WordPress Wet Feet

Two words for this WordPress assignment: cognitive overload. Getting my feet wet with web design has been hazardous to my sanity. I need to do a better job of chucking overwhelming assignments into smaller pieces. Otherwise, I'm virtually paralyzed with anxiety. Sound extreme? It is when you're living it! So, check out my maiden WordPress website. The positive it that there's something where nothing existed beforehand. However, I'm not satisfied and will strive to overcome my learning curve in regards to web design. On a different note, I took Harrison to a production of The Wizard of Oz at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank yesterday. What a joy to experience this story through the eyes of my son. The gift of parenting continues to give with each new experience I have with my children. Love them!

Follow your yellow brick road!

Spring Break = Full Time Mom

Sawyer's first Home Depot workshop

Harrison's first cone

It's Sunday evening; time to mourn the end of spring break and return to work. I'm 100% stay at home mom during this time off; my husband does not get a spring break at his school. As a result, here are my spring break reflections:
Bubble Guppies is actually a children's show I enjoy. I did get a shopping day at the Jersey Shore Outlets. I was able to see the acupuncturist, allergist, dermatologist, eye doctor, and get a haircut. I also met celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, thanks to my sister and her public television connection. Overall, I'm feeling a little bit rested and very blessed.



Meeting Lidia in Red Bank, NJ




Welcome Spring!




Lorenzi Irises



It's the first day of spring 2012! I can't believe another MAITS course is coming to an end. Looking forward to that wrap-up party. Now, I find myself preparing for two workshops I'm presenting in the SREA Adult School: Zunal Webquests & Blogging for Beginners. I'm planning to incorporate adult learning strategies for the workshop participants. This will be my first time instructing peers. I wonder how that will feel? I'm also excited to share aspects of the MAITS program that I've enjoyed and found useful in my own professional growth: webquests & blogging.

For St. Patrick's Day, we took the boys to the Big Apple Circus. They were mesmerized; it was adorable. However, during the final act, a trapeze artist fell and had to be taken away by ambulance. Our fear is that he's now paralyzed.You're in our family prayers, trapeze man! Check out my garden - pre-pruning. I have some of Mike Lorenzi's irises sprouting as well. When I think of spring, I think of his smile.



Big Apple Circus - Bridgewater, NJ



A Sigh & Sunshine

Friday afternoon and I just submitted a draft of my Personal Learning Theory Paper. As I hit submit, the sun appeared for a brief moment outside my classroom window. Maybe a wee bit o' Irish luck and congratulations to the writer? Not sure...Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cooking Up Theories



Movie I'm committed to watching this week!



Tonight, we continued our lessons on Learning Theories. The lesson on Connectivism & Cooking in the 21st century made a lot of sense and definitely illustrated the theory. I use a virtual recipe box on Foodnetwork. For me, celebrity chefs are rock stars; Tyler Florence is my chef-crush. I've met him twice! I also continue to be amazed by the musical talents of our MAITs: Andrew & Alyssa. Cognitive overload defines my life on most days. As far as teaching, I've always chunked my lessons because, through experience, I've found that it helps with classroom management and behavior issues. In my experience, students with shorter attention spans do better with smaller bits of information. This theory, in turn, drives my lesson planning. Now, my attention is turned to organizing and writing my PLT paper. Time is flying, so there's no room for procrastination. However, I do plan a brief Hawaiian escape via The Descendants. George Clooney + Hawaii = perfect mental escape.





Don't forget!

Showtime: Part II

Last night, Wimba challenged me to an arm wrestle and I WON! What a feeling of accomplishment. First, I'm proud of the lesson our group presented on Humanist/ARCS theory. Thanks Darlene & Jenn! Also, as a result of this project, I feel more comfortable and confident navigating Wimba, although I'll continue to practice and hone my newly-acquired skills. Finally, I was surprised and pleased with how the bucket lesson resonated with classmates. Coincidentally, about a month before this class began, I picked the bucket book off the shelf in the children's section of Barnes and Noble. The cover plus the cleverness of the idea of "bucket filling" caught my eye and I immediately thought of instilling this idea in my own family with my 2 sons. Little did I know that several months later, in a graduate course,  I would encounter this book again or the type of impact it would have on my own life and education. I've since bought a copy of the book and think of my own "bucket-filling verses dumping" behavior on a daily basis. Life is funny like that!

