Want to play with me?

An interesting and busy week.  The wheels have been set in motion for many life changes.  I will keep things moving along with a vision of the good things to come.

@Work

I found a fabulous website that allows me to make extremely polished weekly e-mail blast to parents.  The site, Vertical Response, has a ton of templates and features the ability to personalize e-mails.  I sent out my first this morning.  It included great graphics, links, and video information for parents and students.  I hope that it helps improve their grades by virtue of having more informed parents.  We have only 5 weeks left in the course and the majority of my students are not doing as well as I would hope.

I took the GACE in Economics this past Saturday.  I over-prepared.  It was much easier than the test preparation materials.  I suppose it's best to be over prepared.  I should hear about my results in a few weeks.  I believe that an additional area of certification will make more more marketable to high schools.  Perhaps it will open another avenue at GAVS for a full time position.

I attended a fabulous Softchalk webinar.  The presenter spoke about theme-ing training for teachers as games.  She had created a "mission impossible" type theme.  I may borrow this idea in the French 1 development.  It helps to make the measurement outcomes very practical and performance based.  I thought I could produce "Mission possible:  I want to be an exchange student."  Some of the assessment could include completing an application with essential personal information in French, reading a letter from your host family, and writing a letter to your host family.  I'm spending a lot of time working on the idea (see Popplet)

 

@Home

I'm getting back into the swing of things.  I don't like house work.  I have a hard time tearing myself away from the computer/work to get anything done around the house.  I LOVE my new i-pad and am using it to help.  I downloaded a fabulous day-timer application and am budgeting my time down to the hour.  I hope that it will keep me on track.  I need to balance my life a little better.

I'm back in Trey's class room.  I volunteer once a week to make copies and work with a reading group.  I love eating lunch with him on Friday's and seeing him in action at school.  He really is very smart and has made great progress in reading and math.  I can't wait until he takes the CRCTs so that we can see what grade level he is now.  He counted to 100 by 4 just for fun in the car yesterday.  I can't help but be impressed.

His 6th birthday is this Thursday.  I'm bringing in a cookie cake to class.  We have a bowling party scheduled for April 16.  I've hired someone to make a Lego Star Wars cake.  She is a phenomenal cake designer and I'm very excited to see what she produced.

@Sports
I played three matches this past week.  I went 1-2.  Not so great...but I am learning and growing.  The A7 ALTA match was an education.  I am certain that playing at this level will help me to improve my footwork and resetting.  I just need to relax and breathe.

Making Things Happen

Sometimes things just all come together for me....and sometimes they don't. This week was a particularly good one. I have set off on some journeys that are bound to be challenging and offer fantastic opportunities.

@Work
Now that I've completed my long term sub assignment at WFHS, I am re-focusing me efforts at GAVS. A sad majority of my students online are struggling to be successful, so I am starting several campaigns to improve their grades. Conversations, verbal assessments, weigh heavily in their grade. Students seem to put off completing these assignments. I believe it's because they are intimidated. In order to ease the pressure, I've tried to offer a number of means to satisfy this requirement:
Elluminate: Students can log on to my online office hours and complete their conversations live and in person. This is the method that I prefer as I can provide coaching and live feedback. Students also have the opportunity to remediate if they are unsuccessful. Some students find Elluminate difficult to use or don't have convenient internet access during these hours.
Audacity (www.audacity.com) is free downloadable software that can create mp3s. Students can use their computers and this free software to crate mp3s and upload them to the GAVS drop boxes. Audacity is an amazing tool, but exporting mp3s requires using a plugin and some students do not understand how to install software.
Voicethread (www.voicethread.com) is an phenomenal online story telling mechanism. You simple upload photos or videos to the site and then comment on them. I have uploaded images with the conversation questions and discussion pictures. This is an easy method. Several students are using this web 2.0 application.
Google Voice (www.google.com/voice) is a free web application. Students can call my Google Voice account. When they call,they can leave a voicemail recording of their conversation. This message can be downloaded as an mp3 from Google. I then download the recording and attach it to my feedback in the conversation dropbox at GAVS.

I am desperately trying to make this a easy and accessible as possible for students. I'm even making a series of "How to" videos for each of these methods. I plan to send one video each day, every day this week.

I am taking the GACE, the Georgia state teacher certification exam, in Economics this week. While I'm confident that I can pass the test, I still feel the need to prepare. Professionally, my efforts this week will be on reviewing the body of knowledge tested in the GACE. I'll be spending 2-3 hours per day. The test is on Saturday.

