Background

Showing posts with label 21st Century. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 21st Century. Show all posts

Monday, January 24, 2011

Does anyone see the reset button?

Today was one of those "really" days at work. I don't really need to go into details, but there bugs that just don't belong in a classroom, rude adult and kids acting really strange. I felt like Mario stuck in a place he shouldn't have been able to go and all you can do is reset the game to make it work right again. Or like that little spinning hourglass from hell when your computer is frozen. So I would like to hit the reset button.

I really want to sew tonight, but instead I have to prepare for tech forum tomorrow. I will be teaching about digital graphic organizers and the NETS. Here is my example of how electronic graphic organizers can help you make a decision.
Too bad I have to study up for my presentation. Or I would be eating chocolate and hopefully quilting. If not at least I could be watching a movie and spacing out.

This is all the progress I have made on the donkey block.

I was hoping to have it as a Monday finish, but with having a forum to present tomorrow that just isn't going to happen. So I guess it will have to be a Wednesday finish. At least I sure hope so I don't want to be late on my first month of bee blocks. Off to study up on NETS, also known as the National Educational Technology Standards.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

21st century learning and an age old craft

Today was a very busy day. I attended a teaching conference on 21st Century learning, put on by the Placer County of Education. It was wonderful that my district paid for me and some other tech-ex teachers to go and that PCOE invited teachers from outside their district to join the conference. BTW Tech-ex is a stipend position where teachers in my distrct train other teachers on technology for our district. At least that is the easiest way I can explain it.

web 2.0


It was a great conference. I really learned a lot. There are lots of free and great web 2.0 apps out there for students/teachers to use that are free. I am going to have to find some ways to integrate these into my teaching. I think it may help get my students focus back on learning.

However, I found it quite humorous that while I was waiting for a tech conference to begin I choose to work on my hexagons.

hexagons for christmas table runner
I did get 2 more hexagon flowers made during the being session and keynote speaker.  Don't judge. I just don't stay focus when I have to listen unless I am doing something else, like playing on computer/cell phone, hand quilting, or doodling. Often during lectures/staff meetings I practice free motion quilting designs. One of my partner teachers this year handed me a piece of paper and a pencil to doodle on when I started spacing during a staff meeting.  Amazing how quickly I become more focused. Much like the students of today.

The only thing I didn't like about this conference is that they stated that my birth year is part of the gen x generation. I just don't feel like I am part of that generation. The presentation had gen x followed by gen y. I think there is a middle generation. When I got home I did a little research this. Yes I had to. I found that some sources say that there is a middle generation between those too. I really believe that is true, because sorry to say but I don't think that my brothers and I are in the same generation. We just think differently and our prospectives are different. That may sound strange by my brothers are 11 and 12 years older than I am and they grew up in a different time.

Sorry for the side track there. As you can tell that really bothered me.

As to an age old craft, I also spent a lot of time cutting fabric this evening. I have two projects cut out.

The baby quilt is all cut out.

I am loving the colors. I just added one new fabric in today. I am really liking it. The colors are a little off here. I trid to fix it in lightbox (21st Century again), but it was the middle ofthe night.

All the fabric for the donkey block is also cut.

I think he is going to be a china blue donkey, because hat is what he is reminding me of. I wish I could find the book my mom used to read me that had a china cat, the blue and white flower fabric is reminding me of the picture of that cat.

Now, tomorrow I get to sew. I love weekends. Especially weekends where I get to play on the computer and make quilts.