Daydreamsintechnicolor

Retirement....so far

2010-06-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

I jumped into so many things the first three days that now I have to recover....I went to yoga on Thursday, a new kind which focuses on proper body alignment, a great workout.
Friday I went to docent training for the new exhibition at the Houston Contemporary Craft Museum on Main Street. The gallery is filled with magical costumes made out of paper...strongly recommend that you see it.
Saturday I went to a ceramics class on making garden ornaments....it was so much fun, liking playing mudpies again. We will see in two weeks if any of my works turn out after being fired; sometimes they break.
Now I know I want to volunteer the museum as I love spending time reveling in the colors and textures....I also want to help children or teenagers, so will be looking for the right place do engage in that kind of volunteer work....

Thanks to all of you for listening to my stories so sweetly. I looked at your twitters about Scarlet Letter which we did at the first of the years----you all have definitely improved your writing!

I deleted the banned words list and rules for writing, but I find I still want to correct the rest of the world's writing and speaking!

Maddie's goals for second semester

2010-06-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

Maddie Fogel said...

whoops I forgot to say my goals. Plus I left out a comment in the first sentence.

Goals for this semester:

Finish a monster burito at Freebirds

Find an elmo costume and wear it to
school

Appropriately sing more song quotes in class

Improve my skill on the scrabble game on my phone

Try to make my movie quotes from more than just Zoolander, Mean Girls, and the occasional Anchorman

Enjoy another cake day in class

Have a dance party on the open floor in the classroom

Finish the semester without burning all of my textbooks in anger

Run around as a banana and be chased by a gorilla

Join Latin club and attend a toga party

Dress as a ninja and go unnoticed throughout the schoolday

To be continued...
If you think this doesn't have to do with English class then you have no idea what is in store.

Also, to have the confidence and bravery to be more swift when writing as opposed to my timidness that causes me to waste hours. And maybe to be better at reading comprehension on those psycho timed writings

new email

2010-05-31T08:57:00.001-07:00

My email address after June 3rd is annwilliams625@comcast.net

I cannot figure out to get rid of my sbisd email which will no longer be valid.

My Life is Stories

2009-09-12T19:19:00.001-07:00

My Life is Stories

Many years ago I bought myself a set of paper dolls, an extravagant and expensive set, that I justified to myself because I can display them in my high school classroom. The dolls represent “Beauty and the Beast,” which I used in my doctoral dissertation because it illuminates the mystery of female empowerment. I also screen the exquisite and enlightening film, Cocteau’s version, La Belle et La Bete, in my film class. The book was filled with beautiful period costumes, some for coloring, and some for cutting out to dress Beauty in. I experienced a rush of delight just looking at this gorgeous set of paper dolls, one I would have loved to have owned as a child (but which certainly were not available in the 1950s when I grew up.)

One of my happiest memories of childhood consists of the times my mother would take my younger brothers and me to the dime store downtown to let us choose a new coloring book or set of paper dolls. I remember the overwhelming joy of anticipation I felt as I watched her put them up in the cupboard, and how I longed for the moment she would get them out to entertain us that night. These occasions happened on the nights she and my father gave bridge parties. At that time, before television, my brothers and I, already dressed in our pajamas, would sit back in our den with our new books—theirs invariably of cowboys, mine of glamorous movie stars, to color or cut costumes out of. We would play all evening, totally absorbed in the alternate reality for which these characters provided a threshold.

I spent many hours subsequently coloring my books of Betty Hutton, Elizabeth Taylor, or maybe Esther Williams, dressing and undressing them ushering them through a never-ending procession of glamorous and dramatic situations. I imagined buildings with doormen in New York, careers in publishing or on the Broadway stage, sophisticated cocktail parties, and trips to Paris---all fed by my relentless passion for the Technicolor extravaganzas of the fifties which I saw at the local movie theater weekly.

I think back very fondly of those times spent alone in my room, though I remember complaining at the time that I had no one to play with (my brothers would have never understood!). But now I am grateful for the energy I spent dreaming and imagining, creating realms of fantasy and romance because, as an English teacher, I see the relationship of this play to my work. Throughout my life, then, runs the thread of my love of stories and my willingness to suspend disbelief—to involve myself in another realm of experience. I do everything I can to entice my students into these realms, into the other spaces known as fiction, drama, and poetry.

A friend told me recently, “Your life is stories, all kinds of stories,” and I like that depiction of myself. While I was debating with myself whether to buy those fairy tale paper dolls in the little store in Jacksonville, Oregon, a nine-year-old girl appeared beside me. She confided that she had enjoyed playing with the set her grandmother had bought her. For a moment I felt nine again, too, and shared with her the intimacy and enchantment of make-believe. Then I knew I had to have one more set of paper dolls. For me they are a celebration of the stories of my life.

My Magical Summer

2009-08-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have tried twice, but the sound won't synchronize, and some of the sound is gone.

Thing # 8 again

2009-07-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

For my Thing 8, I wound up doing a screencast with audio about my summer on my blog for my new students to read.

The lesson about opening my webpage and showing students how to download a document won't work on my iMac because the program I recorded it in is not compatible with the blog. So I did something a little different. I will show my students how to get to my website and my blog on the big screen projector when school starts.

I will say that I wound up learning a lot during the process of trying to get a screencast on my blog. I spent twenty or so hours on it, finally going to the Apple store to get a tech guy to help me. But every time I tried to work with the screencast, I learned something new, so all in all, it was a great experience.

Thing 11.5

2009-07-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

I still have to finish my Jing, but I have learned so many cool things this summer. I loved the image generators--I found two--Animoto and Bookr which I used successfully. I used the Voki, but did not like that as much; I don't like the cartoon version of me. I liked learning about more apps for my Iphone and thought about how to use Skype in my classroom (the problem is to find another class in our time zone or near it!)

I think I have to run as fast as I can to stay in the same place in this age---the kids are learning about computers so fast and enjoying using so many features of the software. I want to be able to use more technology as well as appreciate what they are producing. Computers must be a part of lifelong learning.

I was surprised by the fun and ease of both Animoto and Bookr--I liked using my own photos as well as those available for us online. These projects were really fun. I really was surprised by how much I enjoyed using my blog for my classes this year--and the kids liked responding on it as well. This has been a joyous experience for me, an extension of what I love to do in my classes--engage with my students and with literature and writing.

I am encouraging every teacher I know to get involved with Library2Play--so I say--just keep it up. Both my experiences last summer and this summer have been enriching. And we must keep learning new things whether we like it or not to keep our brains vital and working!

Oh, and I loved going back to You Tube again where I found the hilarious Black Adder meets Shakespeare which I posted!

Thing 11

2009-07-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about how similar proper digital citizenry is to researching and writing about literature in my class. We want our students to manifest appropriate behavior in the library--to be quiet and not bother others, to use the materials carefully without marring the books, to give proper attribution for ideas and words that we borrow from others.

I think in my lesson I would talk about these same things--and of course, as a notorious example, we are experiencing and suffering as an entire school district from the acts of those who did not use Wikipedia appropriately this summer. This example alone should help students to see there really are consequences for misusing internet sources. These consequences are probably even more serious than misusing library sources, because while the library may not ban a student for misbehavior, internet sources can. I would talk about using courtesy on the internet as well as in any public space. The internet is an extension of our resources which used to be only physical, and we must use the privileges we gain from using the internet respectfully and carefully.

