tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30746892126801849902024-02-18T19:23:45.185-08:00Life According to AmyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-47768625438899508982013-01-30T07:12:00.001-08:002013-01-30T07:12:35.179-08:00Macaron Feet!Cooking with another person who also loves experimenting is my idea of a fun night. After looking @ YouTube videos, my friend Lina & I started our venture to making our first ever French macarons (not to be confused with macaroons!). These little cute delicious desserts are usually very expensive at bakeries---but we now don't have that problem! Our macarons came out PERFECT & they even rose to show off their little feet (the term used to describe the airy bubbles on the edge or the ruffled rim). Not hard to make, but a bit time consuming & a heads up--- almond flour is not easy or cheap to find! But---it was all worth it @ the end. <br />
<br />
<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFPzXiI-OUiO8yctbTVnHQqW2Ob-uqnFRQR25s7Lb7kHkcn_ASlCkWM1TUHEShVjFPHXH8LQSHaOS6jhW6dG0SlvqAD6xjLTNZkAYebQ7cLPCz0nA2qKOFQ-BPnmmgc49Bi3NxFoLssI/s640/blogger-image-88883483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFPzXiI-OUiO8yctbTVnHQqW2Ob-uqnFRQR25s7Lb7kHkcn_ASlCkWM1TUHEShVjFPHXH8LQSHaOS6jhW6dG0SlvqAD6xjLTNZkAYebQ7cLPCz0nA2qKOFQ-BPnmmgc49Bi3NxFoLssI/s640/blogger-image-88883483.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-28287980848403338852013-01-09T12:15:00.001-08:002013-01-09T12:21:31.845-08:00Gratitude List @ 33.5 Years OldAs I was reading through some old posts from this blog, I came across one that I promised to revisit annually (what a surprise that I didn't!) <br />
<br />
Ok---so 3.5 years later, I'm sitting @ Kingsway mall in Edmonton & decide to do what Daniel Pink suggests: write a list of what you're grateful for (the # of things to list = your age). <br />
<br />
So here goes my list of 33.5 things since today is my half birthday (yes, I still celebrate this---you should too! :-))<br />
<br />
1. GOD<br />
2. David<br />
3. My family<br />
4. Large families/extended families<br />
5. Holidays<br />
6. Prayer time<br />
7. Sisters & sister-in-laws <br />
8. My iPhone<br />
9. Christmas sales after Christmas (I got the cards that are in the picture for $1.00!)<br />
10. Long johns<br />
11. Snail mail<br />
12. FaceTime<br />
13. Chilli chocolate <br />
14. Long walks with David<br />
15. BBC's Sherlock series<br />
16. Coffee <br />
17. Raised hands of students<br />
18. Contact Lenses<br />
19. Knee-length boots<br />
20. Facebook (yes, I admit it after hating on it for so long!)<br />
21. OXO kitchen products<br />
22. Fireplace mantles<br />
23. Lemons<br />
24. Burt's Bees Chapstick <br />
25. Pinot Noir<br />
26. Photos/Scrapbooks<br />
27. Ability to walk everywhere<br />
28. Libraries!<br />
29. Advice given b/c one wants to 'pay it forward'<br />
30. Spooning<br />
31. Blo bars (hairdrying-blowing salons)<br />
32. My diaries<br />
33. Free lectures <br />
33.5 Naps <br />
<br />
<br />
<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzorBjYUmflnvc3lfEF2dBFeeJsVw4v1ICAah2-mNBJXeq4qTm0vVib8jnCnoi5dVajqubzVdPxfYjq07UqMWhg5NVq0vyobzpHssv1a2clTLgJPUVGn2UbSu3ASr6DzscifgaI4lhh44/s640/blogger-image-2913921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzorBjYUmflnvc3lfEF2dBFeeJsVw4v1ICAah2-mNBJXeq4qTm0vVib8jnCnoi5dVajqubzVdPxfYjq07UqMWhg5NVq0vyobzpHssv1a2clTLgJPUVGn2UbSu3ASr6DzscifgaI4lhh44/s640/blogger-image-2913921.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-60478203496533262902013-01-09T07:40:00.001-08:002013-01-09T07:40:33.589-08:00#11 Reason Why I Like CanadaBabies have the right to their own library cards! If adults have the right to bear arms in the US, I think the same should go for infants & library access. Actually, now that I'm putting more thought into this, it should be mandatory. (Not the adults-guns thing...not working out to be such a good idea)<br />
<br />
I remember taking my niece Izzy to their local library in Long Island, NY. She must've been 2 years old when I was scoffed @ by the librarian for asking if Isabelle could sign up for her card. That librarian looked at me as if I had 3 heads. I probably knew back then that my life wouldn't be permanent in Long Island. (Just to be clear, this is NOT indicative of the rest of NY state)<br />
<br />
Anyway, it was refreshing to go to the downtown Edmonton public library & find signs encouraging toddlers to sign up for membership. What better way to open their worlds to unlimited knowledge, ideas, and imagination? :-) <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKg432wnQkIP3VjSka1eFccFjZJ0Uv4MiEhF7p1b75oaxjiLH_udWk98ypGNVw0i8cQFYmzuvjPGqhdZSPEehN2MVxDEqpo03ceIsyKA0HuNhdLepusqdud_MK7SBE62mNlE2sRV29n0/s640/blogger-image--1347488450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKg432wnQkIP3VjSka1eFccFjZJ0Uv4MiEhF7p1b75oaxjiLH_udWk98ypGNVw0i8cQFYmzuvjPGqhdZSPEehN2MVxDEqpo03ceIsyKA0HuNhdLepusqdud_MK7SBE62mNlE2sRV29n0/s640/blogger-image--1347488450.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-52837570083344786732009-08-30T19:41:00.001-07:002009-08-30T19:44:59.195-07:00Online Scrapbooking...Here's a nifty Web 2.0 tool I found online while googling 'Easy to Use Online Scrapbooks'...It's called <a href="http://www.smilebox.com">SmileBox</a>, it is a unique service that helps you connect to friends and family by using your photos and videos!Smilebox helps you make animated scrapbooks, photobooks, slideshows, postcards, and eCards for ANY occasion.