CEDO599 Week 3

Hmmmmm.....
I failed to do this blog....so I think I'm going to skip past it and move on to the last blog :)
I've just been working on my project and updating my portfolio.......WORK WORK WORK
The week four blog will much more exciting.......

CEDO599 Week 2

Well........
Things are going really well!! It makes me nervous in some ways!! I just hope I'm doing everything correctly and my project will turn out to be a positive thing for the people who use it. I feel really good about my final project and I can't wait to finish. I know that the people I work with are excited as well, so I don't want to disappoint them!! The only major hurdle I have right now is time. I really wanted to present my project to my co-workers, but we are neck high in accreditation. So, we'll see, but I'll get it done.

CEDO599 Week 1

I'm excited to be done in December!! This is the final stretch of road and I know that this is going to be some major work, but I'm ready!! I can't wait to finish my project!! I plan to get started on it this weekend. We'll see how far I get before I hit some walls. I think we were all pretty well prepared for the final project. I know that I learned a lot!
So..............here we go!!!!!!! Home stretch!! Bring on graduation

CEDO565 Week 6

My definition of leadership has not been changed, but..... it has reinforced my thoughts and what the expectations should be. I guess this class helped me realize that I could step up more as a leader and take on more roles. I don’t think everyone has the potential to be a great leader, but we all have some type of leadership skills. Each one of us can stand out in one area, or another. We need to find our strengths and run with it. Show people what you do best and help them. Working together is the key! Without communication there most likely wont be any success. So, I agree with the book that improving education starts within. It does……….if an institution can’t work as a group/unit….then who will make it work. An individual?? No! We need to communicate within and then move out to the community, parents, and other institutions around the school. You can’t stand without a solid base!!

CEDO565 Week 5

Systems Thinking Video:
I really liked the message that the video clip gave. We as teachers are a system, but we need to interact with each other. We need to work together, communicate, and collaborate. We are all parts of a system, but the system isn't going to work, if all the parts don't work together. It's as simple as that! The hard part is the communicating and getting everyone on the same page. I wish our teachers would see this concept and apply it to our school. If one piece is not connecting to the next.......we will not be successful......things fall apart and it starts from the top. Leadership from the principal is extremely important.
This class has been interesting and informative. What we think is common sense......is not always easy to apply. We know that we need leadership and communication skills...........but it's getting there that is half the battle.

CEDO565 Week 4

Well....... in class we did do wayyyy better in the game. We realized the more we talked the further we got. I guess it's true......communication is the key. Communication in every aspect of life is important and you don't get far without it! I thought the homework was "different" this week. It wasn't hard to come up with a situation that should have been handled differently, but it was hard to pick it apart. I do have to say that problems are easier to solve when you look back at them! I guess that goes with the saying.....shoulda coulda woulda
Otherwise, things are going good and I start work again tomorrow, so we are doing our group work tonight. It looks self explanatory, but we'll see :)

CEDO565 Week 3

Well.....another week is almost over. Almost time to go back to work.......and begin another school year! Where to start this week............
Well.....I had a thought while watching the "cheese" video. I think it would be a great thing to show during our inservice. Do you think some people would take a hint!!!! Hahaha
I really enjoyed the homework this week. The videos were really good and they made me reflect on my own teaching style, path in life, and where I am today. So.........my next goal for this class is not to come in last place again while we play our game. Haha.........We will prevail this week!!
Other than that I don't really have any major thoughts about class, or the book this week :(
Maybe I'm just tired.......but that's all I have tonight.

CEDO565 Week 2

Wow...... I just finished my virtual data retreat!! It took me a total of 6 hours!! It was really interesting and I feel like I learned a lot about my district and other districts around Wisconsin. I didn't know that all that information was available. I have been on the WINSS site before, but I never took the time to go through and really study the different graphs upon graphs of information. It was really cool to read some of the information.......I can be a nosy person.....so what a great way to be nosy about other schools and districts. Haha haha
I know that parents would go on there as well, but I don't think people realize how much information is available, or where to look for it.

