I had actually completed step 6 over a week ago, however, the thought process keeps getting in the way. Have I mentioned that I have grammar/spelling issues? I am sure that that issue along with all the other issues you MUST think I am one VERY high maintenance girl-I assure you I am not! (ok, maybe just a bit) Long story short...It takes me a long time to publish anything. I have to go over it with a fine toothed comb to make sure it sounds okay. I have decided to let it go. I will spell check and read it over once but that is it.
I went a bit...crazy with the rss feeds. I still haven't figured out how to put in a link with the html codes but I figure I am safe b/c of the "link" button on blogger. YEAH for blogger and their "link" button! :D I have been reading Karen's Challenge (see, link button...isn't it great?). She is so much fun! Reading her blogs about the future "things" I would be doing is what motivated me to get moving. I promised myself I would go in order-I have a tendency to NOT go in order. I am not sure if that is from the ADHD or just a personal bad habit started as a child, but I hardly ever do anything in the "proper" order. Anyway, in "thing 13" it seems we will be making images? She was so excited about it that it got me excited. :) Thanks Karen!
I will speak briefly about two other blogs that I am subscribed to. The first is New Dress A Day. Yes, I not only cook...I sew as well! LOL New dress a day is about a girl that decides to make 365 dresses in 365 days and only spend $365. It is amazing what she can do with some of the dresses she purchases. It brings back memories from my high school days. I have shown it to many of my students (I can not claim credit for teaching them to sew...that is the Fashion design teacher Mrs. Regan) whom love the concept and have taken on goals of their own.
The second is Bakerella. Having been a cake decorator for many years I love the whimsical voice of this blog. She has great ideas for baking and even has a book out about her "cake pops". I do not comment very often (that whole "sounding like an idiot" thing) but I have several times on her blog.
I love to sew but my passion is cooking. There was a guest speaker at West not to long ago that said "All great teachers have a hobby. Something that they are passionate about." What are you passionate about?
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Off topic: Hot Chocolate
I am not sure I should be posting so much off topic. It only proves that I am not doing my homework. However, I am really enjoying this blogging thing! lol! I will finish today's blog, but will then be turning all of my "non 23 things" posts to http://msharriswmhs.blogspot.com/.
Today I was supposed to attend the fair. Didn't happen. Just like everything else in my life I get sidetracked easily! My friends and I were looking for a parking spot, could not find one, decided to park by the Dart and ride the train in then decided, while looking for the Dart, to just postpone the fair and go shopping instead. It was all Constance's fault. She said "I think that spice store is around here somewhere". SPICE STORE??!! Holy Mother of God. I, of course, replied "fair, we can always go to the fair! Why don't we go to this spice store instead!" And so we did. The name of this spice store is Penzeys. It can be found online (just click on "penzeys" and it will pop up magically) as well as somewhere in Dallas. I am geographically challenged and have NO idea where. :D
I purchased several things but the most important today (I will get to the others later when I use them) was the Dutch Processed High Fat cocoa. OMG!!! If you don't know the difference let me just inform you...it is good stuff. I have made brownies as well as hot chocolate today from it. I am not so sure I can now go back to the other stuff. It is that good! This was the recipe:
4 cups milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa
a splash of cinnamon and vanilla
Heat all ingredients to 145 degrees F. Top with marshmallows.
Of course I had to alter it. I only added 3 cups of milk, 4 T of sugar, 3 T of cocoa, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. It was amazing. I am normally a snob when it comes to chocolate. Only the good stuff for me! Yes, I still heat my milk in a saucepan and pour it over the chopped up high % chocolate pieces, also known as the "old fashioned way". My students usually get a big kick out of this when they make it in class. I get an even bigger kick out of it when they email me years later and ask for the "recipe". :) It made my day!
