Linking Up

Today I will present my thoughts on my blog experience to my classmates.  And I thought, what better way to reflect upon the experience than while blogging?  So for today's post, I'm going to think about what I have gained from this experience.  I then plan to attempt a link to a YouTube video that will explain my blog's title of Jess Said That.

Overall, I am glad that I chose to create my own blog.  I have found it interesting and sometimes fun learning how to link photos and how to play with the colors, fonts, and design of the blog.  I have always enjoyed writing, and as I said in my first post, I have kept a journal for most of my life.  I was surprised to discover that blogging is so similar to keeping a private journal.  At least, this one was.  I have such a very few followers, that I never really got the dialogue aspect of the blog experience.  I am going to "announce" (how exciting) my blog on Facebook, and then I might get a few more comments.  But overall, I felt like I was simply writing to myself. 

I can envision several uses for blogs in my classroom.  One assignment in particular that I used--writing diary entries for Romeo and Juliet--could be changed to Romeo and Juliet blogs.  And keeping a class blog could be helpful for parents and students to find information about the class.  I just do not think that I will make my personal thoughts about my life so public.  I still have my bedside journal for that!

Now, to explain my blog's name.  I borrowed the idea from my children's beloved crossing-guard, Mr. Penny, who also happens to be Auburn University's Number 1 Fan.  He supports the football team and our entire community with his positive attitude and famous smile.  He has signs made up with phrases such as "War Eagle!" and "Win! Win! Win!"--and the signs are always signed off with the phrase, "Mr. Penny Said That!"  I asked Mr. Penny if I could include some photos and videos of him in my blog, and he said, smiling, "Of course!"

Here is one of my favorite photos of Mr. Penny at a game from the War Eagle Reader:

There are numerous videos of Mr. Penny from which to choose on YouTube.  I'm linking to one where Mr. Penny was at the National Championship in January:

It's remarkably easy to link to YouTube!  Wow, I would not have believed it five months ago.

I'm signing off now.  War Eagle!

Jess Said That!

A Book by Any Other Name

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

--Cicero (attributed)

I have been surrounded by books my entire life.  My parents are both educators and avid readers, and although we had little money during the early days of graduate school and babies, we always had books in our home.  The library was a vital part of my childhood and adolescence.  In fact, my first real job other than babysitting was working in the children's room of our local library.  I worked in the library in college as a work study student, and later when I was married with my own family, I took all of my babies to Toddler Time, Story Time, and later, to book clubs at our local library.  In short, I adore books.  So many of my memories center around books and the experiences of reading them.

I had a rather strange teacher for my senior year of high school English.  She was a talented teacher; however, she had some personal issues going on during the year, and she was often nasty and rude to our class.  None of us liked her much, and I often wondered why I'd heard such glowing reviews about her from her previous students.  But one day, late in the year, we were in the library as a class doing research for our final term papers. I wandered through the stacks, touching the spines of old friends and glancing at possible new ones (basically, avoiding the assigned research on Keats) when I found a brand new book.  I opened it and breathed in deeply, "Ummm," I said aloud to myself, "I love the smell of a new book." Suddenly, my teacher appeared as if out of thin air beside me, beaming, and she said, "I know exactly what you mean!"  And for a moment, I could see why she had been a good teacher in the past.  

This week in my technology class we worked with the IPads.  We also discussed books--are they becoming obsolete?  One woman in class said she knows of a private school, Cushing Academy, in Massachusetts whose library has completely gone digital.  No paper books, no paper journals or magazines.  All online. The students all read the digital books on Kindles.  You can read more at http://www.psfk.com/2009/09/the-modern-school-library-no-books.html


I have trouble imagining this.  However, I think our world is moving in that direction.  I frankly have no more space for books in my home.  I've given away bags and bags of baby and children's books, and every year I try to cull some out of my personal library.  The idea of carrying all of my "friends" with me in a single, small package such as a Kindle is appealing.  My husband loves his, and it's been very convenient for him.  Last summer when we traveled to Great Britain, I had one suitcase almost entirely devoted to books:  tour books, map books, and literary works I wanted to review or read before I visited the authors' museums.  Carting 15 books across Great Britain rapidly grew old.  A single Kindle would have been glorious.  So I embrace the idea of digital books, but I still fondly treasure my paper books.  Every book I own has my name, the date I read it, and the place I was when I read it written (scribbled) on the inside cover or first page.  I love to look back through my books and remember reading this one on Cape Cod, this one at home during a cold winter, this one In Austin.  Can I do that with a digital book?  Ah, me.