<br /><br />Below is the roadtrip I took with my sisters a few weeks back. I used SmileBox to recap our incredible vacation:<br /><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><tr><td><a href="http://smilebox.com/play/4d5445784d5463324d7a593d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link" target="_blank"><img width="420" height="330" alt="Click to play this Smilebox scrapbook: Our Road Trip" src="http://smilebox.com/snap/4d5445784d5463324d7a593d0d0a.jpg" style="border: medium none ;"/></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/?partner=smilebox&campaign=blog_snapshot" target="_blank"><img width="420" height="46" alt="Create your own scrapbook - Powered by Smilebox" src="http://www.smilebox.com/globalImages/blogInstructions/blogLogoSmilebox.gif" style="border: medium none ;"/></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/scrapbooks" target="_blank">Make a Smilebox scrapbook</a></td></tr></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-35593438099309696262009-05-27T20:43:00.000-07:002009-05-27T20:53:18.461-07:00What Do You Mean?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCq6XtkttU6OYvf0K8Ijn310pkmxGes0bsyh9hIvhxkXQGph0iUIfJdVTBB-CtXn_Qdf12GQUORkIHiEyBszSmGCAHC9tvCiJsGOZVfnaYu71voSEqPdX9FduyD9rU8FUdMx_BOosySI/s1600-h/a-whole-new-mindreprint.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCq6XtkttU6OYvf0K8Ijn310pkmxGes0bsyh9hIvhxkXQGph0iUIfJdVTBB-CtXn_Qdf12GQUORkIHiEyBszSmGCAHC9tvCiJsGOZVfnaYu71voSEqPdX9FduyD9rU8FUdMx_BOosySI/s320/a-whole-new-mindreprint.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340716623471783314" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">My Gratitude List</span><br />1. GOD<br />2. My parents<br />3. My siblings<br />4. My niece<br />5. Church<br />6. Searingtown<br />7. Colleagues<br />8. Heat<br />9. Chocolate<br />10. Coke-Cola in a frosted glass<br />11. Pasta a la vodka <br />12. Sunday School<br />13. Nail extensions<br />14. Gift of Travel<br />15. My salary<br />16. My Tempur-Pedic mattress <br />17. Thursday nights<br />18. Summer days<br />19. Warm blankets<br />20. Worn out Bibles<br />21. Facials<br />22. Going out to dinner<br />23. Good literature<br />24. Driving<br />25. XM Radio<br />26. Baking<br />27. Avocadoes<br />28. GPS<br />29. Google<br /><br />The above is an activity you should try <span style="font-style:italic;">(at least once a year)</span>. It is called a Gratitude List, an idea that I came across while reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594481717?ie=UTF8&tag=freeagentnati-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1594481717">A Whole New Mind</a> by <a href="http://www.danpink.com/">Daniel Pink</a>. In short, the activity ‘forces’ us (in a good way!) to write down a list of things we are grateful for. I chose 29 random things, and tried not to put too much thought and list them ‘off the cuff’ <span style="font-style:italic;">(please do not judge me by only the few things that I thought of quickly---especially #13!)</span>. The number of things represent my age---typical of the birthday gratitude list, where you start a new list on your birthday according to the age you are turning. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />What is the meaning of this? </span><br /><br />Meaning. This is a term that pops up all too often into my brain and makes me feel every emotion out there! When I think about work and my ‘purpose’, I am at peace. When I think about church and my ‘purpose’, I am angry. When I think about my life and the ‘purpose’ behind it, I am confused! <br />Here’s what I see: we are ALL searching for meaning in our lives. Daniel Pink refers to ‘meaning’ as one of the six senses that ultimately guides our lives and shapes our world. We currently live in an environment of ‘…breathtaking material plenty…”. As I look at the above gratitude list, I realize that around 16 of the 29 on my list have to do with a material thing. Am I too materialistic? (I realize I might be going off on a tangent here, but it’s easier than having to think about the purpose of my existence!) <br /><br />Ok…back to the meaning of my life. And yours. For those of you who are teachers <span style="font-style:italic;">(like myself)</span>, we are constantly struggling with this! We can’t just see our career as a job, it’s a vocation! We’re meant to do this. We have a purpose; one that must be revaluated twice a year; once in August as we get ready for a new school year and once again in June when we have to hand in our End-of-the-Year Evaluations. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />“What’s the point of this?” </span>I’m sure you’ve had a student in your career say this to you, usually during math instruction <span style="font-style:italic;">(probably during some crazy word problem that you can’t answer yourself!)