I also enjoyed the chapters this week. I have to comment on two things that I read......1st..... in chapter 2: I love that the book talks about interviews not focusing on GPA's!! I have to say that I don't think we should be hiring idiots, but lets get serious........ Sometimes the really really smart kids in school have zero personality and could never teach. I was so happy to hear that personality and leadership should go further in an interview. As a teacher we all should know our content, but a teacher that had straight A+'s throughout college is not always going to be a good teacher!! The other thing that stuck out was work ethic. I have no tolerance for lazy people! I have had a job since I was 14 and as soon as I turned 18 I was working full time to save money for college. I went to school and worked full time in order to afford my bills and school. I know that I may be one of those exceptional people "aka freak who never sits" but I get bored easy. I need to stay busy with something.........going to the gym......going hiking.....walking.....biking.......doing school work.......working.......whatever it may be. I don't not like the words can't....fail.....give up...or tired! We all would like to take the easy route....take a nap...or give up when things get hard......but just imagine what the world would be like if we ALL did that!!!
Ok.....sorry about my rant......I guess it's the military family coming out of me :)

CEDO565 Week 1

I don't have a great deal to say about my leadership at my school. I guess I need to stand up more and be a leader. I've only been at my current job for 3 years and I lay low. It's not because I don't feel confident, but there was just to many things going on. I watched and listened a lot!!! I wanted to get me feet wet and feel things out before I started to put myself out there a great deal. I think every year that goes by I'll come out of my shell more and more. I want more responsibilities, but I also work at a private school that is fairly small. I don't feel like there are many opportunity to "lead". We'll see what happens this coming school year. I just feel young and new at my job.


I have to blog about the surveys we took...................I just feel strongly about it this week.
I think this weeks assignments helped me learn a great deal about myself. It's not often that I take a survey about myself and my personality. I don't think I have done one in over 5 years. It was interesting and informative to say the least. Haha I did enjoy it though. I really liked doing the surveys because I'm all about improving myself. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. I wouldn't say I'm over the top, but I set goals that are pretty high. I'm not hard on myself if I don't meet all of my goals 100%, but I do think it's healthy to have goals in all areas of your life. The surveys helped me realize that I need to be less judgmental of others. I was a little shocked by this, but hey the results don't lie. I felt bad that I scored high, but that just gives me something to work on and change.
I wasn't surprised that I scored extremely low on the imagination portion of the leadership virtues survey. I'm not an imaginative person at all!!! I'm more of a realistic person. Haha
I never like cartoons as a child.........maybe I was never an imaginative person.........I never had imaginary friends either. Hahaha..........Ok......all jokes aside.....I really liked that assignment and I'm glad I took it. I learned a great deal about myself and what I need to do to make myself a better person. I think if you don't look at your weak areas and change them..........you'll never grow.

CED0555 Blog 3

WHOOOO HOOOOO I'm done!! Well........I'm sure I'll need to make some changes alone the way, but it feels good to complete another class. The portfolio has been a great deal of work, but it looks great. I'm glad to show off all the hard work I've done! The pace of the class was good and I was able to get things done on time. I really jumped in early and was able to sit back in the end. I had a hard time coming up with a project, but I thought of something last minute. I hope it works out ok..........but we'll see in our next class.

CED0555 Blog 2

I'm really struggling with the "big" project that we need to do for our portfolio. I can't think of anything to do. I feel like I hit a wall and I don't have any good ideas popping in my head! Otherwise, I think that the portfolio isn't all that bad. I'm having fun creating it...........tedious.....but I know I will look great when it's finished. I have all my standards done and now I'm working on all the different classes and artifacts. It's just time consuming to put everything together. So......if anyone has any great ideas for a final project ...........I'm all ears!!

CEDO555 Week 1

My school does not currently use e-portfolios. I knew that they existed, but I actually had never seen, or read one before this class. I know that's really sad to say, especially this day in age, but it's true. I'm really excited to create one and be able to use it in my professional life. I think it's a great tool to have at your fingertips, and businesses and schools appreciate that kind of work. I love the idea of creating something that will show all my hard work that I did throughout my career. So, I know it's going to be a great deal of work, but I'm ready and excited to complete mine!

