Hindsight 20/20?

It is very difficult for me to look back and remember what the dark looked like.

What I mean by that is, this program has changed my world and my work so much that I don't remember how I did it before. Everytime I plan for a lesson now, there are so many sites and resources available to check my facts and display the material that it gets overwhelming.

I heard a colleague ask another colleague about the new kindle fire and if they knew anything about it. I fired off an email giving a link to CNET and their review of a couple products including the new kindle fire. Before this program, I would have just sat in the dark and not offered any input. It's not that I have an informed opinion on any of those products, but that I know where to find informed opinions.

This program has also changed the opportunities available to me as well. I am teaching 5 F2F and 1 online course. The online course is something I would never have dreamed of doing a few years ago. I was also afforded the opportunity to go to the Virtual School Symposium this past week and I do see the change is on the horizon. One statement made at VSS that I shared with my colleagues, I can't seem to get out of my head. One of the keynote speakers said, "by 2020, it is projected that 1/2 of all learning in this country will be online".

It is my obligation to share all of the information I have learned in this program and the VSS to everyone who will listen. There are a great deal of nay sayers. I used to be one of them. I liken this new age / revolution and teachers roles in it to workers such as the pipe fitters who worked with galvanized and iron pipe and were replaced by the plumbers and other tradesmen (people) who learned to work with PVC. A great many lost their jobs from a new technology that they did not learn. One can also look at our local mall - not much business at all. Online shopping has taken its toll. A new age is upon us!

CED0599

Overwhelming is a word that describes my current situation. I just returned from the 2011 Virtual School Symposium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wow! It was an event I would recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to go. The problem is, with all of the ideas it has given me to work on and all of the new websites to try, I have little time to do so.

Specifically, I must finish this Culminating Experience for 599, which I keep changing, altering or tweaking, if you will. It is entirely my fault. This past summer, I was given the opportunity to take on an extra class, online Algebra 2, for this year and now find myself with even less time. I will get through this. How do you eat an elephant (if you chose to)? Answer - One bite at a time.

Translation: At times in one's life the challenges can seem limitless and consequently overwhelming. The way to survive is by knocking out each task one at a time.

Perseverance is the word that I need to concentrate on.

1st Blog of 599

About a week and a half ago I had what I would write in this blog made up in my mind. It was after I spoke to Louis about what my culminating experience would be. He made me realize that what I originally planned was too vague and in his words, "nebulous". I admitted that I painted a hazy, not well defined goal and consequential plan. It sounded good, but admittedly, I wrote it loosely so that I may have some "wiggle" room.

So, off I went to make my culminating experience well defined and very specific. I thought I would create an "online gradebook" using Engrade. Respectable, but not having the bite that I would like, I now find myself wanting to change, partly due to the fact that my district has online grading for some schools and wants to put it into practice throughout my district. I do not wish to put in the time transferring everything into Engrade and then possibly having to transfer everything into yet another software package. The clock is ticking... I have to make up my mind and stick with it... Time to talk to Louis again...

CED0565 -Final Post

• How has your definition of leadership altered or been reinforced? Your definition of teacher leadership?

In the wake of taking the classes for my Masters, I have found myself saying certain things more and more to my classes.

Things like:

1) You can be part of the problem or part of the solution. No other choice exists.

2) Who would you rather listen to, someone who complains about everything or someone who offers a solution?

3) The simplest, yet most complex math problem to figure out is: You were born with how many ears? With how many mouths? Figure it out. (This one, I use when some student won't stop talking)

4) There was an old owl, who lived in an Oak...

the more s/he saw, the less s/he spoke...

the less s/he spoke, the more s/he heard...

why can't we be like that wise old bird...

A new one that I will be trying out. A quote from Rosanne Barr on CBS Sunday Morning...

Nobody can stop you from getting better at something, except you.

Nobody can stop you from making something right, except you.

I added the "except you's"

I had forgotten for a while, how much influence I could and should have on students. In this sense, I have had a rebirth in my opinion of teacher leadership

• Has your opinion of your leadership potential changed?

No doubt, it has changed. How can you realize your potential unless you try new things and feel you make a difference. We accomplish in proportion to what we attempt. We may fail at many things many times, but, if we never try, we will never succeed at anything.

• Do you agree with our textbook's assertion about "improving education from within"? If so, what will you do to help?

I have brought more work upon myself. Just what I needed. This past Friday in an "early release" of students / staff development, we, teachers, were asked to come up with some solutions to improving WKCE scores.

Being a math teacher, I came up with the idea and volunteered to make screencasts that I will send to other teachers to offer students example problems and their explained solutions. This will be the first of the changes I will choose to spearhead.

565 5th Blog Chrome homepage fee

Did anyone else loose their Google Chrome homepage?

I don't know if I did something to change it or not, but I lost the homepage that I had set up just how I wanted it. Now, it seems, Chrome is asking for a one time $5 charge for apps under the guise that it is for verification of usage and working against fraudulent behavior.

Perhaps it is so some hacker doesn't set up a macro to create an extraordinary amount of "free" accounts. This would bog down the system. I can afford the $5. I just don't like the idea of paying for something that was previously free. Also, I have 3 Google accounts, my personal one, my district one and my Stritch one. That makes it $15 if I want to set them all up the way I want.

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

565 4th Blog What I've learned or maybe relearned?

I must admit I haven't had time or made the time to look at my Stritch account in a while. Logging into Angel was fun (trying a number of different passwords 'til I remembered it!).

To the subject of what I've learned.

#1 Write down your passwords to all of the different applications in a safe place immediately after installation.

#2 Taking on an "overload / extra class" during the last few weeks of trying to finish your Masters is not recommended.

#3 Simulations covering the topic of school and district improvement ("the game we played in class") can be very frustrating.

#4 Assume your students know nothing unless they demonstrate to the contrary.

3rd Post 565 Best Invention of All Time?

The countdown is on. About 2 weeks of freedom left. My mind is full of what I need to do with those 2 weeks. I was going to use this summer to create a lot of content to engage my students.

I started looking at some things that were successful last year. If you have the time, look through some of the TED videos that weren't part of our work in this program. If you want a great one that I showed to my students, here it is (a little more than 9 minutes).

The way I used it with some of my students last year is I asked them what they thought was the most important invention of all time and why? Then I showed them the following video. It would be a great way to start the year!

http://www.gapminder.org/videos/hans-rosling-and-the-magic-washing-machine/

Take a look at the site that houses the video, gapminder. It is great for stats, social studies, health and other subjects!