I do so love the smell of a new book.

The Online Classroom

Last week's class was held online with groups of five to six students.  One students acted as the moderator, and we all discussed some questions presented to us via a PowerPoint presentation.  Overall, I enjoyed the experience.  I did not have to leave my house and my family, find parking, and walk to the class.  Instead, I bribed my kids to keep quiet by allowing them to watch a Barbie movie upstairs, and I turned on my laptop.  Voila!  Instant classroom!

It was my first experience with an online classroom, and it took me a little while to get the hang of raising my virtual hand (by clicking on the hand icon) and not talking at the same time as someone else.  However, once we worked out the kinks, I think it went well.  We had a thoughtful discussion about the Facebook articles we'd read that week. 

However, despite the convenience and the comfort of the experience, I still prefer a "regular" classroom.  I enjoy seeing my classmates when we are discussing topics.  I wonder how different it would have felt if we'd always met in the "clouds" and never in an actual room.  Part of our ease with speaking with one another is due to the fact that we've been meeting and discussing topics for four months now.  But then again, perhaps some of that "ease" would have occurred had we met online all semester--I don't know.

I do know that I miss the real interaction between my classmates, teacher, and myself.  That is one of my favorite things about teaching--interacting with the students.  Seeing their faces really get something that I've been attempting to explain for days (months?)--catching someone's eye and knowing that they see the same humor in a situation that I do--reading from their faces that they've had enough of the stress of school, homework, or grades.  And the students read me, as well.  I remember one day while teaching being in a great mood.  My two first period classes and I had loud, fun classes reading poetry and writing and sharing our own.  However, in between my 2nd and 3rd period classes, I received an email from my dad telling me that they'd had to put our family dog, Ginger to sleep due to her old age.  It made me sad.  When my 3rd period kids came bounding into my classroom expecting an upbeat class (they'd talked to friends from my previous classes), they immediately knew that I was in a different mood.  They asked me about it, and we talked.  That led to their stories of favorite pets, and the poetry from that class had a much sweeter, more poignant feel to them.  If we'd been meeting online, they would not have been so quick to sense my change in mood.

I look forward to seeing my classmates in our "real" classroom tomorrow!

And here is a photo of my not-as-sweet-as-Ginger-but-quite-a-character-who-keeps-me-laughing dog, Texas:

All She Could Say Was Wow

Wow #1:  Second blog post in one day!  Woo hoo! 

Wow #2:  My first grader asked me today if she could use the computer.  After snack and homework, I told her she could play on the computer for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes she begged for more time.  When I investigated, I discovered that she had been working on a PowerPoint presentation about teachers.  Just because.  I didn't even realize that she knew how to manage the software, but evidently she does.  She added clipart, photographs, and played with fonts and background colors.  It's just amazing to me.  We do affectionately call her "Techno Monkey," but I was still surprised by the presentation.  Here it is:

Noooooo.  Not working.

Wow #3: Uploading a PowerPoint presentation into my blog is not as easy as adding a photo or video.  Based on my google search, I first have to upload it to a file sharing site, or upload it to a conversion site.  Hmmm. I might have to get the kids to bed first.

Okay, now I've gone onto Blogger help, and I am going to try to do this.  And I also went to Husband Help--my personal IT guy. 

And it worked!  Sort of.  I now can see her PowerPoint presentation in my blog post.  However, I had to convert it first to an older version of PP, and when I did, most of her clipart flipped upside down.  I think it adds to its visual impact.

Kindergarten Supply List: Crayons, Glue, IPad

My husband came across an AP article online yesterday on Yahoo!news called "IPads take a place next to crayons in kindergarten" by Clarke Canfield.  Evidently 300 kindergartners in Maine will receive IPads next year to help them learn.  Some people are excited about this new technology in the classroom, and some people are not. 


The people for the initiative cite the IPad's ease of use, availability of apps, and the ability to engage children as reasons for giving IPads in the schools.  Those against it, like Dr. Larry Cuban, point out that there's no research that indicates that children that young will benefit from using computers.  However, most people who express dismay over the initiative tend to be more worried about the cost of the devices--especially in a time of such economic uncertainty.


I have to take a middle-line stance on the issue.  I have seen how easy the IPad is to use, and I feel that some reading, phonetics, and reading apps exist that will engage kindergartners and encourage learning.  However, I also believe that money needs to be spent to make sure that teachers know how to use the devices in the classrooms, and that they continue to be supported throughout the school year as issues will inevitably arise about the technology.  And as a teacher who is looking for a job in this crazy economy, I also firmly believe that the hiring of strong, effective teachers should always be a district's first priority--rather than being the first to have a cool gadget in x amount of classrooms.  Perhaps this district in Maine referenced in the article has done that, and now they are focusing on technology.  I don't know.