</span>. Conveying meaning to our students should be our daily job. This will bring purpose to your own teaching. Students need to understand there is a purpose behind every math lesson, every war they learn about in SS, and every vocabulary word they have to define in Reading. This can only truly happen if you believe in the purpose in your teaching yourself. Of course, there will be those lessons in science or math that make you wonder why you are uttering nonsense to your students, but this is usually a rare occurrence. If children find meaning to what they are doing at an early age, they will continue to search for purpose as adults. <br /><br />I enjoy knowing that I serve a purpose as a teacher. That my daily routine is going towards the greater good. But what about the rest of my life? <br /><br />Daniel Pink has us realize that meaning is slowly creeping into every part of our being: from the rise of yoga classes to the selling of millions of copies of <a href="http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/en-US/Home/home.htm">A Purpose Driven Life </a>to the <a href="http://www.amma.org/">Amma</a> who goes around sharing her famous hugs. Have people always been so reflective of themselves? How do we know when to stop searching? Or is it one that’s never supposed to stop? <br /><br />I realize that unconsciously, I’ve been finding meaning all along! Meaning is what has kept me going, making sure that everything I put my hands on was for the good of the world. I still have a lot of work to do, and I for sure am still seeking for the purpose of my own life, but I am at peace knowing that essentially, there is meaning behind it all. Even this entry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-21204866615775952062009-04-25T17:45:00.000-07:002009-04-25T17:47:12.983-07:00Are you a Lurker?<em><strong>How do we design a Virtual Learning Community that is compelling enough that it will compete successfully for the attention of busy educators? ~ Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach</strong></em><br /><br />I have never considered myself a lurker. <br /><br />According to Dictionary.com, to lurk is to lie or wait in concealment, as a person in ambush; remain in or around a place secretly or furtively. It also means to exist unperceived or unsuspected.<br /><br /><strong>Am I a lurker of the world wide web? </strong><br /><br />Reading Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach’s blog came me new insight to the word ‘lurk’. According to the blog, there is a model called the 4L Model which describes the roles and interactions of members of an online community: Linking, Lurking, Learning, Leading. As I read through the descriptions, I realized who I really was: a lurker. One who joins different online groups (nings, blogs, education communities…etc), occasionally participates in different discussions, webinars, and may even comment to some posts. However, that’s where I stop. I don’t involve myself deeper. I just lurk from one blog/website/wiki to another. <br /><br />Reading on and having discussions with my colleagues on the possibility of seeing Virtual Learning Communities as professional development opportunities for teachers opened a whole new stream of thinking for me. Although the best PD days that I have the ones I have when given a chunk of time to sit and discuss curriculum with my own colleagues, I am absolutely in support of linking with other teachers in the ‘outside’ world. Time is ALWAYS an issue, but setting apart PD time to connect with other teachers online would open doors that we never knew existed. <br /><br />Busy educators, in my opinion, still take time to continue to view or ‘lurk’ on different online platforms throughout the school day. The question then becomes: What makes these busy teachers go to some sites and not others? I’ve noticed where I work, many teachers go onto DiscoveryEducation and SmartBoard links. What they both have in common is the user-friendly feature of quickly finding information. Creating a VLC or a CoP should reflect the same type of user-friendliness. This can encouraged if given the chance to be done during the school day.<br /><br /> <br />I am currently a lurker. I am hoping to get out of this phase and move on to being an online learner/leader. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-39495501985208479262009-04-07T18:08:00.000-07:002009-04-07T18:09:32.216-07:00Interesting Comic by Craig Bellamyhttp://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/online_communities_small.pngUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-64032099209230072852009-04-06T19:32:00.003-07:002009-04-06T19:34:21.818-07:00How to Create a Tag Cloud<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t91NINuOam8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t91NINuOam8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-71214750832078988302009-03-31T19:16:00.002-07:002009-03-31T19:26:12.122-07:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyMzg1NTI3MjM*MjkmcHQ9MTIzODU1Mjc*MDM2MCZwPTg*NjgxJmQ9Jmc9MSZ*PSZvPTYwOWUzODFkNjdhMjQxN2I5YTNlMTQ*MTQ1NTM1YjEx.gif" />Hi everyone, I posted an episode to my podcast, <em>Amys podcast</em>.<br /><br />Click this link to check it out:<br /><a href="http://msamythomas.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-03-31T19_20_29-07_00">PSA</a><br /><br />- Amy<br /><div style="float:left"><a href="http://msamythomas.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-03-31T19_20_29-07_00"><img border=0 src="/mymedia/thumb/1116196/0x0_1711265.