Keeping promises

I said I would be back today, so here I am. Not much to say since I am trying to teach my oldest how to determine if verbs are past, present or future tense...AGH! Now that we have done hundreds of verbs MAYBE she finally gets it! The thing is, she will most likely not remember how to do it tomorrow. One of the many blessings in having a special needs child is that every day is a new adventure even if we have done the same activity a hundred times before. :) Can't help but have a sense of humor in this household...we'd go completely insane if we didn't laugh.
This online class has been a very interesting one and I have learned a lot about the internet...still have a lot to learn, but at least I am a little more confident in my skills and know more about what is out there and how to use it. I hope to remember to keep this blog going...may just be me and the blog but it will be a good sounding board for myself I guess. LOL I could use it as a venting blog...ooohhh...now that's a thought.
Tomorrow promises to be a WILD day...my kindergartener has a "Fall Fun Festival" at school that I got roped into, and I am supposed to be in charge of our church Trunk or Treat/Family Fun Night. Thank goodness we have so many creative and wonderful people in our church because they have just taken it and "gone with it"! Easiest thing I have ever had to organize!! So I can't really say that I am in charge...just making sure it all runs smooth and a fun time is had by all. My own children are over-the-moon excited about it and cannot wait to get all that candy! The first sentence of this paragraph I mention that tomorrow will be wild...I am thinking that maybe THURSDAY will be the wild day after all that sugar is absorbed into their little bodies.
For any classmates that are reading this, it has been a pleasure getting to know you through the internet. What an amazing thing! Hopefully some of you will check back periodically and we can chat some more. :)

Whew

I sent out my lesson template and feel as though I know no more than I knew going in to this...no really, in all seriousness...I learned A LOT and am just now hoping to remember where to find it all and that I CAN use various tools with my students to enhance their learning without being afraid to "explore". I do plan to be a helicopter teacher while using these new tools (you know, like the helicopter parent that I am...HOVER, HOVER, HOVER) and I hope that my students will gain knowledge of the computer from this as well. Although that isn't my #1 goal, it would be an added bonus.
Must go now...will check back again tomorrow.
Nitey nite

Podcasting

The more I browse around out there, the more I like what I see as far as podcasting goes. I am still leery of the dangers (just my nature) but can see the benefits if monitored closely and done correctly. I don't think there is a single thing in this world that you cannot view using this technology. Unbelievable! There are countless ways to use podcasting but my mind keeps going to geography and history...other parts of the world coming to like for our kids and historical events coming to life...it is exciting to think of that! I mentioned in my posting to the discussion board that I might have actually learned a thing or two if I could have SEEN what my teachers were trying to get across to me. A definite plus for the visual learner as well as the auditory one.
I plan to visit LearnOutLoud again and allow my children to view things with me on that site. They liked the kids Bible and the fact that kids were doing the talking. Can't help but think if every district would look into this and be dedicated enough to doing it correctly what kind of education we would all be providing for the kids!!! Amazing.

blogs & wikis & podcasts, oh my!!

I only THOUGHT my brain hurt after the sessions on blogging and wikis! I am still wading through the articles on podcasting so I will have more to say on that subject when I have read all of them thoroughly. I ALWAYS have something to say about every little thing. :)
I read the article about YouTube...I have received several forwards from friends that have videos to watch from YouTube and I guess I never really thought about checking out the actual website. Unbelievable! Scary too, but WOW. You can see just about anything and everything. I do see the potential for video podcasting to be an asset in the classroom but only if monitored VERY closely. Kids today are so much smarter than we are and it is frightening what they might stumble upon or even intentionally do while online. Off to read more about the technology that I can't seem to comprehend...

absolutely no time tonight

My kids are still up and running WILD (my eldest just pulled her own tooth and you would think the kid won the lottery! if you all only knew my daughter you would be stroking as much as I am at this moment) so I absolutely have no time to blog like I really want to. I am headed to check out Dragon's Dolphin's blog...she has found something and wants me to see so my interest is up...
Promise to blog again soon...if I don't get too caught up in all this wiki stuff.

Limited Time

I have left my children in the tub so long tonight that I am sure when I walk into their bathrooms that they will be little raisins sitting in cold water. I have been trying to wade through all the information for the class and I am more confused than when I began. Where do I go to get back to the feeds I subscribed to?
No time to tell about the adventures at the Memphis Zoo...I still have not recovered! lol We did have a great time but *WHEW* it wore me out! The bus ride in itself was an adventure. Especially since some wisecracking parent (or a parent ON crack) sent a horn with their child to play with on the bus ride. This child was sitting 2 seats behind me. Oh joy. The teacher came out in me and I politely told her to stuff that thing back in her knapsack. :)
Gotta run take care of my little golden raisins...

Lions, Tigers and Bears...OH MY

Tomorrow is the day that my kindergarten son has been anticipating for a while now...we go to the Memphis Zoo!! Yes, mommy is going with him because there is no way this over-protective momma is gonna let her 5 year old baby get on a bus with a bunch of other 5 year olds and parents that she doesn't know! The fact that I am going means that I will be responsible for someone else's 5 year old child (possibly a few) so I might be rethinking my over-protective tendencies by mid-morning. :)
Honestly, I am looking forward to it. It will be a fun time and lots of memories will be made. The last time we took a trip to the zoo, we were visting friends in SC and my 5 year old was 3 at the time. My daughter was 9 at the time. It was quite an experience to say the least! Not because of reasons you may think...here goes:
My son LOVES animals and my daughter is TERRIFIED of them. We were very apprehensive about taking her...you just have to know her to understand that. She is a special-needs child with many anxieties but we try to expose her to as much as we can without upsetting her too much. Anyway...we get to the zoo and she ends up LOVING it and our son is TERRIFIED. Go figure. She got right up in the gorilla's face and they just stared at each other right in the eyes for a long time. Yes, I know...there was the "safe" factor there - she knew that the beast couldn't get her but it was unbelievable to watch.
I ramble...sorry. One of the many things that I am great at.
Stories from the Zoo to come soon...

Getting sleepy

I yawn as I type so this will be brief and most likely will make NO sense at all. There are routines waiting on me...kids in tubs, clothes in washer and dryer, dishes that need to be dried and stowed away, floors that need to be mopped, books that need to read, prayers that need to be said, tiny lips that must have "one more kiss", okay...you get the picture. Routines...they make life "normal" don't they? What is normal anyway? Whatever it is, I know I want no part of it. :)
I am relishing the routines tonight because the rest of my week looks a little hairy...I'll get through it and then gear up for another week with twists and turns in it as well.
Not much to say about the Read/Write Web other than I am really enjoying reading the blogs...gives us a window into each other's souls. Or maybe not...lol
Blessings to you! Until next time...