CEDO550 Week 6

I feel like it’s hard to keep up with the change in technology today. What the future holds is amazing and exciting, but I can’t teach what I don’t know. On the other hand will I really be teaching? Will we need teachers? Will we have classrooms? It’s exciting, but scary at the same time. I hope that in the near future, I am able to teach in a classroom filled with computers. I can’t wait to use more technology and tools in my lessons. One of the major issues I face is not being able to get my students in the computer lab as often as I would like. I think it would be cool if every student had an IPad, or laptop at their desk. I think the biggest thing to expect about the future in teaching is to expect the unexpected. I don’t think anyone can imagine what it is going to be like in 20 years. The changes are going to be so beyond my thought process. I don’t event know what I should expect. How exciting is that!
I think that future schools will be a blend of online and classroom work. I think teachers will be a guide to students and not a full time teacher. They will not run the classroom, the whole 45 minutes of a period. Students will be learning as we guide them. They will be collaborating with children around the world and learning from material on the Internet. They will be using their cell phones, Facebooks, chat rooms, and any other technologies that allow them to be interactive on online. Schools will no longer be pushing 21st century tools away, but they will embrace them and allow students to use the sources available to them. Classrooms will be filled with computer work stations and not chairs and desks. Students will no longer be asked to stay in their seat and wait until the lecture is over to move around.

CEDO550 Week 5

Meeting students needs can be difficult, but using the right tools can make it easier while adapting an assignment. I think we use differentiated instruction without even thinking about it. We don't say to ourselves, "I just used differentiated instruction". It comes natural to teachers. It can be a small adaptation, or a large one. I know that I change assignments all the time, based on my students. I can't remember a time, that I turned a student down when they came to me with an alternate way to do an assignment, or project........ With in reason!! :)
I think children have great ideas and we should listen to them and how they learn. It's important to their success. Letting students show you their talents will make them successful at what their doing, allow them to feel confident, and maybe teach me a new way of teaching the lesson. We learn from each other and that is one of the most important parts of being a teacher. Allow your students to be themselves, listen, and learn from them.

CEDO550 Week 4

It's been interesting hearing all the different topics. I guess there is a lot to think about when talking about online learning and how to make it successful. Some of the major concerns that people have are cost and success of the students in the program. I think it's more of the "unknown" feeling that scares people away. I was afraid to take an online masters program. I was dead set on sitting in a classroom. I couldn't be happier with my choice now! I don't have to drive anywhere and I can do my class while sitting in my bed. Doesn't get much better than that! I think the more people learn about and experience online learning they will learn how successful it can be, with the right instruction. I know that I'm excited about it and I hope to have the opportunity to teach an online course in the future.

CEDO 550 Week 3

It's interesting how this course teaches how to facilitate online learning, but at the same time I'm learning a great deal of other things as well. My topic this week that I chose to do my presentation on was children with disabilities. The readings that I did were interesting. I wanted to do this topic because I thought it would be interesting to see how to facilitate these students. I thought it would be difficult to do, but it's actually just as, or more facilitating to the students. Virtual schools are flexible and give students time to complete their work. I know that my nephew types all of his homework. He has autism and his handwriting and concentration is weak. He loves being on a computer and when asked to do work on the computer he does well. I'm not sure if it's just preference because he likes technology, or if it gives him confidence that his teacher will be able to read it and as a result gets better grades. Either way, I have seen how working online is successful, and I wonder if he would do even better in a virtual school. There would be less bullying as well, but that is a whole other topic.

CEDO550 Week 2

This week has been a little trying to say the least! On Saturday night I thought I would get a start on our group work. Well........I guess I should have just waited because I wasted a great deal of time being confused. It would have been better to be confused with my group members than alone. HA HA I wish we had some solid directions on the group project. I'm very interested to see what everyone comes up with. I just hope that ours was correct. I know one thing..........I learned how important communication, expectations, and clear objectives are. I will definitely work to be clear and not put my students through this mess. Well.....the instructors wanted us to struggle with this assignment a little..........we did ................can we have our A now :) Other than that, I'm looking to some time off and relaxing on spring break!!

CED0 550 Week 1

Well.........here we are starting another new class. It was interesting using brainhoney. It took me a little while to get used to, but I'm glad to learn a new tool. I was surprised that throughout all of our courses so far, I had never heard of synchronous and asynchronous online tools. I never thought to categorize them before. It definately makes a lot of sense though. I was excited in class to learn some of the tools on Elluminate. I was always afraid to touch anything and screw up the class. It was fun and it made me a little more confident trying new things and clicking on different icons. I have enjoyed the courses thus far and I hope that this class is another success for me. I'm looking forward to it.