Ready,Set,Showtime: Part I

It's showtime! Our presentation on Humanist/ARCS Learning Theory is tonight! So much anticipation and excitement. What will I stress about when this is over...? Rest assured; something else will be on the horizon. Stayed tuned for the debriefing... wish us luck!

Dr. Seuss Insight

Last night I saw our high school's production of Seussical with my 4-year-old son Harrison. What a treat! As as watched, I couldn't help but think about and appreciate all the hard work, practice, and dedication put into the production. It reminded me of my group's rehearsals for Monday's theory presentation in Wimba. Regardless of what happens, we're confidently prepared as a result of practice and teamwork. Just had to share those thoughts. Happy weekend!

Wimba Rehearsal

Monday evening found my group and I spending 2.5 hours in Wimba trying to organize our theory presentation for next Monday. Maybe it's the anticipation of it all, but for the first time in this MAIT program, I'm questioning the rationale behind certain apsects of this class. For instance, is there supposed to be more focus on technology implementation over content? Also, is the purpose of the quiz to practice with a Web 2.0 tool or really get 100% on everyone's quizzes? Essentially, in the process of learning about learning, I'm questioning what I'm getting out of this as a graduate student. Doing Wimba from my house is a little too close to home for me. It's difficult for me to draw the line between family and graduate work when they overlap in one place. My boys were out of sight, but not earshot. Maybe that's the realization; time is too valueable to be taken for granted. Will the hours and hours put into this project be justified or relevant in the end? Lots of questions, plenty of exhaustion, and never enough time to myself. I decided to schedule a spa day; some well-deserved me-time at the conclusion of this project. So, if you can't find me it's because I'm hanging with Elizabeth Arden!

A-Ha Reflections



Happy Valentine's Day

Kudos to the classmates who presented last night. The theory behind the teaching should never be taken for granted, as evidence by the informative and well-executed presentations. My "A-Ha" moment involved the chance to reflect on my own teaching methods in light of the theories presented. Of course, I cannot downplay how nervous I am to present our own theory: Humanism/ARCS. However, I feel passionate about the importance of Maslow's theory to teaching and learning so that comforts me a bit. Still a lot of Wimba uncertainty, but I'm reassured by the successes of my peers. I also feel encouraged by the feedback I received from Amy regarding my personal learning theory. Possible Capstone? Wow! I'm invested professionally in my topic, so that adds relevance too. Until next week...

Cookies for preschool

Harrison's birthday cupcakes



Wimba Collaboration

Tonight, I moved one step closer to a greater understanding of Wimba. Darlene & I collaborated with Jenn, our distance-learning partner, for our Humanist Theory lesson plan. The project is starting to take shape and it's exciting. The proof will be in the execution of the lesson in a few weeks. Teaching a lesson virtually is a new forum for most of us in Amy's class. Once again I find myself in unfamiliar territory, but it's nothing new in this MAITs program. Good luck to everyone presenting next week!

Topsy-Turvy

This image accurately captures my feelings after last night's class. I'm glad we learned about Google sites, however the way in which we learned reminded me of my feelings this time last year when I was just starting the program. I know I'm capable of processing all this, but I need to bite it off one morsel at a time. Otherwise, rather than feeling excited about something new, I feel defeated. As a result, I set some reasonable benchmarks for my groupwork with Darlene. We'll get it all done. New mantra: the library is my friend. Second mantra: it will all get done and it will be amazing!

Learning is a Game

Video games in school?

I came across this article in a blog about using games in learning and teaching. Since our History of IT project focused on this relevant topic, I found the article interesting and thought-provoking. Enjoy!

First Day of Class

There's only one first day. Everything afterwards feels like countdown to the last day...but I'm excited about the new challenges ahead. It feels good to dust off the MAITs cobwebs that grew on my brain over winter break. I was excited to relocate my blog link and write again. On that note, I'm looking forward to research. Strange, right? It must be in my genetic make-up to relish a research opportunity. I'm also very proud of   our cohort. On the surface, we all handled Amy's syllabus with collected calmness. Bring on the semester!