Monday, October 31, 2011

Sweets For The Sweet - October 31, 2011



The celebration of Halloween was a great experience for me personally this year because I was able to see it through the eyes of Spiderman and Elmo. Both godsons were dressed as a good/bad spiderman (good-5 yr old/ bad-3 yr. old) while the two year old was Elmo. We had so much fun over these past two weeks celebrationg the fall festivities, eating a lot of candy and sweets, and having a race to knock on as many houses as possible both yesterday and today. This Halloween has been magical in experiencing the motivation of young children to explore the world positively, openly, and without any hesitation. My youngest nephew did not like trick-or-treating at the onset, but he was reinforced quickly based on  B.F. Skinner's concept of operant conditioning. He realized that if he knocked on the door he would get candy and with little time at all he would knock, ask Mimi to "help, help, open, open" and he would eat one piece of candy between each house! I have never seen a young kid quite like this before, but could not stop laughing at what he was doing!

Halloween had some beautiful blissful moments of the heart. My oldest nephew told me that I am the "bestest and no one spoils me  as much as you do." I have to say that I am a true kid at heart during the holiday season by running up and down the driveways in collecting as much candy as possible. While taking 200+ pictures on Sunday, it was so amazing to see their priceless expressions on their face that I will cherish forever!  It was so much fun especially when these beautiful children look you straight in the eyes and tell you how much they love you (and of course, go right for the lips for a big smooch!). Halloween was a great appetizer for the rest of the holidays to follow. I can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) and then, of course, the arrival of Santa.

I feel like I am on a writer's block over these past 48 hours, but thought I would include how technology has influenced the English language by adding words such as sexting, cyberbulling, woot, lol, and many more (New Words Added To Oxford Dictionary). Even though the computer has been around for decades, I think we have yet to see the true effects of exponential growth on our lives. We have changed so many things, but one day we may spend more time in the virtual land rather than the real-life arena. "Which is better?" you might ask. I think it is too early to tell, but I have to say I enjoy, welcome, and embrace personal contact with others. The laughs, the heartfelt connections, the bond between two people sharing a great moment along with a myriad of other things. Technology is a beautiful thing and helps make daily living easier, but the idea of going to a "virtual" restaurant vs. a real restaurant is still puzzling to me.

In summary, I am reminded to see life through a child's eye and to love every second of your life. Show love, enthusiasm, laughter, and most importantly, show your appreciation to those that go above and beyond for you! I think my Halloween is best represented as "Sweets for the Sweet." There has been a plethora of people in my life this week that have been nothing less, but sweet and exceptional!



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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Technology Time

This week I have been inundated with the need for the compuer and at times a bit obsessed. As I search for one answer, my curious nature goes from one topic to another...and then another.... Hours later, I am surprised to know that I have spent so much time on the computer without moving an inch. The focus of this week's blog is to share various websites that I have found throughout my exciting searches on the web. I have learned a lot and have contemplated on the next "technological device" that I may want in a few years!

While doing some "free searching" on the web, I came across some of these videos which sparked great interest to me. It also reminds me that new amazing technology is on the rise again and again. While attending one of my best friends wedding  in Florida last April, my hotel room had a mirror which was a t.v. and you could also zoom in to see "blackheads." It was amazing and bizarre at the same time.

Technology is changing every second. Below are videos, in no particular order, that discusses the upcoming trends and provides possible insight to what is next.

Future Technology Watch Your Day 2020: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBjvqnKQsTI
Google Wallet: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuvyN4iZiP8  (Pay by phone - the new way!)
Technology Rapidly Changing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0nCVfcNcBQ

The Evolution of Man  (shouldn't he have an ipad?)

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Monday, October 17, 2011

Back -To-The-Basics




Throughout this week there has been amazing moments -got observed, attended Cranberry Fest, played with my two adorable nephews, took amazing pictures with my new camera, along with many others. It was a fun week, but a moment today stands out in my mind. As we are enhancing our education regarding technology and integration of technology for the 21st century learner, I have found that my students cannot open an attachment, use a url to find information, nor are they independent learners to search for the answers. In the past 10 years, I have seen a huge disparity between the high achievers and the low ones. The low ones seem neglected and are unable to do the basic functions of a computer. They did not know how to send an attachment and thought the url addresses were sometype of advertisement. Today, I am shocked and quite concerned about the lack of technology that these students have been given. It is inevitable that their lack of knowledge was sincere and they were unsure as to how to save properly in the appropriate drive and how to "create a folder" in their email. Giving an assignment online with the appropriate web urls should have been a breeze, but rather caused much confusion throughout the entire class period. It is now my time to prepare them over the next 1.25 marking periods in order to get them ready for the entire class to go online in science. I mentioned something to them regarding going online and I saw some faces filled with fear and terror.
KRUPP! KRUPP! KRUPP!