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br><a border=0 href="http://www.gigyamailbutton.com/wildfire/gigyamailbutton.ashx?url=aHR*cDovL3dpbGRmaXJlLmdpZ3lhLmNvbS93aWxkZmlyZS93ZnBvcC5hc3B4P21vZHVsZT1lbWFpbCZ1cmw9aHR*cCUzYSUyZiUyZnd3dy5wb2RvbWF*aWMuY29tJTJmc2hhcmUlMmZpbmRleCUyZjExMTYxOTYlM2ZlcGlzb2RlJTNkMjAwOS*wMy*zMVQxOV8yMF8yOS*wN18wMCUyNnZpZXclM2RzZWN*aW9uX3Bvc3Q=" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.gigya.com/wildfire/i/includeShareButton.gif" border="0" width="60" height="20" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-31148848282388036072009-03-25T19:06:00.000-07:002009-03-25T19:43:16.938-07:00Digital Technology and the End of Social Studies Education<em>"Our beliefs about learners and tools come via Dewey and Vygotsky, and have been informed by the 'cognitive revolution' that in the last thirty years has given these ideas scientific weight:<br />~ Technologies as tools that amplify and extend fundamental human capacities to observe, understand and communicate about the world- tools that give us rich data, help us manipulate and think about it, and connect us with others around it in new and powerful ways." ~ Bill Tally </em><br />This article was an interesting and raised up many questions many educators, specifically ones who have been on the technology bandwagon, have been asking: Why hasn't technology in education been the tipping point yet? Three possible explanations: The teachers are to blame, schools are to blame, testing/accountability regime are to blame. I think, as a tech 'tinkerer', that a combination of all three have led to the education 'scale' to not be tipped. <br /><br />The article also spoke about the purpose behind <a href="http://www.webquest.org/index.php">WebQuests</a> that caught my attention. WebQuests were the 'craze' back when I was first teaching in Manhattan <em>(over 9 years ago). </em>We were asked to volunteer our time to spend several lunches with a professor from Columbia University, where we learned all about <a href="http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/">Bernie Dodge</a>. Since that time, WebQuests have become a natural part of my 'teacher-speak'. However, this article raises the question of the 'ubiquitous' WebQuests: Are they purposeful? Do they represent the triumph of process over substance? Is it relevant? All these questions made me reevaluate my position on such projects. <br /><br />All this reading and discussing made me think: Did education get evaluated and reevaluated when the radio was invented? Did teachers have to rethink the way they teach when the television was invented? I know these tools are different from what we are being introduced to these days, but I'm wondering if this is just a phase....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-19959378184842855692009-03-24T20:02:00.000-07:002009-03-24T20:19:14.463-07:00The Judgement of Thamus"What happens to us when we become infatuated with and then seduced by them [new technologies]? Do they free us or imprison us? Do they improve or degrade democracy? Do they make our leaders more accountable or less so? Our system more transparent or less so? Do they make us better citizens or better consumers? Are the trade-offs worth it? If they’re not worth it, yet we still can’t stop ourselves from embracing the next new thing because that’s just how we’re wired, then what strategies can we devise to maintain control? Dignity? Meaning?" ~ Andrew Postman , 2005 (son of Dr. Neil Postman)<br />Speaking to other members of TEAM and with Brenda Dyck on this particular quote from the article <a href="http://www.sts.psu.edu/Courses/walton/readings/Post1.PDF">The Judgement of Thamus </a>launched a 45-minute discussion on the topic of purpose. Purpose of new technologies- are they beneficial? Do they create a division among educators’ the ‘so called’ winners and losers? This idea of the ‘great divide’ among those who are tech-savvy and those who are ‘not’ made me immediately think about my mom. She has been working as an assistant head nurse at Queens Hospital Center for the last 20 years. However, it has only been in the last 2-3 years that she has come home night after night complaining about work. Complaining about the new technology trainings she has to attend instead of seeing her patients. Complaining about how hard it is to acquire all the new tech information in such a limited amount of time. Complaining about the fact that just when she has a new piece of tech equipment learned, a new one has come to replace it. Complaining about the feeling of inadequacy. <br />Does this ‘great divide’ happen in education? Absolutely! I’ve spoken to a plethora of teachers who feel that the available technology (ex: SmartBoards, scanners, digital flip cameras) and the Web 2.0 tools that some are using (ex: <a href="http://www.animoto.com">Animoto</a>, <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx">PhotoStory</a>, <a href="http://www.skype.com/?cm_mmc=google/latsearch-_-NA-US|EN|STRCT-_-BD-_-kwid=JFT008286|creative=3014672189">Skype</a>…) is making them feel very inadequate! The question that then comes to my mind is: Will this gap widen as each school year goes by? How do we close the gap? <br />In terms of if new technologies alter our understanding of the purpose of education, I’ll have to say yes. This is my 8th year of teaching, and my level of instruction has been enhanced due to the mere placing of a SmartBoard in my classroom. New technologies have helped me focus my teaching, keep me on track, engage my students, and actually ‘slow’ down the learning a bit [that’s a good thing]. Am I always using new technologies to its potential? Probably not, but I’m not using my SmartBoard as only a glorified whiteboard, either.