Hello world!

So it's been AGES since I've posted anything on this blog. I'm actually doing this to help a student out. I want to show her how to embed code from other websites into her blog. So, here we go! :-)

Since I'm a sucker for YouTube, I'm going to embed it's share code here:

And how about a wordle image?

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. :-)