While watching them maneuver the website, I have realized a few things: no one reads the website (glances for the bold words), the pace of which people type are still by pecking, and having more than one screen poses great difficulties for students. In conclusion, the title of this blog represents my new thought processes for this week - Back-To-The-Basics. We are going to address proper etiquette for a Word document, attachments, and emails. Teaching with a colleague of mine, he was also astonished at the lack of knowing how to use a computer and how they are computer illiterate.


As I return to the basics this week, we are coming to the midway point in class in which there will be a freeze. Fifty points must be obtained by Wednesday in order to have an A. This semester is flying by and we are almost 50% completed!

In case you are interested in improving your typing skills, here is a free online program that gives you practice on typing:  Good Typing Practice
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Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Sky Is The Limit - Or Is It?


Steve Jobs always thought that you must love what you are doing in order to do it well. He expressed in his speech at Stanford the importance of his ability to get up each day, enjoy his job, and despite any failure, rise to each challenge set before you. The world is saddened by his loss, but his legacy will be forever ingrained in our hearts and minds, but also at our fingertips. (Here is a 2 min clip about how people will miss Jobs: The World Reactes to Steve Jobs' Death). Jobs was a visionary and always reached for the sky for perfection. He was a man who knew what he wanted and never accepted mediocrity. He also wanted to create something that was useful to the everyday person in order to enhance their lives forever. May Jobs' rest in peace, but may his impact in the world last forever.

On Friday, I was hoping to watch Adele at Borgata for my best friend's birthday, but due to a  vocal chord hemorrhage, her tour to US has been cancelled. Saddened by missing this opportunity to see her, we decided to go to AC and have a good time. Later that evening, friends came over to share her birthday and it was inevitable how technology influences our conversations. We discussed various apps, the role of Steve Jobs, how turtle/crew necks have gone up in sales since his death, along with many other features of the iphone. It was amazing to see how the conversations 10 years ago are currently so different than today due to the significant impact of Jobs. We have the world at our fingertips due to the impact of technology. One of the most amazing things we learned while having "our techie" conversation was about "Google sky." One of my friends demonstrated how his phone was able to locate all the famous constellations, astrological stars, along with planets. We went outside and had an amazing exploration. There is no purpose for a telescope any more because we now have that app on our phone. We point to the sky and it beautifully names each constellation. This is impressive and now I have the ability to learn about astronomy just by clicking a few buttons.

I think the theme of this week "The Sky Is The Limit - Or Is It?" best summarizes my journey. Les Brown once said, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."  Jobs did exactly that and I was able to literally do it on my friend's phone too! :) I was able to use the iphone, look at the sky, and search beyond the limits of the light and see planets, constellations, and the unimaginable! Now with the contributions of Steve Job's I think I can reach far beyond the sky than before!


History of Steve Job's Innovation by CNN

Thanks Steve Jobs for your amazing innovations to the world!
We are better because of YOU!
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Monday, October 3, 2011

The Development Of Me


Someone once said, "'The development of a tree depends on where it is planted." This quote resonates with me this week in the sense of where my intentions have been placed in my personal life, job, and graduate school. In my exploration of various technological software, I have learned many new things that has influenced my teaching and has prepared me to be a better person, teacher, and student.

My freshmen parents were impressed by my presentation on Back-To-School night this past Thursday. My parents received a folder with sheets of paper that highlighted key areas, prezi presentation, overhead projector, along with using the white boards in the front of the class (And yes, candy was provided too!). The responses from the parents were very positive and were excited for me to have their child! I was telling a funny story how a student of mine decided to get up from his seat and start dancing to this "water cycle rap." I went hysterical and enjoyed every second! Most teachers would get upset, but his interactiveness was priceless. His actions sealed the lesson and made it lasting to remember, so much so, that the students have been talking about it for five days now. It was a great moment in teaching especially since they remember all the processes of the water cycle!

Overall, I had a great week and many have shared their positive comments regarding things in the classroom. Thank Goodness that I have received such nice compliments from parents (and even administrators), because I am running out of steam. I have had a great week and have learned valuable lessons that will hopefully provide me the motivation to keep going.

I am looking forward to the conclusion of my teaching day (5:15pm) and then going to celebrate what I call "Missy Monday's." During the conclusion of my working day, I go to acupuncture (with massage) to relax, relieve any tension, and take time out for myself. I look forward to this every Monday and starting my week off strong!


I worry about this fact! What would I do without the computer?
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