Today I was supposed to attend the fair. Didn't happen. Just like everything else in my life I get sidetracked easily! My friends and I were looking for a parking spot, could not find one, decided to park by the Dart and ride the train in then decided, while looking for the Dart, to just postpone the fair and go shopping instead. It was all Constance's fault. She said "I think that spice store is around here somewhere". SPICE STORE??!! Holy Mother of God. I, of course, replied "fair, we can always go to the fair! Why don't we go to this spice store instead!" And so we did. The name of this spice store is Penzeys. It can be found online (just click on "penzeys" and it will pop up magically) as well as somewhere in Dallas. I am geographically challenged and have NO idea where. :D
I purchased several things but the most important today (I will get to the others later when I use them) was the Dutch Processed High Fat cocoa. OMG!!! If you don't know the difference let me just inform you...it is good stuff. I have made brownies as well as hot chocolate today from it. I am not so sure I can now go back to the other stuff. It is that good! This was the recipe:
4 cups milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa
a splash of cinnamon and vanilla
Heat all ingredients to 145 degrees F. Top with marshmallows.
Of course I had to alter it. I only added 3 cups of milk, 4 T of sugar, 3 T of cocoa, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. It was amazing. I am normally a snob when it comes to chocolate. Only the good stuff for me! Yes, I still heat my milk in a saucepan and pour it over the chopped up high % chocolate pieces, also known as the "old fashioned way". My students usually get a big kick out of this when they make it in class. I get an even bigger kick out of it when they email me years later and ask for the "recipe". :) It made my day!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thing 5
It is 5:47 pm, Friday. I am waiting (at school of course) for THE game to start. The West Mesquite Wranglers vs. the Poteet Pirates. GO WRANGLERS!!! :) Just had to get that in. Of course I am filling my free time by doing my homework. :D I have to be honest, I did not like/enjoy the Infinite Thinking Machine blog. Maybe I am just to country/ADHD/boring to "get" it. After skimming for about 30 seconds my eyes started to cross and I just HAD to get up and cook those cookies in my fridge. I felt I was back in college learning about Maslow, Bloom, and all of those other old, dead guys. That was wrong...I know. I am a teacher...HOW can I down some of our truest founders? I am not! Truly! Think about it...if those people could see most of the teachers now would they be proud or horrified? I can see them now "What! You have had 50-100 years to improve on what we discovered/created and THIS is what you have to show for it?!" It was not bad information that was there...it just seemed convoluted and jumbled. It might have been my ADHD acting up, but I couldn't seem to make it "make sense". I am going to visit it tomorrow when I am not so tired and respond back.
The Tech Learning however...I was like a pig in a mud hole, or a cajun at a crawfish bowl, or a saint's fan at the Superbowl last year. lol What is the first thing I see? "10 sites for creating digital comics" It was GREAT!! I was on a clicking spree! Digital comics? YES! Don’t Forget Your Audience! 5 Ideas To Connect with Real Audiences by Lisa Nielsen? Well, my students could be considered an audience...YES! I started the journey to learn several new things. However, it is 6:30 and I have to go catch a football game. Will let you know more tomorrow! Wish us luck!
Susan
The Tech Learning however...I was like a pig in a mud hole, or a cajun at a crawfish bowl, or a saint's fan at the Superbowl last year. lol What is the first thing I see? "10 sites for creating digital comics" It was GREAT!! I was on a clicking spree! Digital comics? YES! Don’t Forget Your Audience! 5 Ideas To Connect with Real Audiences by Lisa Nielsen? Well, my students could be considered an audience...YES! I started the journey to learn several new things. However, it is 6:30 and I have to go catch a football game. Will let you know more tomorrow! Wish us luck!
Susan
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Blog-ing like she's ne-ver blogged be-fore-ohhh
Did you get that? lol. Yes, I am still listening to "she's a maniac" by Hall and Oats. Funny how things get stuck in your head and you can't seem to stop. I think blogging is almost like that. It is, in my humble opinion, almost like a reality show, only you have one thing that I (and so do the students, so it seems) LOVE. I bet you are wondering why I ended the sentence there...are you? I felt the need to make you think about it for a moment. Did you figure it out? I wonder how many people will actually COMMENT on having to read another 3 lines to find out. :D Yes, my dears, it is being able to comment!!! You get to voice your opinion on anything that you feel strongly about. I went completely ga-ga (not to be confused with Lady Ga-ga) on being able to read the comments. You don’t usually get direct response so fast in regular writing. It was great!
