Reflection

I really enjoyed learning about blogging. I had not looked into blogs or realized the variety of blogs that people use.  The information and features available are fun to explore. I will continue to explore blogging and find ways to use them in my classroom. I am new to blogging so honestly, it feels a little strange, even invasive, to have a blog available to anyone. But I learned that there are ways to put parameters on your blogs which is comforting, and to be aware of what you blog. I look forward to finding out more and experimenting with blogs for educational purposes.

Sharing

I recently shared a link from Ted.com, Clay Shirkey: Why SOPA is a bad idea.
The video helps explain legislation pertaining to the internet and copy rights. It also links past legislation to the present, showing how they build on each other and how important it is to be informed as a citizen. I love to explore current events and make connections to causes and issues.

http://www.ted.com/talks/defend_our_freedom_to_share_or_why_sopa_is_a_bad_idea.html#.TydcqfjvFEI.

Student Homelessness

I was recently reminded how sever the student homelessness is in my county. I went to a job fair where the school district representatives were presenting statistics on the homeless student population. I found it interesting that the representatives spent a great deal of time on painting a picture of what obstacles the teacher candidates should expect and what issues their students face on a daily bases. I forgot that not all schools have to think about the issues surrounding extreme poverty. I forgot that teachers in other places can assign homework to students and reasonable expect that the students are physically able to do their homework. Where it is reasonable to expect that students have a home; a home with electricity, heat and a parent home to help them. The school district representatives said on a number of occasions that more then anything they were looking for candidates who would be up for the challenge and compassionate with the students.

I read a great article through a link on the Scholastic blog website called One Million Students Homeless by Caralee Adams at http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756883.

Happy Moment

At the beginning of the school year I was substitute teaching. One of the high school classes was an independent studies class for a handful of students. Since I was not instructing students honestly I was a little bored so I proceed to go around and find out what everyone was working on and ask them about their future plans, as a couple of them were seniors. One student told me she just wanted to move to the town where her boy friend lived and "get out of here". But as I showed more interest by asking more questions about what she would like to do or any thoughts of job, etc. she began to share more details about her hopes.

I became very interested in finding out if she was asking for or asking for help with her hopes for the future. She was not. I went home that day and could not get this student out of my head, so I started researching programs near where her boyfriend was living. I thought here is an eighteen year old girl who is going to go where the boyfriend is but why couldn't she look into the business programs that she was interested in near him.
I looked up two school near in the areas she mentioned she was interested in and put together a packet of information for both. The next time I saw her I gave them to her and said here is some information I thought you might be interested in. If you are interested and would like some help finding out more let me know and I will help. I left it at that with not much more than  a suprised response from the student.

About a month later she saw me in the hall and told me that she had pursued the information I had given her and was enrolled at one of the colleges. Then yesterday I saw her again. With a big smile on her face she told me that today was her last day, she had completed all she needed to graduate, as she was a return senior. Then she told me that she had found an apartment near her college, was enrolled and ready to start her business program!

What a happy moment!

Update to Storm Weather

I am following up on the effects of rural Oregon weather. I just phoned my county road department and discovered it will be at best three months before the road from our house to the valley will be fixed. In other words the road to work and school will not be fixed for at least three months.

I am now throwing myself and my family into the hospitable hands of friends and pray they do not get sick of us any time soon!

Winter Weather 2012

I have been random at best on posting so far, so here is a little explanation.
I live in the central Oregon coast range where it takes me one hour to get to a grocery store; where when I drive to the valley I drive eight miles of gravel roads; where having a car like a Honda civic makes sense for the gas mileage but not so much when confronted with the idea and reality of going head on with a log truck where the choice is the truck or the ditch (which has happened to me too many times to count).
I live on a small farm where we are the last house on our road. When we lose power we hope that it a large problem with a lot of other houses out of power because then we know the power company is working on the problem. One year the power problem was near our house and it took the power company two weeks to fix it. We get our water from a spring across the creek so our water line runs over the creek. When the rivers flood high enough we lose our water. We then have to wait for the creek to go down enough for the fishing waders to get put on to wade through the creek to fix the water line.
Now living where we do we are use to storms and all of the challenges they pose. We try to be some what prepared, we have a propane cooking stove and a woodstove. So we can cook and stay warm during these times!
This months storms began with around six inches of snow. Then came the warm rains that never ended along with the winds. The wind took out the power for around 4 days. The warmth melted the snow on the mountains above us along with the rain led to our creek flooding, taking out our water line. When Mother Nature had calmed herself, we decided to head to friends and families houses to enjoy the luxuries of electricity and running water. After heading down the road, chainsawing through one tree we found the road to be washed out. A small side creek was so full that there was water, logs, silt and rocks where our road once was. We were trapped for about three days. When we were finally able to get through we found out that the road that goes to the valley completely washed away and we have still not heard when it will be repaired. We have had to, basically, move in with friends in the valley so that we are able to get to work and school.
Thank goodness for the hospitality of friends and family, and for the luxuries of electricity and running water!

Article Review

In the article Reflections on Using Blogs to Expand In-Class Discussion Shiang-Kwei Wang and Hui-Yin Hsua discusses using blogging in the classroom was as a way to increase communication and interest. I especially found the link between the social constructivism theory and blogging, interesting and formative. The theory states that “knowledge is generated through this interaction we gradually accumulate advances in our levels of knowing. This approach suggests that learning may be more meaningful when students are able to exchange ideas and to negotiate meanings with their peers in a social learning environment” (p. 81-82).

The idea is that by having student articulate themselves in writing with the ability to converse with peers, allows students time to reflect and develop their responses and thoughts. Through this media students feel the freedom to express themselves and engage in exchange of cross cultural/socio-economical ideas and identities.

           The fact that blogs can be viewed by others outside the class creates excitement, interest and a higher expectation of their own student writings in the blogs.

1.      Wang, S. and Hsua, H. (2008). Reflections on Using Blogs to Expand In-Class Discussion. TechTrends. V.52 No. 3 81-85.