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-87634604333335419792009-03-06T20:00:00.000-08:002009-03-08T17:14:46.536-07:00I just came back from a full day of being intellectually stimulated at the <a href="http://thirteencelebration.org/">Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference</a> in NYC. What an awesome experience! It was amazing to be among thousands of educators and administrators who were clearly excited about learning how to be better at what they do. I spoke to many different people this weekend, from many walks of life, and I was inspired to realize that we were all the same: we just want to carry out our 'mission' the best way we can.<br />One of the highlights of today's experience was to hear the plenary speaker, Sir Kenneth Robinson. If you haven't heard of him, stop what you are doing (and put it down b/c you soon will be falling on the floor laughing) and listen to the following video from a TED conference:<br /><embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-4964296663335083307&hl=en&fs=true" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-56350294694518322712009-01-26T12:20:00.000-08:002009-01-29T15:40:38.454-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyJVsFgcSjKQs_3JwDdp3YIhHx55p6eM2adkeVUIj_FtILahkDxSIjgGh3dNyY3DJblGOYHgXw3wZjweB2To-fU4cC5E48Wi-jL0e34E2bNFVjT0hp4j-uOm0h_B1_JY4RIY6BjG3L20/s1600-h/flash.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295700023348678162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 147px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 139px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyJVsFgcSjKQs_3JwDdp3YIhHx55p6eM2adkeVUIj_FtILahkDxSIjgGh3dNyY3DJblGOYHgXw3wZjweB2To-fU4cC5E48Wi-jL0e34E2bNFVjT0hp4j-uOm0h_B1_JY4RIY6BjG3L20/s320/flash.jpg" border="0" /></a> I’m excited about the fact that I am finally going to learn how to use Flash---a term I never thought I would ever have to use as a teacher. Being that I use my SmartBoard in nearly every lesson of the day, I constantly come across Flash games created by other teachers. I frequently wish that I could manipulate these games or create them myself! It’s always the case that every game/activity that I use ends up either missing information or providing content that I haven't taught. So, being that it is my last full semester as a grad student in TEAM, I am finally getting the chance to open the doors to the great big world of Flash.<br />First of all, what would I do with my new found knowledge? Here are several ways I might use Flash in my classroom this year: Following the ideas from the <a href="http://georgewashington.si.edu/kids/index.html">George Washington site</a>, I would also create a similar task in the subject of science, specifically for the unit on light. I would have kids look at several paintings that illustrated the concept of light <em>(with shadows, reflections, color..etc).</em> On the paintings itself, kids would be able to click on several parts of the artwork, which would lead to learning more about how light affected the area they pointed to.<br />Another example of how I can use flash in the classroom is by using the technique found in the <a href="http://www.apples4theteacher.com/chinese-tangrams.html">Tangram site</a>. As an extension activity of my Geometry unit, I would create an activity where kids could manipulate quadrilaterals that they learned about to construct an image/illustration <em>(only using those quadrilaterals or by using a specific # of shapes- 2 trapezoids, 3 squares…etc).<br /></em>A third idea of mine of how to use flash in the class <em>(hey, that rhymes--sort of!)</em> was triggered by the <a href="http://www.discovery.com/guides/history/titanic/Titanic/titanic.html">Titanic site</a>. In that site, visitors can click on an image to learn more about a specific person/event. Using this idea, I can envision teaching my students basic flash so that they themselves can create a 1 minute movie about a member of the Corps of Discovery <em>(group that led the expedition out west in the early 1800s)</em>. Once complete, visitors to the site could click on a member of the expedition to find out more about them.I realize the countless possibilities that can come about with the knowledge of flash. I’m hoping I find the actual task of learning the program painless!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-5856216461591693332008-11-30T16:32:00.000-08:002008-11-30T16:40:19.572-08:00Wordle!