In addition students need to be guided into careful use of internet sources just as they are guided into appropriate library sources for the level of their essay. My students now are aware that anything can be posted on the internet--from Johnny Jones' eighth grade paper on To Kill a Mockingbird to serious scholarly articles. The sources likely to pop up at the top when they type Scarlet Letter into Google are Sparknotes and other sources of that level. I ask them to see me if they find a source which they are in doubt about or which does not have an author.

And, of course, Google searches tend to turn up less than scholarly material, though you must really look hard to find something worthy to cite in a literary analysis. Yes..I know Google Scholar exists, but so far, I have found it impossible to use.

We are finding some great stuff on the internet--I am astounded at how much I depend on it for information now--but also lots of junk. Being a responsible internet citizen means learning how to find what will work and dismiss what won't.

By the way, with our projectors hooked up to our computers now at school, I can easily walk the students through a lesson doing research with the library materials, though I am having a terrible time actually recording voice and screen shots in Jing!!

Thing 10

2009-07-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

I got into second life--made myself an avatar (who was extremely unlike me in real life, but I liked her colors)--and had a few adventures. I wanted to try different fashions, but found those were very expensive, so I would up flying, walking, and generally playing around in the Frank Lloyd Wright museum. That was fun and good for me to experience as I know many of my students who are in engineering are working in programs that use 3D for designing rooms, houses, and other projects.

I would like it better if we could all go into art museums, museums such as the Tenement Museum in New York--or better yet, experience life as a Medieval peasant, or someone on trial for Witchcraft in 17th century Salem. I know those things will come if they are not already available. I know you can go into Chenenceau, one of the chateaux on the Loire River and see the rooms from every perspective--but those are photos of real rooms, not virtual.

I certainly can see some exciting possibilities such as attending a performance at Shakespeare's Globe in a virtual world. Or a reading by Charles Dickens--that would be great.

Thing 9

2009-07-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

I am not a big fan of Power Point presentations as I feel they are often boring and a substitute for authentic engagement with students. However, I do understand the need for them when connecting with someone who cannot be in the classroom. I do think my students are way ahead of me on this kind of thing, and I would depend on them to help me produce something that would be effective and informative. I am not clear on the differences between Slidecasts and the project I have been working on with my Jing. The students are very savvy and up to date on how to do power points, adding all sorts of jazzy features. Since I don't use them in my class, I am not as good with them. I can see how they might be very useful for factual information, certainly.

I do think that slidecasts are not entirely compatible with my style of teaching in which I open the class with the question, "What do you think?" about something we read the night before. I expect the discussion to go in a slightly different direction in each class depending on what caught the students' attention. Slidecasts may be a bit too teacher-centric for my style which depends on a give and take style of engagement with the material.

Of course, for something such as citation style, having a slidecast may be invaluable. I will see what I can put together.

OOps---just thought of something else for this project--a slideshow about the history of the novel--that would be great to have available on the library website or on mine to inform students about how the novel as evolved since Samuel Richardson's Pamela!

Also Mac's new suite of office software is supposed to have some fabulous new features, so I may become a stauncher fan of powerpoints in the future (or of Mac's version, Keynote!)

Thing 8

2009-07-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

I did manage to pull out seven photos from my trips this summer to introduce myself to my new students, but I could not figure out how to download the pictures to the blog or how to record audio to go with the pictures. I will keep trying. I had to use Jing, as the first software I tried is incompatible with my iMac.

Update--I am stilling working--for hours so far--to get a screencast ready on Jing--I can get the photos but not the audio so far--I know this is good for me to learn, so I will keep trying.

PS See above--I did finally manage to do this!

Thing 6 continued

2009-07-29T07:02:00.001-07:00

Here is a link which everyone should read about the nature of creativity. I love teaching English because reading, writing, and analysis involves both critical thinking as well as imagination, hard word as well as play--the play of words, images, and ideas.

http://www.copyblogger.com/highly-creative-people/

Some remembrances of my week at Cambridge

2009-07-28T11:17:00.001-07:00

My Cambridge Experience

I had been fortunate enough to spend three weeks at Oxford several years ago, participating in a program for teachers and their students, so I had some idea how the system worked. Cambridge and Oxford consist of groups of colleges where students live and eat, and where, presumably, their supervising professor works. The advantage is that the students, who have begun specializing in high school, focus on the field they hope to work in; they do not have to take courses in the variety of liberal arts fields which American students study both in high school and at university. Obviously, it would benefit our AP students who feel they must take everything from science to math to history, English, and language in high school. But I can’t help feeling that students who emerge from the Oxbridge world wind up so highly specialized that they have missed some rich skirmishes into other fields. I am glad I took chemistry, zoology, botany, advanced math, sociology, political science, psychology, French, and history courses in addition to the English courses I took in my major. I am excited to discuss this issue with my students in the fall to see what they think about the British system. This is also the system in France, but I don’t know about other countries.

Anyway, I arrived from London on the Cambridge train about two p.m. and got the keys to my room. The rooms are designated by staircases around a beautiful courtyard filled with flowers and inhabited by a tortoise who comes out to wander around during the daylight hours. I had twin beds in my room along with a sink, but had to share a toilet and shower with the entire floor. However, they had spread us out around the staircases, so only three of us shared the floor.

Our first evening we gathered in the combination room and were given our schedules for the week, then onto a dinner in the college dining room. Todd, the other Memorial teacher in our group, had arrived by then, and we began to meet other people. It seems that we were the only public school teachers there. At least the only people I got to know taught at private schools in Manhattan, Maryland, New Orleans, Edmonton, Alberta, and other places. When they asked me how I got to come to the seminar, I responded that it was a gift from my school, which I really think is true. The hope, of course, is that we will bring back a variety of experiences to enrich our teaching. Todd and I both were revitalized, inspirited, and stimulated by what we learned during the week, and we are both excited to share our adventures and new ideas with our students.

The next morning our group of six met with Sophie Pickford, our instructor in visual experience. She plays the oboe professionally, engages in photography, has competed in water polo for Cambridge, and specializes in the performance of music in French Renaissance chateaux. However, because of all the cuts in the arts these days, she was not able to find a teaching job in a university and will now be attending law school in London, hoping to eventually combine law with her passions for history, art, and music.

We first discussed the portrayal of the nude in art, focussing the portrayal of feminine form. We then walked to New College, the only all women college in Cambridge, I believe, to view the collection of art by women artists. We were asked to think about subjects and approaches by female artists which might differentiate them from male artists. I was not able to draw any firm conclusions except in cases of particular experiences, such as bearing a child and giving him up for adoption, which were manifested in the work. The garden contained some interesting sculptures; one I liked in particular which suggested the form of owls. We thought about the ways in which placement of sculptures affected the experience of viewing them as well, and about the strong need to touch a sculpture which is usually discouraged by the artist. We were given handouts to read that afternoon from writers who posed questions about seeing, about feminism in art history, and about women artists in history.