A friend at school asked me today if I "subscribed" to any blogs. When I smiled and replied yes she responded with such verve "oh, my gosh! I have become addicted!! What are you subscribed to?" It was like talking about what happened on our favorite show (glee of course) only we were able to swap stories about our favorite topics. It was great!! I think that blogging is more open and not as constructed. To me, it allows me freedom in my choice of reading. If I lose interest...I just move on. It didn't cost me any monetary funds so I don't feel that sense of loss if I decide to ignore something.
Most people do not worry about grammar as much in a blog so that person has a tendency to speak more "from the heart" so to speak. If that person is writing about something that is near and dear to them you will usually have more of a feel of that persons personality. It is hard to "hear" the fluctuation or the sarcasm in a persons writing. I can not tell you how many times I will go over an email stressing if it "sounds" okay or not. Blogs seem to lose some of the coldness associated in written word. For example: In dy/dan's no homework blog "jonathon" takes exception to dy/dan not assigning homework. When I read Jonathon's actual response I thought "why do people comment without reading the passage?" but when dy/dan quoted him back after deciding to assign homework it sounded (to me) different, nicer, more...I don't know...educated. I guess that being able to quickly jot what you are feeling down could be bad as well as good. That goes for commenting as well.
Commenting...ahhhhh, wonderful, fabulous commenting! How does commenting contribute to the writing and meaning-making? I have two words for you: anonymous interaction. Blogs are almost like a gifted classroom…yes I said gifted, not regular. If you have ever seen both in action you will understand. I have met very few gifted students that do not have an opinion on EVERYTHING and will be happy to tell it to you. Getting most of my students to even comment in my class is like pulling teeth. BUT! Give them a computer and tell them to give their opinions anonymously and you have just opened their minds. Most students are afraid of looking like an idiot. I know I was. Most people have a switch that tells them to not say things out loud. Take away their "identity" online and they lose all inhibitions about speaking out.
Speaking of speaking out...at the risk of looking like an idiot I am boycotting this question: Is there a "blogging literacy?" What? OK, I know what blogging means and I know what literacy means...but my brain will not compute the two together...i keep coming up with being able to read what you wrote. and that makes no sense! Can someone please explain it to me?
Blogging sometimes allows us to have no rules when it comes to grammar. It [grammar] usually goes out the window. If we do not see correct grammar how can we learn to recognize it? However, <HUGE sigh> <maybe even a groan>, after reading How to Prevent Another Leonardo da Vinci I also have to incur that it is extremely (even more so than the actual grammar part) important not to take away a students confidence so much so that you stifle their need to think outside the box. Answer: give less directions? maybe? I teach Lifetime Nutrition and Wellness (also know as "da cookin class"). I will give you one guess what their favorite lessons are. If you guessed the actual cooking ones you are correct. How many cooks will I produce every year? How many CHEFS??? What is the difference? Cooks do not create new dishes or ideas. They like to follow a recipe and they NEVER think outside the box.
I want more chefs in the world.
A friend at school asked me today if I "subscribed" to any blogs. When I smiled and replied yes she responded with such verve "oh, my gosh! I have become addicted!! What are you subscribed to?" It was like talking about what happened on our favorite show (glee of course) only we were able to swap stories about our favorite topics. It was great!! I think that blogging is more open and not as constructed. To me, it allows me freedom in my choice of reading. If I lose interest...I just move on. It didn't cost me any monetary funds so I don't feel that sense of loss if I decide to ignore something.
Most people do not worry about grammar as much in a blog so that person has a tendency to speak more "from the heart" so to speak. If that person is writing about something that is near and dear to them you will usually have more of a feel of that persons personality. It is hard to "hear" the fluctuation or the sarcasm in a persons writing. I can not tell you how many times I will go over an email stressing if it "sounds" okay or not. Blogs seem to lose some of the coldness associated in written word. For example: In dy/dan's no homework blog "jonathon" takes exception to dy/dan not assigning homework. When I read Jonathon's actual response I thought "why do people comment without reading the passage?" but when dy/dan quoted him back after deciding to assign homework it sounded (to me) different, nicer, more...I don't know...educated. I guess that being able to quickly jot what you are feeling down could be bad as well as good. That goes for commenting as well.