CEDO540 Week 5

One week to go and I survived. The sites that we worked with for the assignments this week were interesting. I'm familiar with the DPI sites, but I enjoyed the other ones as well. I also just got back from a convention about similar topics, so I was interested in the sites even more. I attended a convention on teaching economics in the classroom. I was GREAT and I learned a lot. It was funny because we did a great deal of stats. Normally, I would have groaned about it, but lately I'm really enjoying it. I never had that feeling about economics and stats before. I guess I'm more confident because I understand it so much better now. If anyone ever gets a chance to attend a convention given by Economics of Wisconsin I would jump at it. It was well worth your time even though it usually falls on a Friday and Saturday. Some of the incentives are $200, they pay for your sub, and we received $130 in classroom books. I was really excited and learned soooooo much. I don't know what to say about government and corruption, but hey we already know that. haha
It was great and I highly recommend it.

CEDO540 Week 4

The video we watched this week was really interesting. It made a lot of sense and seemed like companies could really benefit, if used correctly. I'm also excited to create our own future job with our groups. I love it when we get a "fun" assignment. This class has gone very well for me and I didn't expect it to happen that way. I like the way Jim has made learning statistics fun. He took a class that people dread and made it worth our while. I said in the beginning of class that I would have a rough time, but that is not the case. I have learned a lot and I'm enjoying it!
I'm also interested to see the results of our survey about Scott Walker. So, we are almost done and we have a couple more things to accomplish. The road down statistics wasn't bad at all!

CEDO540 Week 3

I can't believe I'm about to say this..........but I'm enjoying this class. I'm catching on to the material and I'm enjoying what we do. I take a lot of notes and my hand gets sore, but that is how I learn. I really feel like I'm tackling my enemy!! I really don't like math, or anything that goes with it, so this is a big accomplishment to me!! When I do get lost my group picks me up. I love the way we all learn from each other. Things that I may have missed in class.......they caught on and then showed me how to do it. This has been a good learning experience for me. I'm feeling like I can accomplish anything. You guys have no clue how many tears/crying math has caused for me over all my years growing up!! hahahaha

CEDO540 Week 2

Well.....The first weeks homework wasn't as bad as I thought. I "think" I am getting the hang of it again. I've been out of touch with math for a loooooooooong time! I didn't miss it either! I'm up for a challenge, so here we go.
This class is going to be challenging, but I feel really comfortable with it. Everyone in my group/our class is such a big help. I love how close we all have grown and we haven't even met in person. We have an great group going through this! Jim has been great as well. It lowers my anxiety when I know I have help. So, four more weeks to go and we move on to the next one. I hope to feel more confident about my statistics skills when this over. haha

CED540 Week 1

Well.........I have been working on homework for a good 4 hours and I barely got anything accomplished!! It feels like I'm reading a foreign language over and over and over again. So, this next six weeks should be loads of fun. I'm tired, frustrated, confused, and stressed out. I'm over it! I have come to the realization after the first week that this is going to be the most stressful class, I have ever taken. I hope I'm wrong........but at this point.......and my level of understanding, I'm afraid that I will be correct. I'm not saying I'm going to give up and not try. I would never do that, but I do know this is going to be a MAJOR challenge for me and I'll be happy when it's over!
So.......stats.........here I come!

CEDO535 Last Class

The one thing I plan to keep up with, is my Google Site. I plan to share it with my students, parents, and other teachers. I will update it every week, and add new things. I want it to be a way for my students, parents and myself to communicate. Updating it will be easy, because I can do it from home, school, my IPad, or even my phone. I LOVE GOOGLE!!
This goal is extremely realistic for me. I think it's going to make me a better teacher, communicator and my students will be able to use the web to communicate with me. I know they will enjoy that the most. They love being online and communicating with friends, so this should fit in their life just fine :)
This is something that is easy to change and keep up with. I plan to stay on top of updating it and utilizing it to make my life easier. My hope is that it also makes my students and parents life easier as well.