After class we took a guided tour around a few points of interest, visited a college chapel where John Harvard, the founder of Harvard College, is immortalized in stained glass, and saw the building where the double helix was discovered by Watson and Crick. Cambridge University is used to designate the few places such as labs and the medical school where many students would work in an area of interest and which would require laboratories and equipment. At least that is what I think is meant by the term university there. It is still a bit confusing. I know that lectures in particular fields are university wide, but are not required. Though why anyone would fail to attend them I can’t imagine as they would be helpful to your course of study and given by renowned professors in the field. The days we read about in nineteenth and early twentieth-century novels in which privileged young aristocrats loll around the colleges are long gone. Gaining admission to Oxford or Cambridge is quite difficult, though tuition is still quite low by American standards. So one can’t imagine anyone who does get admitted wanting to waste any time at all. Those exams which loom at the end of one’s third year determine whether a student leaves with a degree or with nothing, and there is no going back!

Tuesday we ventured into two of the most wondrous parts of the Visual Experience seminar and of Cambridge. We were honored with a tour of the Old Library at St. John’s college to see illuminated medieval manuscripts. They are thrilling to behold because they are so meticulously written and illustrated, and because the colors seem as rich and gorgeous as they must have been when first applied. These were copies of the Bible done by monks in abbeys and could only be read by the head of the abbey himself, once they were prepared.

Afterwards we went to Magdelene (pronounced maudlin) College to see Pepys’ library. Everything was explained by an elderly man who exuded passion for and scholarly knowledge of, the books collected by Pepys. They were actually arranged in ornate cabinets called book presses, press being an old name for storage place. Pepys had what seems to be the first bookcases built to store his collection, which he arranged by size, beginning with the smallest and working around the room to the largest volumes. As Pepys was interested in a wide variety of topics from naval history to folk ballads, his collection is a treasure trove for scholars, but as the books are not arranged by topic, they must be carefullly catalogued. He left the collection to a nephew who had to finish the cataloguing, and eventually the collection was donated to Magdelene.

I think this was the day that my Brazilian friends Shelli, Anni, and I went to the Eagle pub for fish and chips. The ceiling of the rear room is a national monument as members of the RAF and the American 8th Air Force (of which my father was a member) had written names in soot on the ceiling. Now it will forever recall those hectic and frightening days of World War II, and the way some airmen relaxed and had a little fun between missions. East Anglia, where Cambridge is located, was one of the major air fields in England. I am sure that my father, who was in the crew of a B17, must have been based there at least for part of the war. He was certainly somewhere in England when I was born soon after D-Day.

After lunch Sophie took the entire group to the Fitzwilliam Museum (of art) where she talked about particular works of interest. As Cambridge was experiencing a heat wave, and as nothing is air conditioned, I was happy I had my little fan, but I did get very hot and tired and, though I enjoyed everything she spoke about, I found I was much too fatigued to continue looking at the other works. It was a bit cooler outside under the trees. The Fitzwilliam itself is large and beautiful with marble columns and staircases in gorgeous colors.

We had a lecture in the afternoon on poetry about slavery written before 1810, which was enriching, but all the walking had made me very tired and uncomfortable sitting in the hard seats.

The next morning, Wednesday, we discussed theory of sculpture and were able to use the computers to show a sculpture we had particularly enjoyed. I had chosen the glorious tall work outside the Fort Worth Museum of Art which I had visited with both my sons and their families in October of 2007. The glorious day we had being all together made the sculpture resonate as one of my favorites ever. Also I wanted to show the beautiful Etruscan statue inside the museum which faces a mirror reflecting in turn a pool opposite. Duncan took a picture of me holding Elise next to the statue, and when I looked up Google images of the museum that very picture popped up! So I showed that as well. A delicious example of synchronicity.

We all had fun talking about our favorite sculptures and why they were favorites--and it was fun to be able to see them online at the same time. The young teacher from Alberta chose a Haida totem sculpture, so that was fun to see as I have seen so many in British Columbia, not to mention the immense ones at the British Museum.

I had another moment of synchronicity the same morning. Duncan had given me a reproduction of a head of a Roman woman for my birthday a few days before. I e-mailed him that morning that I thought of her as the mother of the Gracchii who said she wore no adornments as her two sons were her jewels. I have thought about that phrase over and over during my life since I had two sons myself. Then when we went across the street to see the display of sculpture at Jesus College, Cornelia Gracchus was one of the women honored by a female sculptor as she had encouraged her two senator sons to pass legislation to help the poor. The sculptures of dresses of various errors are topped with bricks and other items to indicate the woman’s contribution to history. I think Cornelia Gracchus’s head was a pile of bricks. I learned later that the sculptor is a poverist, one who works with inexpensive materials. The gowns being inexpensive plaster and the heads formed from found materials or other inexpensive pieces.

The sculptures which were the group favorites, however, were the identical iron men placed all around the garden--one on the roof overlooking the lawn! we got into join a giant pile of them and took pictures. It was so much fun. The artist encourages touching which is delightful for everyone. A group of children were in the garden and mistook one set of sculptures for playground equipment--and these were by an artist who does not want his works touched.

That afternoon we had two speakers, the former poet laureate of England, Andrew Motion, whom I enjoyed very much, though it was getting really hard to sit still in the hard chairs in the lecture hall. His poems are understated and lovely, and his reading gentle and graceful and elegant. I asked a question about finding the perfect word, which he agreed is very difficult to do.

The next speaker, after our tea, attempted to get a discussion going about animals and ethics, which he is currently thinking and writing about, but it didn’t seem to go very far. I think everyone was tired by this point, and none of us felt we had much to contribute. He did say he does not believe in doing research on primates because they are so close to human beings. I think no one disagreed.

That night we took a wonderful walk to a pub on the Cam River where we could see the crews rowing in their shells and then sit outside to have something to drink--mine was herbal tea which felt great in the cool weather. Since it does not get dark until after ten pm, we could walk back home while it was still light.

The next day was an absolute delight beginning with a tour of Kettles Yard House which is a work of art in itself, filled with the owner’s collections of round pebbles arranged gracefully, with various kinds of art works, hung in unusual ways, such as low to the floor where a table might have been. Beautiful glass and pottery, found objects such as pieces of wood--the whole house was pristine and graceful, though I cannot imagine trying to live in a space where even putting a teacup down on a table would seem to be an intrusion. We also visiting the folk museum which contained domestic items from earlier times including my favorites, the doll houses. Old washing machines, stoves, and all kinds of utensils were on display, each room being a room in the house used for a particular purpose such as the kitchen.

That afternoon we attended a lecture on Oliver Cromwell, had our tea, and then engaged in a learning experience in which we tried to figure out how a card trick was done and then find the explanation for how it worked. The head of Cambridge’s Education college demonstrated this to make us see how difficult learning material can be for our students. It was a great teaching activity. I am thrilled, as well, to say that our group of three was successful, but I think it may have been because of one member, Michael, who seemed to get into the idea of how the deck of cards worked pretty fast. I think I contributed a few ideas but doubt that I could have solved it alone as I never seem to know how magic tricks work!

Friday our group attended a conference in which various scholars presented papers on music and art in Renaissance houses. We were all excited to hear Sophie’s presentation in the afternoon in which she explained what conclusions may be drawn from examining lists of the contents of various French chateaux (she had gone to 37 of them). She is especially interested in musical instruments and rooms in which music may have been played. She explained how the lists were obtained and what they might mean, as many objects, such as children’s toys might be omitted. None of the chateaux now contain original furniture.

