Leaving for awhile....

Life has gotten in the way...
Sickness, school, teaching, grading, applying for doctoral school, kids sports, etc have just railroaded my efforts to build this blog. Well, all these things and the feeling that I really don't have a lot to contribute. I know that's a sour puss kind of attitude, but that's how I feel. I try to build communication and networking...all seemingly to no avail. I don't blame this on anyone but myself. I start to get involved and I'm gung ho to start....but I don't finish the task or take it to the next level. I simply need to step back and figure out how I want to make my voice heard in the world of educational technology. Where do I want to fit, and what do I really have to say?

To all of you who lent comments and encouraged me during the first few days of the challenge, I thank you. I hope that I can participate again, but now is just not the time for me. I am going back into the shadows for awhile. When I return, I'll let my voice be heard in a way that gets attention. :-)

Busy week = absent blogger

I so want to write about my reactions to what I heard and learned at FETC last week. Unfortunately I seem to be unable to get to my blog at all. While in Florida, I had limited access in the evenings after the conference and since I have been home, life has been nothing short of a whirlwind. (Curently have 10 year old son fighting stomach flu. NOT fun!) Hopefully I can share my thoughts with you tomorrow...................HOPEFULLY!

31 Days...Progressing SLOWLY

I'm moving REALLY slowly at this one. At this rate, I'll be 62 days to a better blogger...LOL! I must say that the tasks are stretching me a lot and introducing me to terms that I know nothing about. On Day 3, I was supposed to subscribe to a forum...well, I'm a member at Classroom 2.0 and I've got a pretty good network established on Twitter...does that count? If not, how do I find those forums? What's the point?

I did have my husband look at my blog. He thought it was pretty cool, but he really knows nothing about them and he thinks whatever I do related to technology is cool. Isn't he the sweetest? I'm going to have to find someone a little more knowledgeable for this task...the question is who?

This has been the weekend for stretching my brain, though. If you'll check out my post from yesterday, you'll see the beginnings of that stretch. Then we talked this morning in Sunday School about God being ultimately responsible for all suffering...whoa, brain overload there. Finally, my friend Kate brought up some heavy thoughts on blogging and education. SHOULD teachers blog? Now I'm really confused and having to think hard about how to approach this little piece of the internet universe. This is my way of creating a network of like-minded individuals. People passionate about technology and educating kids. However, what would happen if this became a venue for airing my complaints about the world in general, including my job? Responsibility in what we share is the key here I think. But I believe this question is going to take even more thinking!

The Futility of it All...

This post is going to be so totally off topic. My husband and I just finished watching "The Kingdom." After watching it, I don't know......stuff just seems so insignificant. I know there's evil in the world. I know people in the mideast hate us "Christian" Americans. I know they think Allah wants them to obliterate all "unbelievers." But it's all just so futile! One line in the movie really got me. The scene was an FBI agent asking questions of an American living in Saudi Arabia whose wife had been murdered in a surprise attack the day before. His kids watched it happen. Needless to say he was angry...needless to say the presence of Saudi police made him angrier...and then he asked them this question, "Does Allah love your children more than he loves mine? Does Allah love your wife more than mine?" WOW! That one really hit me.

I'm not writing this post to start a political debate about whether the US should be in the mideast or not. I'm not writing this post to bash the religion of Islam. No, I really don't care to open those cans of worms. This post is just to voice my frustration at the whole business in general. In my own humble opinion it's pointless, it's futile, and it's not worth losing our children!

Ok, that's enough heavy for one day (and maybe one lifetime). Thanks for stopping by. I hope my outlook is generally more cheery tomorrow. :-)

31 Days to a Better Blogger

Well, now I've done it. I joined a group doing the 31 days project. But really, I'm excited about this project. I'm excited to learn how to make my little page in the "blogosphere" shine a little brighter. I'm also eager to learn the ins and outs of this "art" so that I can share it with my grad students, and they in turn can pass it on to their own students. The possibilities are endless!

Not only am I participating in this blogging exploration, I also have been accepted to the new class at Webcast Academy. This was totally accidental as I wanted to be an observer for this go around, but I was emailed that I had been accepted as an intern. I am going to be so full of 2.0 knowledge -- I just might explode! LOL.

There are days that I am just amazed at the blessings I've received this past year. It is SO refreshing to get up in the morning and actually want to go to work! I am ready for this journey into the ed tech world....I've always loved traveling to new places.

What a day!

Today's been interesting. We've been struggling for several years now with my son and school. Mainly it's been his ability to focus on the task at hand and follow directions. Both my husband and I are educators, and my mother-in-law was in special education so we are pretty keen to the signs of trouble. However, we were pretty certain his problems had nothing to do with ADD or ADHD because it's not a CONSTANT thing. Well, today we visited a vision specialist. I think we may have discovered the root of the evil, so to speak. He was diagnosed with a lazy eye years ago, but I had no idea how adversely eye problems could affect performance. I always thought putting glasses on him would solve the problem. Turns out it's more than that. So, we go back Thursday for another round of tests and then we'll meet with the doctor to discuss a therapy plan. He's such a bright, talented kid. I am hoping that all this helps him in some way because if it doesn't, I can see a LONG road of frustration looming before us in middle and high school! Isn't it amazing how the human brain works and learns?

Teachers who care about PD...Who Knew?

I have spent the past 3 days researching the web for sites dealing with Professional Development for educators. I have found some rather extraordinary blogs out there dealing with just this subject. I am amazed at how many teachers are out there who are asking such poignant questions regarding professional development issues. Perhaps becoming a bigger part of this digital conversation will restore my faith in the profession. There really are teachers out there who want to learn new ways to enrich their curriculum, and help create a generation of kids who can think, write and solve problems on their own. For now I am energized and ready to hit this new semester running! I am eager to see how the students in my PD course approach this very subject. Tune in for updates...