<a title="Wordle: American Revolution" href="http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/351297/American_Revolution"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; BORDER-TOP: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 4px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ddd 1px solid" src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/351297/American_Revolution" /></a><br />How cool does this look? I found this great Web 2.0 tool called <a href="http://www.wordle.net/">Wordle</a>, which allows you to create "clouds" similar to the ones found on <a href="http://delicious.com/">del.icio.us</a>. You can type in a bunch of words, which then randomizes the words into a cloud. There are many options/colors/fonts to choose from so you won't be disappointed. I learned the teaching strategy of 'wordsplash' back in my student teaching days, and this is a great tech remake of that. Wordsplash is an activity where you can preassess the students' prior knowledge of a particular topic. I usually put a poster on the wall/closet door and have kids write whatever word comes into mind when they look at the word on the poster (ex: Light, American Revolution, Spiders, Election...etc). This is a great way to understand what knowledge the kids are coming into the unit with. I plan to use this now as a new way of showing off my tech skills! :-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-15358416434071188312008-09-27T16:17:00.000-07:002008-09-27T16:57:15.664-07:00My Face Should Really be on a Rubik's Cube...<a href="http://www.dumpr.net/photo/fc5083575388cf1d/"><img style="WIDTH: 155px; HEIGHT: 174px" height="377" alt="Rubik Cube Generator" src="http://www.dumpr.net/static/cf/fc5083575388cf1d_o.jpg" width="377" border="0" /></a> I just read through <a href="http://www.kathyschrock.net/blog/">Kathy Shrock's blog</a>---so worth visiting! She wrote about a creative web2.0 tool called <a href="http://www.dumpr.net/">Dumpr</a> that allows my face to be on a Rubik's cube! Dumpr is a really neat tool used to manipulate photos so that you can have your pictures placed in fun ways. The registration is free, and you can get an upgraded version with more choices for only $12 a year. I definitely recommend this site---check it out! <a href="http://www.kathyschrock.net/blog/"><br /></a>Create your own <a href="http://www.dumpr.net/rubik.php">Rubik's Cube</a><br /><img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.4NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyMjI1NTUxMjgzNjYmcHQ9MTIyMjU1NzQ5NTc5NiZwPTg1NjUxJmQ9Jm49Jmc9MSZ*PSZvPTYwOWUzODFkNjdhMjQxN2I5YTNlMTQ*MTQ1NTM1YjEx.gif" width="0" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-36249978595922495992008-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:002008-04-14T13:43:15.341-07:00Sorry Dr. Gardner---Not Here, Not YetAs teachers, we are well aware and well-versed in Howard Gardener’s theory of seven intelligences….or are we? Going through a comprehensive teacher education program at SUNY Geneseo, I was told in most of my education classes about how individuals learn in multiple ways, and we as future teachers need to understand how to tap into all the multiple modalities. However, what I’ve always wondered since age twenty was: How am I going to teach this way if I’ve never been taught this way myself? By no means did I mean that I cannot teach in a different way than the way I was taught as a Catholic school student (where we saw the backs of our nuns more than the front). But how was I supposed to tap into ‘multiple intelligences’ if I only read about these seven types from a college textbook? Ten years later, I am still asking the same question. <br /> <br />So it came as no surprise to me when I read that the guru himself, Dr. Howard Gardner, did not believe educators were using his theory of multiple intelligences appropriately. Of course we’re not! We keep getting hit with buzzwords such as “differentiated instruction” and “multi-sensory”, but do not know exactly how to make sense out it all. What we do know what to make sense of is: No Child Left Behind. Teach to the test, administer tests, compare results so teachers know what to do the following year in order to get better results. It’s a sick cycle, and this type of curriculum does not allow for room to support the multiple intelligences theory. <br /><br />Sorry, Dr. Gardner---not here, not yet. <br /><br />In the meantime, the education system tries to ‘fit in’ this theory by teaching teachers how to create the ‘differentiated classroom’, where we must meet the levels of all our students all the time. How is this even possible? Yes, we have come a long way from the one-room schoolhouse, but we have a longer way to go. Dr. Gardner and other notable psychologists are correct in their findings about other intelligences, but we need to figure out how to appropriately implement their conclusions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-3226765709028294422008-02-11T09:24:00.000-08:002008-02-11T09:25:12.550-08:00Podcast: Metacognition<a href="http://msamythomas.podOmatic.com/?badge=1"><img src="http://msamythomas.podOmatic.com/badge.gif" border="0" style="border:0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-51981680335190167422008-02-07T15:30:00.000-08:002008-02-07T15:31:01.416-08:00<a href="http://www.criticsrant.com/bb/reading_level.aspx"><img style="border: none;" src="http://www.criticsrant.com/bb/readinglevel/img/postgrad.jpg" alt="blog readability test" /></a><p><small><a href="http://www.criticsrant.com">Movie