Well the class is over and the project presentation for Delaware Facts went Great! We felt prepared and the class seemed to think our project was do-able and we even had a few teachers to present this to their class and share their ideas with us. After all was said and done I was wishing I had a 2nd grade class as a homeroom to do this project with. I plan to approach the 2nd grade teachers to see if they would consider doing this project with their class.
From the class I have taken a lot of ideas that I would like to use in real life. I plan to use protopage a lot! I would love to plan elementary art history lessons with another teacher in my district. Although we have a lot of freedom in our teachings it would be nice to have some of our lessons similar, protopage would allow us to work on planning a project together and each have our input into it. I also like the possibilities that Gcast and bubbl.us offer. I feel that I could find a use for the two of these in my classroom this year.
Thank you Pat for opening up many new doors for me as I finished up my masters portfolio.... see you on the web!

Day 8

Well,
Today we spent the day discussing a lot, but I couldn't help but thinking about our final project and wishing I could communicate with Kim and Lorajean. As it turns out we finished about 30 minutes early and had the opportunity to talk. After a little hesitation and trying to get our continent idea to work, we decided to scrap the plan and start with something new. We feel so much better about our idea now. We have decided to focus on Delaware facts instead. Students will have the opportunity to use the computers for surveys, podcasting, and researching. We are so excited about the idea NOW. I am really looking forward to tomorrow where we will sit the whole class and formulate our ideas into a real plan!

Day 6

During class today we participated in book presentations via blogging. It was a really new experience. As the presenters were talking we were encouraged to blog to the rest of the class as the presenters talked about their chosen book. I must say it was hard to pay attention. I found myself paying more attention to the presenters than the blog. I tried to keep up with the blog however I didn't feel like I had time to form intelligent, thoughtful thoughts to contribute to the blog conversation. I kept thinking that if I were the presenter (or teacher) I would want the audience to be paying attention to what I have to say. Using the blog is a big learning curve for me; more so as the teacher.

Day 4

Good Evening everyone,
I was glad to have that hour during class today to talk with our reading groups as well as our final project groups. It is now more evident where our final project is going. It is nice having a group to work with that is teaching the same grade levels that I am. We are going to create a collaborative unit on continents. Kim will introduce the continents in her class and assign groups to work on each of the continents. Those same groups will reform in the art room where I will assist the kids in creating a project that is native to that continent. Lorajean will then read books with the children that are about a specific continent or written by an author that is from that continent. I am really excited to see how this all unfolds.

Link as requested

Hi hi,
Someone requested I included the link to the Taylor Mali on Youtube . Enjoy and pass it on!

Day 3

Well I just finished searching and subscribing to my first podcast subscription. I used www.postcastalley.com to find the one of my choice. I am VERY addicted to Harry Potter so when I searched I looked for Harry Potter information. I subscribed to a feed called Secrets of Harry Potter. I had tried searching on other sites with no luck. I like the easy to use features of podcastalley. I then took the link RSS and put it into my google reader. From there I could listen to the podcast. I only listened to the latest podcast but plan to listen to the other soon! I liked Pat's idea from today to subscribe to some and listen to them as she works out. I drive 2 hours a day to come to this class at UD and would like to use that time to listen to something worth while. I will have to work on that this weekend.

Day 2

The youtube link added by Greg was GREAT! I had watched it last night as well as in class today. I have already bookmarked the site and will pass it along to my fellow educators as soon as I can. The aspects I liked about it were the energy the presenter had as he told the story and the message. He really made me feel like he valued educators and the job they do each and every day. This is a message I think some people forget.
Today I also picked up my book selection from the Kent County Library. I am looking forward to starting the book as soon as I log off of the internet for the night.
During class today the rubric creation at the end of class still has me thinking. I participated in the part of the rubric, includes clear objectives for students. After we talked about our section I started thinking that maybe it should be part of the rubric. I think the assessment category encompasses our category also. I will think more on this and make a conclusion for tomorrow.

Book Choice

I have choosen to read Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Back Bay Books, 2002. I found the amazon review to be helpful in my decision. I am curious about his opinions on marketing as I am scheming a plan for selling a product or two that I hand make. I am anxious to start reading.

Day 1

Well today was a kick in the butt to re-starting my tech brain. I have been in survival mode since returning to teaching after a three month break; during which I gave birth to our first daughter. http://www.jasonminto.com/maggie_photos/maggie.htm I had taken the fall semester off from UD courses, and found only the portfolio class to take during Spring. And that brings us to now, my portfolio is turned in http://jasonminto.com/cherylyn and this is my last class before August graduation ( I hope!).
I am excited to start this class and glad tohave some previous knowledge about the lingo that is used in class. I remember feeling overwhelmed like several of the other students are feeling.