We heard several other lectures including one on acoustics and others involving family festivals, the place of music in the artist’s home, and a mural depicting women of one prominent Italian family. It was all very intriguing because the papers are all works in progress, presenting them gave the professors an opportunity to hear the responses and criticisms of others in the field.

That night we went punting on the river with Todd learning to be an expert punter in very short time. We made it to the dam and back without being tipped over once! and I felt like the characters in The Wind in the Willows--so calm and peaceful as we drifted under the weeping willows. Though the words are difficult for her to say in English, our Japanese friend Yoshiko loves weeping willows which also grow in Japan.

Saturday Sophie had to leave early for a wedding, though we were able to discuss many of the experiences we had had with her and to wish her well in her new path in life. She had asked a young lecturer from Christ’s College to discuss the ways works of art are priced and various underhanded means sometimes used to that end. His talk was horrifying as it illuminated the world of art as being much closer to that of rock and roll hype than I would have ever imagined. The galleries control everything it seems--the prices, who is shown, who becomes well known, with the producers of the works themselves gaining only a small percentage. Some auction houses are also corrupt, making false sales, for example, though not the most prestigious ones such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

That afternoon we took a four-mile walk to Grantchester to have tea at the Orchard, a famous gathering place for many years, and a favorite of the Bloomsbury group. I realized that, though I contribute to discussion and questions, I felt a bit out place because I am so slow at walking that the group is continually looking back to see if I have gotten lost. Fortunately, my friend Yoshiko was with me, and I knew it would be better to get there by walking slowly enough that I would not trip or break my ankle again! The other people were mostly in their thirties and much more athletic than I am. But I made it, though Yoshiko and I took a taxi back to the college.

I met so many delightful people including my friends Shellida and Anni from Brazil. Now we can communicate with the internet and maybe even with Skype as we are closer to the same time zones I think. Shelli teaches Portuguese grammar and literature, and Anni teaches science.

The whole experience was inspiring in more ways than I could ever have imagined, and I am thrilled that Memorial was able to send Patti, Todd, and me into this wondrous world of ideas and places. I have certainly enlarged my vista of knowledge.

Thing 7

2009-07-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

I looked at some Scarlet Letter parody videos on the link--I would love to use some of these first to enable the students to appreciate and understand irony a little better, and second to laugh a little at the book many of them dislike so much. Unfortunately, we cannot view the entire video on the Google link, but I can go to You Tube to embed them (I think!). I found a funny one there earlier today and will go back.

I want to embed a couple on my blog to demonstrate to the students that even English teachers can laugh about works they love!

I didn't really find anything I wanted to post on the Scarlet Letter--all were student produced, and I would rather have one by my own students.

This is for my Shakespeare kids--lots of fun:

Thing 6

2009-07-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

This thing is about iTouch apps--I have an iPhone and had some word games on it, but while I was at Cambridge, I needed to keep my phone charged as long as I could. As it was, I had to ask my colleague Todd McCardle to charge it for me every day! So I deleted most of my apps.

Now I am home and will get Word Warp and lots of the other apps like Shazam and Pandora back. I am delighted to discover so many word-oriented apps for the iTouch and iPhone. I will put them on this afternoon, and I am going to suggest that my students investigate them for sure. One thing they really need work on is vocabulary development, and just, in general, to develop an appreciation of, and love for words. That will help their writing and speaking, not to mention their AP scores.

I love word games (though I hate scrabble) and like to play them in airports or other places where there is too much noise to read comfortably.

The other thing we are asked to do is to create a list for use in library. I do have to say that in order to get all the material we need to teach for the Advanced Placement exam and to finish the requirements for Composition I and II in the Dual Credit AP classes, we would not have much time for playing games in the library. But I will encourage my students to find ways to do this at home. I am going to ask them to make lists for me of how they could use the word-oriented apps at home and maybe a bit in school at the library (during free time before school perhaps?).

This morning I added Word Families, Moxie (not sure what that is, but it sounds fun), and Word Salad to my apps on my iPhone. I am excited to see how to play them. I am still not sure how AP classes could use these apps in school, but I am certainly going to encourage them to use them at home. I also added a link to my blog about the nature of creativity which I found on one of the websites Thing 6 referred us to. I love what the writer has to say.

Thing 5 Continued

2009-07-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

I am now back from my many travels and ready to go with Library 2Play again--I re-read Thing 4. I do like using Facebook as a way for my students to find me, but I find that some of the pictures and/or information is inappropriate for my high school students to view and connect with me. It is simple to hide the writers, so I have done that. Our principal has warned us about having Facebook pages which parents might find objectionable. As teachers we cannot risk upsetting students by refusing to allow them as friends, but we can hide them, which I think the students may not find out about. At least I hope!

I am concerned that some parents will not allow their students to use Facebook--but it certainly could be a great way for groups to discuss books they are reading in groups or even in the whole class. I am wondering what the advantages are over wikis. I do think Facebook is much easier to use than the wiki we tried last year, for one thing.

I still am not sure about Twitter. I don't like the idea of the triviality of the posts--at least the ones I have heard about. But I like the backchanneling idea. That could be helpful for my students in many areas. I am eager to hear what the students think about these ideas when school starts in August!

2009-07-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

file:///Users/patriciawilliams/Desktop/cambridge.pages/http://gallery.me.com/technicolordaydreams

here I am trying to upload my journal about Cambridge--obviously I need some help!!

Goody Gum Drops! I saved my animotos on my blog!

2009-06-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

http://animoto.com/play/R5Db0bhCwrQlvZalOYuwFA

http://animoto.com/play/kkjrxzSEq1BZLKwZIKBBDQ

Thing 5

2009-06-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Wow--I looked ahead and cannot wait to get into the apps--I have an iPhone--
I do want to say about microblogging that I definitely am seeing its benefits--I had gotten an identity on Facebook a couple of years ago as the Breast Cancer Awareness group which I sponsor at Memorial found this was the best way to communicate with each other during the summer. It was news to me that Facebook had replaced emailing--but now I get it!

My daughter in law puts pictures of my darling granddaughters on Facebook--a former student who now teaches English in China posts on his Facebook account. Through him I found a group of my sophomores from 1968 who are planning a 40th reunion in 2010--so I posted a note asking if anyone remembers me. Those students are now in their 50's--I was 23, and they were 15 when I taught them. Who knew then that I might find some of them again on something called a "computer"!

Thing 3

2009-06-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

Okay--I am going to have to move on from Thing 2 for the present--I tried everything--created a voki, created a word cloud--but cannot get either of these two elements to post on my blog--will try to get this done when I get back on July 26th and after--so I looked at Skype this morning--we do have Skype on our iMac--so have been able to video chat with one set of granddaughters--lots of fun--I am trying to get my son to get it in France, so I can see and speak to those granddaughters and they can see and speak to me! Another set of granddaughters in Denver have Skype as well--but as their parents lead very busy lives, it is hard to find a time when all of us can be on the computer to chat.