Commenting...ahhhhh, wonderful, fabulous commenting! How does commenting contribute to the writing and meaning-making? I have two words for you: anonymous interaction. Blogs are almost like a gifted classroom…yes I said gifted, not regular. If you have ever seen both in action you will understand. I have met very few gifted students that do not have an opinion on EVERYTHING and will be happy to tell it to you. Getting most of my students to even comment in my class is like pulling teeth. BUT! Give them a computer and tell them to give their opinions anonymously and you have just opened their minds. Most students are afraid of looking like an idiot. I know I was. Most people have a switch that tells them to not say things out loud. Take away their "identity" online and they lose all inhibitions about speaking out.
Speaking of speaking out...at the risk of looking like an idiot I am boycotting this question: Is there a "blogging literacy?" What? OK, I know what blogging means and I know what literacy means...but my brain will not compute the two together...i keep coming up with being able to read what you wrote. and that makes no sense! Can someone please explain it to me?
Blogging sometimes allows us to have no rules when it comes to grammar. It [grammar] usually goes out the window. If we do not see correct grammar how can we learn to recognize it? However, <HUGE sigh> <maybe even a groan>, after reading How to Prevent Another Leonardo da Vinci I also have to incur that it is extremely (even more so than the actual grammar part) important not to take away a students confidence so much so that you stifle their need to think outside the box. Answer: give less directions? maybe? I teach Lifetime Nutrition and Wellness (also know as "da cookin class"). I will give you one guess what their favorite lessons are. If you guessed the actual cooking ones you are correct. How many cooks will I produce every year? How many CHEFS??? What is the difference? Cooks do not create new dishes or ideas. They like to follow a recipe and they NEVER think outside the box.
I want more chefs in the world.
Off Topic: using phrases the students use with glee
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE. I am evil. Yep, there is no getting around it. I teach high school students and most of the time I absolutely love, love, LOVE my career choice. However, sometimes (just every now and then) they can get to be....a bit....much. <sigh> On those days I find that I get closer to that white jacket than ever before. In order to keep myself from going, oh, I don't know, CRAZY! I will find humor in the oddest things. Today, for instance, I realized that when my students use certain slang phrases that annoy me I find a way to use that phrase back in an equally annoying way. For instance (student using slang phrase): Me to student: Oh my lord! That is absolutely horrible!!!!! Student: (grinning and nodding head in such a way that shows he/she approves) “I know, right!" And my new use of student slang (me using slang phrase) Student: "Miss Harris, I can't believe you gave me that detention! That sucks!!!" Me to student: (grinning and nodding head in such a way that shows I approve) “I know, right!" :D
Listening to: "She's a maniac" by Hall and Oats
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Off Subject...PREZI!!
Sooooooo, I have signed up for oodles of PFK classes to get "back in shape" to start taking class for my Masters. I think it makes me sound like a complete moron that I have to psych myself back up to take classes, but that's the truth. Anyways, I took a class last week for creating an almost paperless classroom. It was great!! Learned some new tricks, started a moodle website, learned about polleverywhere.com, and really enjoyed making my brain hurt. :) Last night I had my first lesson on Prezi's. WOW!! I LOVED IT!!! I already knew that I loved it (researched it before I signed up for the class) but I REALLY love it now. Let me tell you how much I loved it...I scheduled the computer lab for today and tomorrow just so I could teach my students how to use it. Yes, I sort of jumped the gun. Yes, I was setting myself up for failure by not finishing the class first, BUT it was absolutely AMAZING today! so there. OK, only one period was amazing and the other two made me pull out half my hair, but still...even the other two classes showed great potential. It was the bomb.com!!! :D go check it out...www.prezi.com
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Thing 2
Humming to Madonna's "material world"...We live in a technical world...and I am a te-technical girl.