I do know that having had three kindergartners in my house with different learning styles, they would have all enjoyed "playing" with the IPads in their kindergarten classrooms.  However, they would not wanted to have missed all of the real-life designs they did of rain forests, airplanes, ships, and zoo animals that kept them engaged and excited about learning.  They continue to impress me with the knowledge they gained from that year even today.  Making a paper mache coral reef made an impression on my daughter that I do not think would have been the same had she simply created a "virtual" reef on an IPad.

Oh, Facebook

Our reading for tonight's class contains an article from Time written by Lev Grossman titled "Mark Zuckerberg"--the creator of Facebook.  I found the article engaging and thought-provoking, and I look forward to discussing it with my classmates tonight.

The article exposed many of my mixed emotions about Facebook.  I am a Facebook user, but it took me a long time to feel comfortable about sharing pictures of my life online.  I'm still not completely comfortable with the idea.  When I was growing up in the 70's and 80's, I was inundated with scary stories about people abducting children.  We were firmly told to never have our names printed on ourselves so that strangers would know our names.  Now that I have my own children, those scary stories of my youth create an even greater fear in my heart.  Yet, the style of children's clothing, at least in my area of the country, is such that embroidering a child's name or at least initials is considered a must.  Especially for babies through early elementary age.  And everyone I know who has a Facebook account posts pictures of their children and families.  So I'm torn.  I want to share my adventures with my kids with my friends, but how many of my Facebook friends are true friends?

I have given up Facebook for lent, and I do miss it.  I miss knowing things about my friends' lives.  However, I don't crave it.  I can exist without it.  I've thought that had I posted a link to this blog on my Facebook account, I might have gotten more readers.  Perhaps I'll have time to try that after Easter and see if I get more followers than myself, my husband, and my best friend!

One sentence from the article struck me:  "Facebook is supposed to build empathy, but since 2000, Americans have scored higher and higher on psychological tests designed to detect narcissism, and psychologist have suggested a link to social networking" (paragraph 67).  I do think that the term "social networking" can be an oxymoron when it applies to Facebook.  I may find out things about my friends' lives through the site, but I'm not socializing with them.  I more peering into their lives--voyeuristic.  I tend to view FB posts as mini-blogs of "oh, I'm so fabulous, look at my life."  Now, I say all this, and I work to make cute, funny posts on FB.  So I'm just as guilty.

Mixing It Up

I changed my settings on my blog to allow more public access to my site, and I have had NOBODY read my blog.  Funny how this bothers me--I'm still not comfortable with writing my thoughts onto air for strangers to read.  Yet, when no strangers read my thoughts, I am annoyed.  Silly!  I've started to add some labels to my individual posts, and today I'm going to attempt to make the appearance of the blog more interesting.

I have just discovered that I can add photos within my individual blogs.  So here is a photo I took of the Gulf of Mexico for your viewing enjoyment:

I've been thinking about how to use some of the information in my classroom that I've learned about at the University.  One website in particular intrigues me:  www.mixbook.com.  It's a collaborative scrapbook website, and a colleague introduced my class to it.  She used it in her 9th and 12th grade English classes as a presentation tool for works of literature they had studied.  She said that it took much longer for the kids to explore the website than she had expected, and she thinks she'll use it next year at the beginning of the year as a way for kids to introduce themselves to the classroom.  That way, the students will become familiar with the website with an "easier" assignment, and if she wants to use it again later in the year, they will not have to "relearn" how to manipulate the features of the site. 

I think this would be an engaging introductory assignment for my English classes, as well.  I used to have my students bring in a few objects that symbolized something about themselves.  They had to present the objects to the class, explain the significance to their lives, and later they wrote a brief essay about the objects.  My oldest daughter--a 5th grader--has done a similar introductory activity since the 1st grade.  She groans each year when she discovers she has to do it again.  In fact, this year, she told me she might as well keep the objects together so she wouldn't have to hunt for them in 6th grade!  I promised her that when I began teaching again, I'd find a new way for my students to introduce themselves.  As long as my future students have computer access, I think Mixbook.com will be a fun way for them to put together a presentation.  I'd have to make my own.  Ah!  I shall do this now and try to add the link to this blog!

Jess