I am not sure I would use this in my class to teach AP English--but I do have a friend who teaches English in China--he might want to turn on Skype so classes in the US could talk to his classes about a work of literature--that could be cool--he teaches 10th graders--so I may try to find a teacher at Memorial who would like to have her class engage in a discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird for example--I will need to find someone who teaches what I teach in another country or state. In fact, I just met a woman who teaches English in Sarejevo--it would be great to have a chat about Jane Austen with those students! So even as I write, I am beginning to get some ideas about how Skype might work in school!

In the meantime I am downloading Skype to my iPhone!

Later I did get the Voki to post--so that is on my blog now.

Word cloud

2009-06-09T08:33:00.001-07:00

file:///Users/patriciawilliams/Desktop/Wordle%20-%20Create.webarchive

another way to save bookr

2009-06-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

Voyaging by Ann Williams

Bookr

2009-06-09T08:28:00.001-07:00

help!

2009-06-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

I am having trouble! I made a wordle and took a snapshot--but when I try to put it in a post, all that comes up is some code--same thing with my voki, which I just created! what am I doing wrong? or is the code supposed to be cut and pasted so a reader can go to it as a link?

2009-06-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Thing 2

2009-06-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

I really like Wordle and Word Sift. I had played with Wordle at the beginning of the school year, but never figured out how to use it for learning, but now I know what to do. As an AP English teacher, I think the most important thing I can do is to inspire in my students a love of words and language. I have them write and embellish a favorite word to hang from the ceiling when we study poetry. Now I think I will ask them to play with Wordle at the beginning of the year to see what words emerge from a text they paste in and to use it as an invention strategy for writing about a piece of text.

Also I was enchanted by Word Sift. I especially loved the imagery in the links I got for dream and for other words from the poem, Rose of the World, which I had wordled before--but couldn't figure out how to save on my blog. I think my imaginative students would love this tool.

More to come.....

Thing 1 (continued)

2009-06-05T13:03:00.001-07:00

I looked at the movie again just to get more information about all the sources. Also now I am not sure if you want us to have our students do research or make a film. Mine make wonderful films for various creative choices, so I think they need more work on the research part. I do think my role is to be the guide and advisor in their research choices, and our librarian at Memorial is great at helping the students as well.

Thing Number 1 (11.5 Things)

2009-06-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of connectivity! I love the idea that students can reach out to various resources and get in touch with people who have knowledge about a field they want to know more about. I am a bit concerned about the students jumping in to find the first website they can--and not looking further to judge its worth. However this is an issue to be addressed in class. The students can write on my blog about how they judge the validity of a source as they reach further out into webspace; they already know how to judge simple Google search results.

I want to practice this myself this summer, so I can show my students how to come up with some good sources, which I can demonstrate on the projector with my computer. The librarian can also give a talk about how to find and judge sources as we go to the library to research.

Self-Assessment

2009-01-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

Students, please write about what you have improved in your writing first semester, and what goals you have for improving second semester.

Fall research paper

2008-12-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

I was very hopeful about this year's fall research papers as many students discussed excellent topics with me. However, I am finding as I grade weaker papers than I had thought I would get. Many students are focussing on their critics' ideas at the expense of their own reading of the novel's text. Please look again at the criteria sheet which emphasizes your use of the text itself rather than excessive reliance on critics's ideas.

Remember this problem so that you can correct the problem with next semester's research paper on a twentieth or 21st century novel.

Please post a comment as soon as you get your paper back about the research paper. I want you to mention your strengths as well as your weaknesses on the paper and to comment on your plan for improving on the next research project. I also want you to mention how you are going to go about correcting any citation errors (most of the errors are spacing problems).

Characteristics of Romance

2008-09-02T17:50:00.001-07:00

The following characteristics of Arthurian or Medieval Romance also apply to fairy tales and may illuminate such Romances as The Scarlet Letter:

All Romances (including fairy tales) involve progression--spiritual, moral, emotional
Use elements of both realistic and supernatural worlds
Begin on a Christian feast day, such as Christmas or Pentecost
Hero called to begin a quest--usually to rescue heroine or defeat an enemy
Quest becomes a test of hero's identity
Hero leaves the court to achieve his quest, often wandering into the forest, far from court where he encounters beasts, monsters, and notorious knights
Hero achieves quest and returns to court, confident that he has fulfilled his purpose or attained
his identity
Characters often flat and interchangeable--archetypes such as the knight whose strength comes his purity, the innocent and beautiful damsel, and the sorceress who plots against the hero
Hero often rewarded with marriage to a beautiful damsel as evidence of his attaining maturity
In contrast to epic or tragic works (and their world views), Romances involve suffering but end happily
The world view of Romances suggests a providential order, or divine force guiding the action, so that good characters are rewarded and bad characters meet with bad ends (the forest or wilderness provide tests of character)

Instead of SHOWS use

2008-09-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

manifests, exemplifies, demonstrates, defines, establishes, points out, reveals, displays, exposes, evinces, suggests, represents, imparts, endows, delineates....

(use each word only in appropriate context)

Books.....

2008-08-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some books I read this summer--you might enjoy looking at them to see if you like them. Also you will need to find a 20th or 21st century novel for your spring research paper. Most of these would work (not the non-fiction ones, though!)
Non-fiction:
The Omnivore's Dilemma
Mao's Last Dancer (autobiography) by Li Cunxin
Happiness and Architecture by Alain de Botton

Fiction:
Kafka on the Shore by Hayuki Murikami
After Dark by H. Murikami
The Windup Bird Chronicles by H. Murikami
The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
To the North by Elizabeth Bowen
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
What is the What by Dave Eggers
The Palace of Illusions
The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Add some books that you have enjoyed and wish to recommend!

Good Things

2008-08-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Write about something good that has happened to you during the summer or since school has begun!

Rules for Writing

2008-08-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

State a definite claim--a thesis or destination--where you are going with this essay
Include specific, concrete examples and
Commentary on the examples relating them back to the claim.

Use effect when you mean the noun, affect is the verb

Use vivid, precise verbs--no "to be" verbs.
Avoid utility words such as nice, awesome, wonderful, clever.... be more specific.
Use more precise and interesting words for "show"; list to follow.... expresses, manifests, displays, exudes, .....
Infuse the essay with your personal voice.
Compress your style--never use three or four words when one or two will do.
Remember White and Strunk's three rules of writing: simplicity, lucidity, euphony.
Stop and think for a few moments before you write--this may avoid filler, fluff, deadwood, and other signs of lack of critical thinking.
Note: Be sure to sign your first name and last initial and your period so I can give you credit!

Avoid circumlocutions such as "Hawthorne give the reader the idea that"--say Hawthorne expresses.
Never use passive voice--unless absolutely the best way to express an idea. An example of bad passive voice would be "it is believed"--who believes it? state that.
Get rid of dangling modifiers, i.e. "When reading this passage, the narrator expresses the complexity of Pyncheon's character." (the narrator did not read the passage, who did?)
Post a response to what you learned about writing in class on Wednesday.

Color Challenge

2008-08-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

I love colors--when you are in my class for even a few minutes, you will see that. Now, here's the challenge: recently I read that over three thousand words for color exist in the English language; by the end of the year, let's try to name a good chunk of them.