I remember when the internet first became big. I remember when “windows” was something plural for a glass enclosed hole in the wall. I remember having to enter dos “codes” in my one semester computer class. My class was the first to have this class required. Most students know more about technology than I ever will. That does not mean that I do not enjoy the heck out of technology! However, How do I incorporate something that seems to take me 100 times longer to learn than students in my class? I make them do it, of course! I make it a game...the first person to "get it" (understand it) before Ms. Harris gets a prize. LOL It is great fun. I am getting better but it sometimes seems to be a slow process. I am taking classes to become more familiar with fun new technology products we have been given and asking students to explain something that is unfamiliar to me. I am humming the tune of “I will survive” by Gloria Gaynor. :) When I went to college for the first time in 1991 we did not even HAVE internet and it was windows 3.1 on every brand new computer in the lab (as in one lab of 30 computers for the entire school). When I went back in 2002 it was so different! There was a computer lab in every single building! In the library you could “check out” a book from the internet, put it on this new thing called a “flash drive” and it would stay there for three weeks. The internet did not eliminate the need for books…just reduced the need for waste. It was even better when I purchased my first laptop. I could buy some of my books on cd's and not even have to lug around the book. Technology seems to be created at an even faster pace than ever before! Ten years ago I carried a cell phone for emergencies only. Now I feel it is an emergency if I can't find my phone for 20 minutes. Information is so readily available! IT IS FABULOUS!!! Forget about outdated books...look online for up-to-date information. Need information for a lesson tomorrow? No need to go to the library...just turn on the computer and information is at your fingertips. I always laugh at the "bing" commercials that refer to the "bogged down" search engines filled with a smorgasbord of information that you do not need because some of the most interesting information I have found is found by stumbling on it on the web. I do not think that the world wide web is better for teachers or students in today's world...it is just different. There are good and bad points that could be made for both. I do enjoy it though. It makes (in my humble opinion) my job better. NOT easier...but different.
I remember when the internet first became big. I remember when “windows” was something plural for a glass enclosed hole in the wall. I remember having to enter dos “codes” in my one semester computer class. My class was the first to have this class required. Most students know more about technology than I ever will. That does not mean that I do not enjoy the heck out of technology! However, How do I incorporate something that seems to take me 100 times longer to learn than students in my class? I make them do it, of course! I make it a game...the first person to "get it" (understand it) before Ms. Harris gets a prize. LOL It is great fun. I am getting better but it sometimes seems to be a slow process. I am taking classes to become more familiar with fun new technology products we have been given and asking students to explain something that is unfamiliar to me. I am humming the tune of “I will survive” by Gloria Gaynor. :) When I went to college for the first time in 1991 we did not even HAVE internet and it was windows 3.1 on every brand new computer in the lab (as in one lab of 30 computers for the entire school). When I went back in 2002 it was so different! There was a computer lab in every single building! In the library you could “check out” a book from the internet, put it on this new thing called a “flash drive” and it would stay there for three weeks. The internet did not eliminate the need for books…just reduced the need for waste. It was even better when I purchased my first laptop. I could buy some of my books on cd's and not even have to lug around the book. Technology seems to be created at an even faster pace than ever before! Ten years ago I carried a cell phone for emergencies only. Now I feel it is an emergency if I can't find my phone for 20 minutes. Information is so readily available! IT IS FABULOUS!!! Forget about outdated books...look online for up-to-date information. Need information for a lesson tomorrow? No need to go to the library...just turn on the computer and information is at your fingertips. I always laugh at the "bing" commercials that refer to the "bogged down" search engines filled with a smorgasbord of information that you do not need because some of the most interesting information I have found is found by stumbling on it on the web. I do not think that the world wide web is better for teachers or students in today's world...it is just different. There are good and bad points that could be made for both. I do enjoy it though. It makes (in my humble opinion) my job better. NOT easier...but different.