Reviews</a></small></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-38491598807490098532007-12-10T13:26:00.001-08:002007-12-10T14:00:44.522-08:00Podcasting<strong>Last week, during the EEV workshop led by <a href="http://wlteam.blogspot.com/">Karen Kliegman</a>, I had the opportunity to create my own podcast. I interviewed <a href="http://www.christinesouthard.blogspot.com/">Christine Southard </a>on her knowledge and use of podcasting in an inclusion classroom. Enjoy listening to our 'Differentiated Podcast'! </strong><br /><br /><a href="http://christinesouthard.podOmatic.com/?badge=1"><img src=" http://christinesouthard.podOmatic.com/badge.gif" border="0" style="border:0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-66434616022267109172007-12-09T08:23:00.000-08:002007-12-10T13:12:13.784-08:00Why is the word mnemonics so hard to remember?I had the rare opportunity to sit down last night and play all of the memory games that were listed on the <a href="http://myweb.liu.edu/~mdornisc/modules/cognitivism.html#">Cognitive Module</a>. The memory games proved that I remember best when I (like most people) repeat information back in an auditory way. At the end, all I kept thinking was: What has happened to my memory? Do I have brain overload? How am I going to place all that I still have left to learn? <br /><br />So the question for the day is: How can I (as a special educator) create a cognitive learning environment for my students? The majority of the students I work with struggle with applying concepts they have been taught to different situations. I recently had my parent-teacher conferences, and I felt as if I were a broken record saying: "Your child has difficulty holding on to information...Your child struggles with applying new information to different situations...Your child..." I'm not a parent, but I'm trying to imagine what parents do with that type of information about their children. What can parents do about this? <br /><br />Recently, my co-teacher had a talk with our studenrs (5th graders) about test taking, trying to figure out why a majority of the kids did poorly on a math test. After the disucssion, and without pre-planning, she orally stated a list of 5 numbers. Later on that day, she asked if anyone remembered those numbers. About 10 our of the 25 kids were able to recite the numbers in correct order. She then explained to the kids about the fact that our brains processes information in different ways, and we should start to have an understanding of how best our brain stores information. What a great metacognition lesson! <br /><br />Having kids be aware of how they store and retrieve information is a great start to helping them encode information more meaningfully to long term memory. With the amount of info being thrown to them at school, at home, online, and on television, kids need more of an awareness of differentiating between essential and nonessential information.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-12703998265322945742007-11-11T06:57:00.000-08:002007-11-11T07:33:34.348-08:00How did I learn sitting in rows all my life?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEARIkRLx4ZlPai0MkLEGXGw0KN7YDrh03z_YRlXL7mylUmom6g2zHnMFJFQ2ZFcYPVXGTPzXypLO-dNgvsDo2eKJqleZT4beEfUye0E0bkSRGMMehzDCu6HMbCUQEPx5SdE8PCGqKdM/s1600-h/j0402302.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEARIkRLx4ZlPai0MkLEGXGw0KN7YDrh03z_YRlXL7mylUmom6g2zHnMFJFQ2ZFcYPVXGTPzXypLO-dNgvsDo2eKJqleZT4beEfUye0E0bkSRGMMehzDCu6HMbCUQEPx5SdE8PCGqKdM/s200/j0402302.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131600459189800338" /></a><br />As I read everything there is to know about <a href="http://myweb.liu.edu/~mdornisc/modules/constructivism.html">constructivism</a>, my thought was: how did I learn? I was educated in a catholic school, from Pre-K to 12. As long as I can remember, I sat in rows (usually in the second to last row towards the back b/c we were sitting in alphabetical order). I don't remember groups, learning centers, games (other than the occasional 7-Up Game if we had a sub!). This boggles my mind: how did I learn everything I know? Would I have been a different person if I was educated in the type of school environment that encouraged hands-on learning and other constructivist methods? <br /><br />Since learning about constructivism in my undergraduate years, I've always struggled with this concept of 'open-ended' learning. I think it was because of how I was raised: teacher-directed, minimal student-to-student interaction environment. My struggle as a teacher has always been how to incorporate constructivist-type activities/questions into my teaching. I have definitely improved over my 7 years of teaching. I remember as a student teacher, I made sure every lesson I did was blowing bells and whistles. If I was doing a fractions lesson, we used real brownies to cut them into halves! When we were learning about the history of the Olympics, the kids were competing in their own simulated Olympics (with gold/bronze/silver olive branches as awards!) I've become more wise, however, over the years. I am now finding a balance between guiding the children and then letting them come up with their own conclusions. Does it always turn out successful? No, but my students are remembering a heck of a lot more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-23232542423629953982007-11-03T10:53:00.000-07:002007-11-03T11:38:16.235-07:00Feeling Disconnected While Connecting to the the World<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXFKGmdzmWyXxLamLiq_0XFqlDkQHmdqf63NE86UGYF99YdtTdNUpI-LyFSYjww8bbepTZBlY9CoaCEnQI0G9kmfFqdGVJw4sN20v4KUx8P_juFdvqD0YQcg-NoNbqecUowUIDuYmBgE/s1600-h/j0433155.