I'll start--

red, carnelian, scarlet, vermillion, tangerine, orange, lime, watermelon, peach, oyster, biscuit, ecru, taupe.....okay, see what you can add......

Living in Montrose

2008-08-22T09:15:00.001-07:00

After having spent a month living in New York City a few summers ago, I begin daydreaming about living in an area where people could mostly walk instead of driving. When you are able to walk in a neighborhood, you begin to savor its nuances--in New York I loved seeing people out on the streets, having dinner, bringing home groceries, shopping for towels, or stopping to buy falafel or a bottle of water from street vendors. And venturing into the subways, I might be enthralled by a Mennonite choir or a man playing the saw.

Two years ago, when I moved to Montrose, I was delighted because this is the closest I can get in Houston to the New York experience. My new house is within walking distance of several charming restaurants as well as the River Oaks and Angelika theaters and the Museum of Fine Arts. I am ten minutes away from the Alley Theater and the Hobby Center by car as well, so I don't dread a long drive home from the theater at night. I love to walk to Sunday brunch or to dinner in the evening, passing people on the street or stopping to chat with an old man sitting outside his apartment doing a crossword puzzle.

What I have been surprised by in Montrose, as well, is the sweetness and congeniality of the people who live and work in the area. Even post office employees are pleasant and kind, lacking the oppressed feeling they sometimes manifested in the old post offices I knew. I don't know exactly what it is--perhaps the sense of old-style neighborhood quiet and serenity. You do have to drive several blocks before you get into the nerve-wracking traffic at Shepherd and Westheimer.

The other explanation may be the variety of people and places here--on my way home I drive by car repair shops, a great coffee place, a Puerto Rican cafe, a Tee shirt maker, antique dealers, a sports bar, my favorite little restaurant for a quick bite, Barnaby's, townhouses next to small houses and apartment buildings with enchanting little courtyards--all on the streets before my final turn.

Everyone seems to thrive on the variety in the neighborhood rather than suffer from it. My neighbors, for instance, leave out aluminum cans for a homeless man who pushes a shopping cart around the area. He says a pleasant hello everytime I see him--and even--I think--went through the stuff in my garage when I accidentally forgot to close the garage door recently (Not a good idea, but no harm done this time!).

I have noticed a couple of parking lots a couple of blocks from my house and was wondering who uses them. Finally driving home later than usual from downtown recently, I found two quiet little places with barely visible names turn into hip, trendy spots for twenty year olds after ten p.m. or so--that's who parks there. Who knew that sort of night life was going on in my quiet neighborhood?

Living in an age where most of us are surrounded only by people like us, I am delighted to reside in a place where diversities of age, work, and styles of life are not just accepted, but embraced.

Personal Essay

2008-08-21T09:23:00.002-07:00

Thing # 23

2008-07-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the end of the journey--as I said before in a previous post--I am delighted with this experience and would really like it to continue. And I want to say again how much I appreciate the work that went into making the various links for us to explore.

I loved doing a podcast and posting a YouTube video on my site. That was exciting to figure out--and I am immersed in technicolor daydreams about putting sites on my blog for my students to read and discuss. So much is out there--I was thrilled to find YouTube videos on The Scarlet Letter--now who knows what else will be there to connect with our study of American Literature next year. I know my students would like to post some of their own movies on The Great Gatsby which we do in the spring.

I especially liked Flickr too as I love color and design. I doubt if I will post any photos there--but it is fun to pull images out. I also like iReader from Google and the RSS feeds. Some of the sites like the search engine one--can't remember the title--I may not use--unless I get used to them--it seems easier for now just to pull the search up in Google and choose the ones that seem worth reading.

As far as lifelong learning--as I said earlier--we just start to expire when we choose not to learn anymore--and as technology is such a challenge for me--I feel it is better for my brain to force myself to use it. I am really puzzled by the posting of Anonymous that the program was "ok"--surely there is something here for everyone if we are willing to put ourselves into it with some effort and engagement. It has certainly been a stretch for me, and I appreciate that very much.

I really can't think of anyway this could have been better, and I will certainly choose to enroll in one--probably next summer would be better than the school year. We might even think of some ongoing way to share with each other how we have used the knowledge we have gained this summer.

I will answer more questions later--have not finished--and I am continuing to look at the other blogs--new ones seem to be starting all the time. Looking back--I think I have pretty much answered all the questions. I did complete the survey--but could not get it to post--or whatever the term is. I have noticed that other people have had the same problem.

I am really surprised that I might actually use a blog in my classroom--I think it is an ugly word, but it was so much fun making mine and posting my experiences on it, that I want my students to see it and use it.

My one-sentence comment: Hooray for the librarians--who knew those stodgy old women in sensible shoes from my childhood would be setting the pace, now in hip running shoes, for the classroom internet revolution!

Thing # 22

2008-07-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

All I can say about Nings is thank you Fooling with Words for helping us to sort how what the differences are between the various sites. I have read your posting three times and still haven't gotten the differences internalized totally--but I do think this would be great--as are the wikis for discussion the novels the various groups are working on. I did not see much I wanted to respond to on the linked sites--but that does not mean I will not find one later that I enjoy participating in.

Thinking about it more, I think Wikis might be better for ongoing additions to one topic--the Nings seem to be many postings by various readers.

Thing # 21

2008-07-23T10:36:00.001-07:00

I am so excited--I did finally manage to post my podcast--I see all the things I want to improve right now and am going to re-do it with better music and more pictures--but I got it done. Thank heavens we bought the one to one training sessions when we got the iMac--the guy at the Apple store helped me get it online--I had to save it to my desktop first--but I have the instructions written down--so I think I can do it.

I have learned so much this summer with the combination of the new iMac and Learn2Play--I feel not totally comfortable--but stronger and better--and more conversant with what is available. I know I can do so much more than I ever dreamed and am so thankful to the librarians who got this list of things to do and all the links put on the site. And I love the name Learn2Play--because I think learning is playing. And we never want to stop learning or playing, do we?

Commonplace Books

2008-07-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Thing #20

2008-07-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

I am so excited--I actually learned to post a youtube video from their site. We start the year with The Scarlet Letter, and I thought it would be fun to let the kids see a couple of videos from people have made. I am madly thinking how to use this--one way I like to work with literature is to ask the students to connect the work to one or more of their intelligence styles. This video uses musical, verbal, and spatial intelligence--the composition of the images would be the spatial. So that is three of the eight we know about.

Since the students look at you tube all the time, they may be interested in finding videos--and they can certainly post the ones we do later in the year with The Great Gatsby. This is wonderful.

I looked at the Teacher Tube also--maybe I will get my students to help me do a video--one involving them and me. My performance projects in Shakespeare would be a great start.

After reading the entire library posting on this thing, I find it amusing that one thing the librarians must help us do now is to circumvent the district's firewalls--I know the firewall helps with some problems--but it is presents other problems--blocking videos or sites we use in teaching--anyway...part of life....

2008-07-19T10:03:00.001-07:00

Thing # 19

2008-07-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

I explored the 2.0 awards and tried the Mango language lesson--but as I am on Rosetta Stone Vol. 3 in French, it was not helpful. It is basic. And it seemed very slow to use--a long time between question and answer and no way to grade my responses--my vocal ones. I don't spend a lot of time on the computer, so I wouldn't go there for games--right now I don't see much that would help in my film or AP classes. But I will continue to go back to look at 2.0 now that I know it is there.