Lifelong Learning Habits (or better known as Thing 1)
It is no fun growing up with a disability. Most people will either view you as someone that they should feel sorry for and will, in turn, make excuses for you not being on the "same level" as everyone else OR they will view you as someone that is a "whiny" brat that just needs to "suck it up and deal with it". Why am I bringing this up? I have ADHD. Yes, the most overplayed, outdated, yada, yada, yada learning disability ever used. Did you know that in the early days (I graduated from high school in 1991) there was only one option available? Medication. If you were not on any type of medication you just dealt with it. My parents did not believe (i.e. they were to poor to buy it) in medication. My dad used to say that "there isn't anything a good belt can't take care of". LOL I guess he was right. And I did...eventually. Having to deal with the issues was a nightmare and a blessing. I learned to deal with it-blessing. Learning to deal with it- nightmare. For years I felt "stupid" and "weird" and lacked any self confidence. Today I am glad that I have that wonderful gift known as ADHD. What???!!! Glad? :D Can you stay up for hours and still have oodles of energy? I can. Can you (at 37 years old) still keep up with students that are half your age? I can. Can you multi-task like today's students even though your generation was not trained in that skill? I can. Can you make random things coincide because your brain picks up on crazy, obscure points? I can! There are downsides (of course) but I have learned to deal with them and focus on the great stuff. I know what you are thinking...what??? Why did I need to read all of that? What is she getting at? Why, my most challenging habit, of course! That would be habit #4. I can talk, talk, talk till the cows come home BUT I am HORRIBLE with grammar and spelling. I actually failed spelling in 7th grade. Those years of low scores and failing grades makes for a not so great confidence in anything put in black and white. Yeah, spell check is my friend, but there is only so much it can do. Number 1 is going to be tedious but not challenging. I am great with beginnings,...not so great with middles or ends!
I do think that everyone is great at something. EVERYONE. I am great at play. I am also great at teaching and mentoring others. I had to teach it to myself and all that that involves...teaching others is a snap! Put those two together and you have fun learning; And learning should be fun! No matter what! Learning is exciting, shocking, interesting and fabulous!!! You should not be falling asleep for that. And if you find yourself learning something that is NOT fun it would be (or at least SHOULD be) interesting to find a way to MAKE it fun. The enjoyment is in the challenge. Yet, there is also a great line from Uptown Girls; "Fundamentals are the building blocks of fun". I guess it all depends on that persons ability solve problems...would you push forward in an uninteresting class trying to gleam all that you can from it or assume it is not important enough because it is not interesting.
To be able to view any problem as a positive challenge is, in my opinion, the most important as well as useful habit. Challenges are a person's (I had written "man's" but had to erase it) best friend. They are the window into our soul. I tell my students every day that only when faced with adversity will the true person inside shine through. When someone (or something) makes you mad how do you respond? Do you yell? Do you shut down? Are you "ugly"? Can you stay calm? Can you see what has caused the adversity to begin with? Can you see the whole picture and reason through it? When you are stressed does your entire day fall apart or can you regroup and keep going? Even if you apologize for your lapse in judgment the damage has been done to you and the other person. A challenge is nothing but a test. To be able to reason through a problem in any situation in life would be a skill worth almost any amount in gold. I keep hearing in my head the commercial for Capital One credit card... "What's in YOUR wallet?" My will (pun intended) is in mine...and I plan to use it every time I find myself starting to drift off.
I do think that everyone is great at something. EVERYONE. I am great at play. I am also great at teaching and mentoring others. I had to teach it to myself and all that that involves...teaching others is a snap! Put those two together and you have fun learning; And learning should be fun! No matter what! Learning is exciting, shocking, interesting and fabulous!!! You should not be falling asleep for that. And if you find yourself learning something that is NOT fun it would be (or at least SHOULD be) interesting to find a way to MAKE it fun. The enjoyment is in the challenge. Yet, there is also a great line from Uptown Girls; "Fundamentals are the building blocks of fun". I guess it all depends on that persons ability solve problems...would you push forward in an uninteresting class trying to gleam all that you can from it or assume it is not important enough because it is not interesting.
To be able to view any problem as a positive challenge is, in my opinion, the most important as well as useful habit. Challenges are a person's (I had written "man's" but had to erase it) best friend. They are the window into our soul. I tell my students every day that only when faced with adversity will the true person inside shine through. When someone (or something) makes you mad how do you respond? Do you yell? Do you shut down? Are you "ugly"? Can you stay calm? Can you see what has caused the adversity to begin with? Can you see the whole picture and reason through it? When you are stressed does your entire day fall apart or can you regroup and keep going? Even if you apologize for your lapse in judgment the damage has been done to you and the other person. A challenge is nothing but a test. To be able to reason through a problem in any situation in life would be a skill worth almost any amount in gold. I keep hearing in my head the commercial for Capital One credit card... "What's in YOUR wallet?" My will (pun intended) is in mine...and I plan to use it every time I find myself starting to drift off.
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