CED535 Week 5

This week I'm most excited about my Google Site! I cant wait to share it with my class and parents. I think it is a great communication tool. My students are more likely to check my site, than read directions on a handout. They want to use technology and what are they doing at home......using technology. So, while their online at night, I think they will check my site if they have questions about about anything. I just think they are less likely to shuffle through their school bag, or get out their assignment notebook. Anything that has to do with the computer and being online will definitely win that battle!
I'm also excited for parents to be able to access it. I hope they find it useful. I included a calendar with all the important school dates on it. I also included a page with with school news and important information. Not all the things teachers send home actually make it home. Educators know this!!!!! If the information doesn't make it home how do the parents find out about it??
My site has all those important details on it. I also included an athletics page with all the directions to the schools we compete against. Parents like to stay informed and communication is the key to their childs success as well. Parents know that when you ask a child how their day was they get a short answer.
How was your day? Fine
What did you do? Stuff
Like what? I don't know
Now parents can see what their child is doing in my classes and when things are due!
I always thought these sites were cool, but I didn't know how to create one. I hope I can help other teachers at my school create one as well. I'm looking forward to using it.

CED535 Week 4

The one thing I'm most excited about this week is Podcasting. I think it would be really cool for my students to interview someone and share it. My first thought was a veteran. We need to start interviewing veterans, Holocaust survivors, stories from the Great Depression, WWII, Vietnam veterans, and other people who wont be around much longer. Those generations are quickly dying off and if we don't record these stories now, they will be lost forever. It breaks my heart to think of all the elderly men and women that never got to share their story. I think students who take part in an interview like this would feel moved. I don't think our children grasp how precious and priceless these stories are. I remember an elderly man from church while I was growing up. He had a number tattooed on his arm. I asked his one day why and he went on to tell me that he was a prisoner during WWII. His name was Rueben and he continued to tell those war stories whenever I saw him. I never forgot him, or the stories he shared. I just wish I could have utilized the technology we have today, because I could be sharing Rueben's stories with my children. Children today need to utilize that technology and I will definitely help my students realize how precious these people are.

CED535 Week 3

I don't want to go as far as to say that I liked the homework for this week, but I did. I really enjoyed the information and lessons that were assigned. Chapter 5 and the RSS feeds was great. I was excited to start using my own account on google reader. The book was correct because it is addicting. I find myself checking my RSS feeds often. I especially like using the reader on Fridays. What a great resource for my social studies classes today. We were doing current events and I would flip back and fourth from my reader, to CNN. I have CNN on my RSS, so we would read the latest news, then go to CNN and watch the video clips that went with the article. It worked perfect and saved me a great deal of time. I also set up some "personal" non educational feeds as well. I'm a huge advocate for rescuing animals and the humane treatment of animals in shelters. What can I say I love dogs! (no.... I'm not a PETA person....I don't want you guys to form any crazy theories of me...hahaha) Anyway, it was nice to see what was going on at some of the Pitbull shelters I like to follow. I didn't have to search, it came right to me.



I'm really excited about my flicker account as well. I think my mom is too! She has been waiting a long time to see the Hawaii pictures that I always seem to forget about. I think it's a great idea and I will definitely start posting all my pictures on there. I just need to get all my little discs out of my drawer and plug them into my computer!

CED535 Week 2

I really enjoyed Chapter 4 about Wikis. I feel like my whole view on them has changed. I thought it was cool that Harvard did a study and posted information that wasn't factual on different sites. It only took Wikipedia a couple hours to correct the errors. I was shocked and pleased to see that the site is credible. I would definitely use it and I didn't before. While reading the chapter some great ideas popped in head. I know how much parents love to know what their child did at school, but getting the day out of them is like pulling teeth. I know when I ask my stepson how his day was, he just says fine. If I say what did you do today at school, he will say I don't know.....stuff. UGH
I use my Flip to record some of our service projects and field trips. I thought it would be cool to have a class Wiki of things we do. It could be pictures and videos of our field trips, service projects, in school projects, or class parties. I know parents would enjoy watching those types of things. It makes them feel good to see their child having fun, learning, and contributing to the community. Setting up a class Wiki is definitely on my "to do" list!!