Thing # 18

2008-07-18T10:13:00.001-07:00

I think I am better off using the Word program on the computer if I can get it to work--when I used before, I could insert pictures and make them smaller. But it is nice to have Google as another option.

Thing # 18

2008-07-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

Oh I actually completed this one last night. Actually I am having trouble with the Microsoft Word which we bought as part of our office suite on the iMac. I downloaded what was supposedly an upgrade to it but now cannot open the Word program, so I have no way to keep word documents. I tried both the google word processing program, but did not find it very helpful. The print does not look good, and when I attempted to edit our travel journal about our European trip by adding pictures, it was a disaster. There seemed to be no way to make the pictures smaller--they take up a huge amount of space, so inserting them is not really workable.

Thing # 17 Continued

2008-07-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

Finished! or at least I completed part of one search engine--have the roll bar on my screen--got help from my colleague--it wasn't as hard as I thought--

I did post three sites to the search engine--is that the correct term? anyway--my film review and information database is getting going. I hope I can use it at school as I teach a film class and we are banned from getting information we need in IMDB sometimes--I guess it is classified as entertainment--but it should be under reference and background information.

Thing # 17 Continued

2008-07-17T17:05:00.001-07:00

I researched some sources on Haruki Murakami, a novelist I like very much, but I can't figure out how to save the sites I like. I need help with this one.

Thing # 17

2008-07-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

I am a bit confused about Rollyo and actually how to create the searches. For instance, I looked up Haruki Murakami, but I am not sure how to customize the search. Do I choose the sites which came up and keep those? I am going to have to consult a friend who is ahead of me in the game. Laura, are you listening? or reading?

Thing # 16

2008-07-17T16:40:00.001-07:00

Despite my concerns about the availability of public wikis, as noted above, I think I could use both blogs and wikis as classroom tools. I give few notes; mostly they are tips on writing strategies, but I am already daydreaming about keeping a classroom wiki on the writing tips. Students could add on what each one got out of the things I say in class and keep it running all year. I tell them the most important thing they can do is re-read their notes on writing before every essay. I think this might be a powerful way to make them responsible for noting what they have learned, and getting help from others. Everyone has a different perspective on anything said in class. So this kind of collaboration could be wonderful.

They could also collaborate on novels read in groups, brainstorming for writing topics. What I have learned so far this summer has really been inspiriting, and energizing, for me.

Oh, and I said basically this same thing on the sandbox, but it was a good experience to go there and see how to actually post.

Thing # 15

2008-07-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

I am very interested in the issues Library 2.0 brings up--what a vast change from the old days in my high school library where we were not allowed to browse around in the stacks but had to choose a book from the catalogue and ask the librarian to bring it to the desk.

Few of my friends used the school library for that reason--we would walk the couple of blocks from the high school to the city library where you got to experience the distinctive smell of old books and find serendipitously not the book you thought you wanted but the one next to it which really piqued your interest.

Browsing the web has some of this same charm--you keep clicking links until you find something intriguing. The problem, it seems to me, involves sifting out the chaff to find the precious nutritious grain. So much junk is on the web--and I am concerned that anyone can post something on wikipedia--so untrue information can find its way into students' research papers.

I warn my students about looking for the source of their web pages to ensure their validity and scholarly value. A search for a critical source for The Catcher in the Rye can bring up someone's junior high school paper on the novel.

Things are moving so fast--I admire librarians who are keeping pace and finding new ways to serve their patrons. And I do think we should begin some study groups to help each other at school to find ways to help our students use these technological tools effectively. I am musing about what I can do differently in my class to avoid the glazed-over stares of the students in the video!

Thing # 14

2008-07-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Now I have looked at Technorati, watched the video, and explored the site a bit--I looked up Library learning 2.0 in two spots but couldn't find the tag search place on the site. If anyone can tell me how to do this, I would appreciate it.

It is interesting to know that this outlet exists for people to make their own news--though some of it--John McCain's latest video for instance--would be the same as regular news outlets. However I was a bit perturbed by the young woman's comment--and one of the men's as well about wanting to hear judgments of bands, etc. from regular people not from critics. As an English major (and a ph.d in English), I value good criticism as illuminating and intriguing. I want to see what the film critics in the New Yorker have to say about a new film and probably would not be interested in the view of a blogger whom I don't know. So I might find Technorati somewhat limiting for my interests.

I also would not want to post my blog. My daughter in law would be very upset for one thing that pictures of my granddaughters would be circulated on the world wide web! And I am too private to expose myself to comments outside the SBISD world!

Thing # 13

2008-07-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

Tagging was fun--I started with the two places I order clothes from--organic cotton and linen which I love. I will think of more things to tag--but for now I have registered and posted two sites I visit all the time. Now I won't have to type the names into the computer--I can click on my del.icio.us!

Thing # 12

2008-07-09T04:13:00.000-07:00

I will admit I may have more trouble with this activity than with most of the others. I am not drawn to the idea of holding conversations through blogs--maybe it is my generation, just something I am unaccustomed to doing. I will try, but, fundamentally, I am not a "joiner" and I see this activity as joining a group of people I may have one common interest with but might have little in common with otherwise. I also like the warmth and feeling which comes with personal contact with my friends.

On the blog etiquette issue--it does make sense that you would say something which would not just be perfunctory--but would genuinely add to the conversation. I would want to use my own name, not hide behind blog title. The problem blogs introduce, of course, was brought up--that this activity invites the kind of mean-spirited responses which some have experienced. The anonymity of the blog allows someone who is unhappy or cruel to manifest anger without the consequences he or she would get for expressing rage in person.

I also do not like the term "lurk" as it sounds as if someone who reads but does not respond to blogs has the intent of harming someone by doing this. Of course, if I found a blog uninteresting, I certainly would not continue reading it. But some people are shy--I have many students who will listen to a discussion about a work and reflect on it, but who do not like to participate--so this is another possible reason for "lurking."

Okay now I have posted comments on five Library2Play blogs and on one other blog that I found by blog searching. I am a little uneasy about some of these blogs--I do not want everyone who reads them to have access to me email or my blog. There seem to be some people responding to some of the blogs that I would not want to know. I hope I am protected.

The blog I found was about travel in France and I did get a great website that I added as an RSS feed to my reader. That was rewarding. I will look for another blog I like and get back to this later.

Thing # 11

2008-07-06T11:09:00.001-07:00

I have now returned from my trip and am eager to go through the rest of the Library2Play site as I am learning so many things about computer sites. I registered on the LibraryThing and added five novels read recently, and looked through a few sites of readers who share my tastes. However I am a private person and do not relish getting emails or writing to people I don't know--we'll see--I may change my mind. Right now I have friends whose recommendations on books I take and I prefer that method as well as reading book review in The New Yorker and New York Times Book Review for ideas about what to read.

Thing # 10

2008-06-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

I played with the image generators, but several will not open up on my iMac, so I went back to Big Huge Lab, which was one of the choices--I would have been disappointed if it would not open on the new computer--as I had had so much fun with it on a pc. But it does open and I made a matted photo of my granddaughter and a movie poster! So much fun--I love it--can't wait to try it with book titles at school. I didn't do a good job of customizing--the "stars'" names are behind the title!--but I have got the idea. I love this site, and I can't wait to play more with it.