@Home
This week is "Get Your Act Together Week". Since I've been working two jobs, the house has suffered. I have piles of laundry to fold and need to vacuum. I just need to come up with a way to consistently do three or four home management tasks each day so that, by the end of the week, the entire house has been cleaned and organized. More to follow on this strategy.

Trey's birthday is next week. We are preparing for a bowling shin-dig. I've ordered a Lego Starwars cake that I can not wait to see. Pictures to follow. Little man is about to turn six. It hardly seems possible. He grows taller, smarter, and cuter everyday.

@Sports
I started in five tennis leagues this week. Love the tennis madness. I am really starting to develop a swing and some power. I am focused on mastering a second kick serve this season.

So far, I'm 1-2. Davin and I won our first mixed match in the Ultimate Tennis League, but lost in a three setter on Friday night in the USTA 7.0 league. Both were great matches. I also lost at line 2 of my Thursday women's ALTA day league. Didn't play my best, but had some nerves starting off the season. I hope to improve my record this week.

The deadline to register for the USTA 3.0 state championships is Monday at 3 pm. I am hand delivering my team's registration tomorrow. Hopefully all of this league play will equate to an awesome showing at States.

Good...better......great

What a fabulous week!  I love when all my planing and efforts comes together in an exciting and wonderful way.  This week was the culmination of much of my professional work.  Good things have happened!
WFHS

Student Work Sample

This was my last week at WFHS.  I had so much fun and have grown so much by being back in the classroom.  I ended my eight weeks at WFHS with a belated Mardi Gras celebration in my French classes.  It was very rewarding to see the students passionately seek out learning independently.  I gave them very little direction and few requirements.  I only told them that they had to present some aspect of Mardi Gras or Francophone carnival celebrations.  I also asked them to include references and gave them a few examples of possible lines of research.  Most students produced excellent PowerPoints.  Students presented research on music, dance, food, symbols, and historical figures.  I was particularly impressed by a group of three students who presented the history of the Mardi Gras theme song and then, with a clarinet and key board, performed it for us live.  I am working on uploading a video of their performance.  It was deeply fulfilling to observe their enthusiasm.

The best part of my week was a phone call from one of my student's parents.  She called to thank me for helping her son.  He had failed Spanish 1 and had a failing grade when I arrived in Spanish 2.  When I left this week, he had a low B.  He had told her that I, ".... just made him understand things."  I honestly attribute the progress that "my" students made to the use of graphic organizers.  I presented the information in many different ways, and then reviewed and summarized the information in a graphic organizer.  This practice works and I am so fulfilled knowing that I was able to help my students grow and learn.  Given that I don't know Spanish all that well, I feel very accomplished.

GAVS

The Writing Process

I'm really benefiting from reading BLOGS.  I found a great one (The Rapid E-learner) and have been learning a tremendous number of graphic tricks that I am using in my class.  I created two news announcements that I think will really catch my student's eye.  This might sound a rather superficial effort to help, but I've tried many other avenues to convey these messages.  I'm hoping that these graphics will catch their attention long enough that the message gets through.

How to Succeed in Class

I made this graphic using PowerPoint and using some of the tricks presented by the a fore mentioned blog.  I can not know why, but my students seem to "forget" the writing process.  They either skip the steps or begin the process and then stop.  I need to examine the possible reasons for this.  I do think that the directions can be presented more clearly, maybe using a graphic like this with hot spot links to the documents and D2L tools required to complete the process.

Personal

At home, things continue to be busy and productive.  Trey had a jump rope fund raiser at school.  He practiced jumping all week.  Davin went in to school and surprised Trey by jump roping with him.  I am so grateful to have such a loving husband and good father like Davin.  Trey absolutely giggled with delight telling me about the experience.

The big tennis Mardi Gras party is tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to some team tennis.  I managed to get everything prepared and will take lots of pictures.  The weather looks good and we should have a great day!

I have also been busy getting all the paperwork and other preparations for the USTA state 3.0 tournament in May 5-9 in Rome, GA.  Looks like most of the team will be going.  Should be fabulous fun!

Next week is the start of the ALTA women's tennis season.  I'm playing line 2 on my Thursday women's team.  I'm looking forward to getting back in shape and enjoying my days.  I think my days as a stay-at-home mom/tennis player are numbered!

I submitted my admissions essay to Valdsota State University.  I am applying for admission to the EdS in Instructional Technology program.  Wednesday is the deadline for all admission's materials.  Hopefully I will hear quickly about my application.  Think good thoughts on my behalf!

And so it goes....

I never cease to be amazed at the speed of life.  I start out each week with the best of intentions.  This week, I will smother my child and husband with affection, the house will be clean, the dogs will be walked, I'll work out everyday, and we'll all eat healthy.  But life seems to get in the way.


