beginnings of my ideas begin to take root. I'm ready to begin actually planning and creating-- now to figure out the platform. It's exciting to be at the front, on the edge, flying by the seat of my pants!

R.A.F.T.ing in Web 2.0....

It's like education stew inside here right now. R.A.F.T. looks like a great way to make writing more engaging while still being challenging. I'll admit I also can't wait to torture Ashley and Michael with never ending conversations that start with " O.K. so your role is...." Should be good fun this summer. Web 2.0 is still the same "productive timesuck" it's always been. I love scoping out the tools, but whew! there are sooooo many of them. Hours go by, and all I've done is look at cool web apps.

I've got lots of great pieces of ideas floating around my brain- I can't wait to see how it all turns out....

Six Bloody Words About My Day

Connecting Web tools and standards practically.

Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.

Having 21st century skills means having lots of skills: “You know, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills..” (Napoleon Dynamite) But seriously, the pace at which our society is moving is insane. Being able to adapt and handle change without a melt down is vital. Also being able to communicate clearly- even effectively would be nice- the ability to collaborate is essential.

I wonder how much of this kind of education kids are really getting in school... My daughter finished Kindergarten this year and all they focused on was letters, reading, numbers, and beginning math. I may be a hard ass, but I would have loved to have seen some kind of group collaboration going on. I was there plenty... and would have gone crazy with the teacher during group activities, believe me- but I think it would have been worth it. Is there such a thing as too early to begin learning to collaborate?????

Renewing a credential in Oregon, or How to Die of Frustration

OK, so I'm trying here. I'm really trying. Been working on renewing this stinking credential for what seems like forever. FINALLY finished Discrimination and the Oregon Educator (do you hear the ominous lawyer type music in the background???), took the ORELA, took the Praxis, got a brand new copy of my CBEST card, and then.... wham!!! I've only worked 92 days in the last three years!! Soooo weird, because I've had students Fall, Spring, and Summer each year. I'm thinking something is seriously screwy here. I wish, as I know my compatriots do, that online teaching was looked at as being legit. I get that I haven't worked full time for three years, I mean DUH! But sheesh, only 92 days???? I called TSPC and the lovely guy on the phone told me my HTML classes should count toward getting enough days, and that I should probably breathe, it'll all be fine. Easy for him to say. Sheesh.

OK, I'm done whining now. Boy, some things are easier in CA (who'd a thunk that???). When you've got a clear credential, it's just click, enter your CC number and hit enter. Your lovely, fully renewed credential will be waiting in your mailbox in a couple of weeks. Sigh.......

Knocked Up...

I had a student this fall who was pregnant and working hard to complete her coursework so she wouldn't be behind when she had her baby. She was a remarkably dedicated student, and so proud when she earned an A in the course.

It was great to chat with her- so full of excitement and nervousness about how her life would change becoming a mother. She was full of questions- not always related to curriculum. This was one of the few times I got to connect with a student on this level in the online world.

But perhaps my favorite was a student I had the first summer I taught online... we used to Instant Message each other at strange hours. Perhaps my favorite thing about it was being able to "play" with a student online. We used to tic-tac-toe and doodle together in IM. She'd share her art with me, and had no fear sharing her doubts, fears, and frustrations. It was the first time I got to have that kind of relationship with an online student.