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128685055701017586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXFKGmdzmWyXxLamLiq_0XFqlDkQHmdqf63NE86UGYF99YdtTdNUpI-LyFSYjww8bbepTZBlY9CoaCEnQI0G9kmfFqdGVJw4sN20v4KUx8P_juFdvqD0YQcg-NoNbqecUowUIDuYmBgE/s200/j0433155.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="justify"> I spent 3 hours straight this morning at home looking through various <a href="http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dvtjctt_95snn7hw&pli=1">blogs</a>,tagging websites on <a href="http://www.delicious.com/">delicious</a>, searching the <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/">GLEF</a> website, reviewing notes on the current <a href="http://www.quicktopic.com/40/H/Dv2w9ZsydgF">Q</a><a href="http://www.quicktopic.com/40/H/Dv2w9ZsydgF">uickT</a><a href="http://www.quicktopic.com/40/H/Dv2w9ZsydgF">opic</a>, and this is what kept running through my mind: What a lonely feeling it is to spend this much time online! I am 'connecting' to the world but I'm actually disconnected from what's going on around me. My family had breakfast together (something we rarely do), yet I was alone staring onto the laptop screen.<br /><br />Here's my question: How do I maximize my time online so I don't miss out on what's going on around my world? </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-86187936659366910942007-10-21T14:09:00.000-07:002007-11-05T13:19:23.125-08:00<script language="javascript" src="http://www.polldaddy.com/p/124120.js"> </script> <noscript> <a href ="http://www.polldaddy.com" >Free Polls</a> - <a href ="http://www.polldaddy.com/poll.asp?p=124120" >Take Our Poll</a> </noscript><br /><br />Tonight: Playing with <a href="http://polldaddy.com">PollDaddy</a> (why the silly name?) , an online tool that allows you to create polls/surveys and place them on your website, MySpace, Friendster, and a lot of other places! <br /><br />Observations: Really easy to do...did not spend too much time on it...Most of my time was used up by trying to think up a question for the poll (obviously need to spend more time thinking in this area!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-31150871937512723402007-10-16T20:19:00.000-07:002008-02-04T14:19:35.617-08:00Celebrating Columbus Day in PR<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczxcNYHhkNMiFqZBtm5f38NqEV4MegalgAqWU2vtwlr1kgZ3NmUe0sQMi8FagxgagL8tMyV19o3wBle9rveYSQTck0ovVi6KENpZrmvHB6WaVHpeuu5HWu4MWgUw_M5WCmdZx9RVQRm4/s1600-h/Puerto+Rico.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122141724316302258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczxcNYHhkNMiFqZBtm5f38NqEV4MegalgAqWU2vtwlr1kgZ3NmUe0sQMi8FagxgagL8tMyV19o3wBle9rveYSQTck0ovVi6KENpZrmvHB6WaVHpeuu5HWu4MWgUw_M5WCmdZx9RVQRm4/s200/Puerto+Rico.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#333399;">I had the opportunity to celebrate Columbus Day this year in Puerto Rico (by the way, this is not my life normally...I usually celebrate this day by catching up on all my soap operas!) </span></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#333399;">Anyway, how gorgeous is this picture you see to the left? Taken from my camera just minutes before the wedding I came to San Juan for. Amazing wedding, amazing couple (Congratulations, Liz and David!) </span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#333399;">So what does this post have to do with TEAM, you ask? Well, technology, of course! It NEVER ceases to amaze me how technology has made our lives unbelievably easy....For the first time in my life, I had the easiest journey through JFK because of a miracle called "Online Check-In"...What an ingenious idea! And there were computers placed in the lobby of the hotel that let me print out my boarding pass as I was leaving PR....So smart...Saved so much time and several headaches. </span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#333399;">I was sad to see, however, that in a certain part of Old San Juan, there were even laptops attached to the lounge chairs women were sitting in to get their pedicures. Here's my thought: Do we need to be online ALL the time? Can we not allow ourselves the luxury of peace and quiet? More thoughts on this later...</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3074689212680184990.post-85417592872653649672007-10-01T16:17:00.000-07:002007-11-05T13:16:59.019-08:00Finally---A Thought!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So I think I'm finally feeling a little better about being a part of TEAM <em>(hence my long-awaited 'web presence' on this blog)..</em>By no means am I a tech-geek <em>(as I am referred to by one of my students....Wait until he realizes how little I know!) </em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My current thought (as of Oct 1, 2007): I have A LOT to learn...but I'm ready to take the challenge! :-)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2