Home and Family
Trey is having an excellent year at school.   He is learning so much and growing so fast.  He is my miracle.  At 5, he is writing stories, he can add and subtract, and is working on the 1st grade site words.  I'm anxious to see what grade level he scores at for Math and Reading this Spring.


Picture day is Monday and we are all debating what my handsome little guy will wear.  I just pray that the pictures are take BEFORE lunch time.


We are also gearing up for Trey's birthday party in just a few weeks.  Looks like we'll be bowling and playing laser tag.  Found someone to make a Lego Star Wars cake.  I'm very excited to see what she produces.  She is quite the artist!  I will post pictures


I can not believe that my little baby is going to be 6.  Isn't it funny how you find yourself saying and feeling all of the things that you remember your parents doing?  Don't you wish that you would have listened more?  I know that I do.




Tennis and Running
I went to Zenda's, Hampton's tennis pro/godess, drop-in drills on Thursday night.  It was so much fun, I couldn't leave the court.  I played three hours of tennis and enjoyed every second of it.  I am really looking forward to our forthcoming seasons.



The rankings and schedules for the new ALTA season are out.  My Sunday Women's team is in an A7 division.  My Thursday Women's team is in a C6 division.  Guess where I belong?  Regardless, this is an excellent opportunity to grow my game.  I can't wait to get started with lessons and practice THIS WEEK.


Davin is absolutely chomping at the bit to get back on the court.  We signed up to play -3.5 mixed doubles in the Ultimate Tennis league.  I'm looking forward to watching him serve underhand!  I have promised myself that I will be on my best behavior so that I can convince him to partner up with me in ALTA mixed doubles this summer.  Sometimes my competitive nature and drive get the better of me and I can be a bit annoying with which to play.


I am also busy planning the end of season party for the Hampton community.  I've got a Mardi Gras theme in mind since Tuesday 3/8 is the big day.  We've set the date for Sunday, March 13 at 1 pm.  I love a good excuse to play tennis and celebrate Mardi Gras!


Work at WFHS
Sadly, this will be my last week working at WFHS.  I can not believe how deeply and truly I have enjoyed worked with High Schoolers.  I thought that I would be constantly battling bad attitudes and disinterest.  There is some of that, but mostly, its fun and laughter.  I will miss the students that I have grown so close to in just eight weeks.


Unfortunately, WFHS will not have the headcount to offer me a full time position next year.  Davin and I have been discussing the possibility of trying to do more long term subbing next year.  It helps keep me busy and contributes to the family finances.  This may just allow us to do more around the house and possibly take that Disney Cruise about which we keep dreaming.


I'm going to end this week with a little fun.  My French classes are all doing research projects on some aspect of Mardi Gras.  I made them write a proposal for their research specifying the team members, their roles, the research topic, the product, and the basis for their assessment.  I've been very impressed with their proposals.  I have one group that will be performing the official Mardi Gras theme song and providing us with an overview of the song's  history and role in the festivities.  Another team will be presenting research on the music and dance of Francophone countries and regions.  Still another will be investigating the history of Cajun cuisine and the French influence in "low" state foods.





 


Work at GAVS
I continue to struggle at GAVS.  Much of my frustration is my inability to diagnosis what the prevalent issue is with the students.  I would blame the general lack of success on the course design, but many of these students were in my class last semester and did not see tremendous progress.  


For the AB course (both semester crammed into one), I've decided to make the remainder of the writing assignments optional extra credit.  Ironically, I spend most of my time re-designing the course to improve these assignments.  I integrated the writing process into the production of the required, short essay work.  I believe that the combination of a five step process and the technology required in the steps is just too much for these students.  They are either not motivated to complete each of the requirements, or they are incapable of following the process through all of the steps due to a lack of attention and perverseness.  Only four of 19 students completed each of the required elements of the process.





I've also been spending an enormous amount of time working on my application for the Ed.S. in Education Technology at Valdosta State.  I've got a March 15th deadline.  The only two things I still need to get done are:  the completion of a health form.  Why I need to complete a physical for a 100% online class is beyond me.  I also need to finish my 1500 word essay.  I've decided that the best medium for presenting my technology skills would be an online, website based essay.  It's still in the works, but looking good.  I just need to finesse the text and add a Jing video or two.  Hopefully they will accept this format as I've spent so much time on it.


Conclusion
It's been another jam packed week of good times and challenges.  I'm looking forward to closing the chapter on the fabulous experience at WFHS and focusing on my efforts at home, with GAVS, and my application to Valdosta State.