Thing # 8 again

2008-06-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

Oh, and I added The Onion and Stuff White People Like--sites I love, but always forget to look at--now I must remember to look at my Google Reader!

Thing # 9

2008-06-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

I was so excited that I actually was able to develop news feeds in my Google Reader account--I picked sites that I know I enjoy reading and which I want to make more accessible--The New York Times Book Reviews, NY Times Film Reviews, and NPR.org. Now I really get it--I think--it is great to have these sites ready anytime I want to see what is happening in those worlds. I may add IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes for quick access to other movie reviews and information as I teach a film class at school.

I browed through the other sites suggested by Library2Play, but I didn't find much that interested me. Technorati sounds fun, but I am not sure how much time I will devote to reading other people's blogs, and I am a little too private to want to post mine there. I didn't find much in the other sites that interested me. Right now I have books to make available to my students who want to read background on a writer or poet, for instance, so I am not sure how I would use Atomic Learning, but I am open to discover.

I read the CoolCat teacher's blog, but it didn't seem to go in depth--maybe I am not getting into the links, but when I clicked, I just got titles and a little information. I wanted to see the class Wiki to see how that is used, but wasn't able to figure out how to read it. So this is the one that confused me.

I just went back to Thing 9 and realized I am supposed to put feeds into five blogs on my reader; I found one on Murakami and thought I posted it on my blog but cannot find it. I will try doing it on the reader. I do think I can use this in my classroom to help the students learn to discriminate between different news sources. I do a project in which I ask them to evaluate the way a story is handled in two different mediums or sources. I can ask them to work on this all the time now to be able to engage in more careful analysis and argument about new topics.

Okay--I am now back from my travels in Germany and France--and am getting back to work on my blog. I went into my Igoogle account and added three additional blogs--on travel in France and Germany and one more--will have to check it--

2008-06-09T15:07:00.001-07:00

Thing # 8

2008-06-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

I tried out Google Reader but I didn't really get it until today--this really does solve a bunch of my problems--by subscribing to NY Times News, NPR.org, and NY Times book and film reviews, I think I am going to get what I want to read from the news and from book film reviews very quickly without having to google film and book titles. I think this is the idea, right? I am excited because at first I wasn't sure what I would use the Reader for, but after I thought about it for awhile, I realized this is just what I want. Cool!

Thing # 7

2008-06-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a week or so--I have been getting used to using our new iMac--lots of fun with that-and also had to go to a three-day in-service last week.

In sporadic moments I have been playing with Google--I love iGoogle--don't know how to set it as my homepage on the new computer--not that I knew how to save a homepage on the old computer--but I love the way I can customize all the areas I am interested in knowing about--independent films, news, art, for instance.

I played with Google World yesterday and downloaded it on the computer--found the hotel we are staying in in Paris and how to get there from the Gare du Nord where we will be arriving by train from Amsterdam on June 22nd. I found Duncan's house in Vaucresson where he lives with his wife and two daughters--I had tried Google Scholar but didn't have much luck with that--mostly found books--and did try out all the Google elements including the tour of world landmarks on Google World--I think that is the right name. I did go through all the Google applications, but these are the two I enjoyed most. And, of course, I have been "googling" things for quite awhile now.

Thing # 6

2008-05-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

I have found a new world--one that realizes my best daydreams--Flickr Color Pickr. I was enchanted to play with the colors arranged like a mandala, and to see what images come up. I tried to make a mosaic, but had a little trouble. I also did Warholizing of pictures of my granddaughters but learned that the pictures which work seem to have more contrast. Also making a mosaic of pictures of my granddaughters did not work well--I will have to find pictures that translate well--maybe ones with more pixels? one of the most gorgeous pictures of Anaëlle split into pixels when I put it in a mosaic. But I love this site and can think of uses for it in class to spur writing and to elicit imaginative responses from my students.

Thing # 5

2008-05-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with Flickr while my students are writing their final exams this morning. Moving around in it has been so much fun--I had visited the site to see a student's photographs once, after she carefully wrote out the link for me, but I had no idea of the rich possibilities of the site. I found the picture of Emily Dickinson in a quilt, and I posted on my blog a picture I found when I typed in Shakespeare.

Objection!!

2008-05-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

I don't find any avatars for a woman in her sixties! what can this mean? I thought we were through with the decades in which the older woman in the movie was always a comic character!

Thing #3 Joys and Difficulties of Learning

2008-05-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am highly motivated to learn. I am easily bored, so I want to find out about all sorts of things which picque my interest to keep far away from that dreaded state of ennui. I learned this year that I love yoga, so I want to do more of than. I am always reading about new things--from biographies to new fiction.

My greatest obstacle in learning is that, when I try something new, if I am not immediately good at it, I don't want to try anymore. This is especially true with physical challenges--which is why I am so happy I loved my yoga class. I am trying to learn to be patient and work harder on something which is difficult for me. However, I do like so many other things, I can always rationalize that I can do something else instead.

Thing #2 Lifelong learning

2008-05-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

I cannot imagine not being a lifelong learner--I never want to stop learning something. I love teaching because I learn new ideas from my students--I love to see their reactions to the literature we read and to notice the changes in each generation's attitude to something like The Great Gatsby or the King Arthur stories.

My companion, Hu, and I are interested in learning to draw or to play with art in some way. We just took a class in using colored pencils to create effects. We loved it. We love traveling and reading about new places before we visit them. We have been reading about Germany and learning some German words and phrases before we go.

I continually work on French so I can understand people better when I visit France--and so I can comprehend my five year old granddaughter who understands English, but who speaks in French.

I have read two new books about technology's effect on the brain and on brain skills needed for the new century. I also look for fiction writers to enjoy. Right now I love Haruki Murakami.

Last week of school

2008-05-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

I am in the nether world between beginning finals and the actual last day of school--finished grading for the day and am waiting for more finals to be written tomorrow---Hu and I spent the weekend with my son and his family in Oklahoma City and with some dear friends who live there as well.

My friend Marianne and I re-lived lots of wonderful memories of our childhood homes and of our grandmothers who were each very dear to us. Both of us want to re-create those feelings of intimacy and of being cherished with our own grandchildren. I love this phase of my life...time to daydream and to see the connections between all the phases of my life and this moment.

last day before finals

2008-05-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

today I am daydreaming about what I am going to do this summer--besides a bunch of medical appointments and housecleaning---free to go out to lunch for a change--to randomly run do an errand in the middle of the day--and then I am anticipating a river cruise down the Rhine River--ending in Amsterdam--and then riding in a train to Paris to see my son, his wife, and my two little granddaughters--I hope to walk Anaëlle to school every morning--and meet her to bring her home in the afternoon--she will be in school until July 3rd--then play with the ten month old, Elise so her maman can do errands and have her own lunches out.

Hu and I are driving to Nashville to a wedding in July--we want to see what Tennessee is like--after all that excitement I may have to settle in to being a little lonely until school starts again--and I have to gear up to learn new names and faces--and another school year will begin--