nearing the end

Well look at that- it's the end of another school year. Where did it go? I seamed like just yesterday that I recieved my accaptance letter into the college of Education and here I am with only one day of classes left.
I've heard about the job I interviewed for but I'm still waiting for conformation. The principals at the school had a hard time deciding between me and one of the other candiates. They actually offered the grade 3 position to the other candidate but becuase they wanted me as well, Jason from Human Resources is going to try and create a position for me so that I can some up and teach for 2 months. my job would be more along the line of a literacy teacher. I would be working one on one or with small groups of children with guided reading. Jason told me not to worry about the job but to finish up my classes and make the my commitmetn for right now...and that I will hear from him within 2 weeks so my start date would still be the 20th of April.

Another Week

Another week has gone by --- where has it gone? It doesn't seem to matter how much I have done or not done, but the days are slipping away faster and faster as classes are coming to and end. I can't believe that I have an interview on tuesday for a position that would be starting on the 20th of April. If I am lucky enough to be offered the position my time will go by even faster. As much as this interview and possible teaching position scares me I am truly excited about it and really hope that I get it. I need something positive in my life after all the negative I have been through in the past month and this could just be what I need. If it turns out I really don't like it...it's only two months. Who can complain about that - at least I'd be making a wage!!!

Part 1 - E-Portfolio

I have chosen to create a e-portfolio because I am just starting out on how to create many different things on the computer and feel that this project will chanllenge me in my ability with computers.

I feel that having a portfolio on line will allow me and my employers to have better access to my
documentation. It may even come in handy when I am applying for jobs.

I plan to include my resume, transcripts, my intership report and a letter of recomendation. I am planning on making some kind of cover page stating that it is my portfolio.

I have not really thought about the design of my portfolio. I know I would like it to be fairly simple as I do not like clutter and feel that too much design may take away from the finished product. However, this may change as I work on my project and try different things out. My cover page will probably be the most decorative of all the pages.

I have many concers about the process but I will work on it and ask for help as I need it. There are a few classmates that have offered to help me with the process as I have not created anything like this before. Most of my concerns come from the fact that computers and I don't always get along and I'm not always sure as to what need to be done.

Well lets stick with the topic of waether. Why is it that March is the worst month to travel in? I went to BC 2 weeks ago and had to change the route home as there was a crazy snow fall and the rogers pass was closed. So we add a couple more hours on the road and we eventually got home. This past weekend I was in Edmonton and the weather was not much better there. It was so windy that the chill cut right through you. When we got up to come home on Sunday we woke up to very crapy weather...snow, fog and wicked wind. Our trip to Saskatoon which should have taken 5 hours took 9. There was only one path on the double lane hiway and at that it was riding the center line. All I can say is I am glad we made it to Saskatoon and the rest of my family made it home to Nipawin.

Weather---a term used by many people as a topic of conversation. Beign from saskatchewan weather is always talked about...is it raining, how much snow do you have...are the crops going to have a good or bad year ( all based around weather). Well it as -52 the other day in Saskatoon and very chilly. I was busy getting ready to go on my trip to Kamloops and wondering what all I needed to pack. Being so cold I decided to take some warm clothes as i would be comin gback to a cold temps. In a matter of 24 hours I went from -52 to +5...a 52degree change in weather within Canada(no I didn;t go some where warm!) There is hardly any snow in Kamloops however there is still tones up in the mountains. On saturday my boyfriend and I went Ski-doing at Sun Peaks Resort(they need to learn how to mark their trails like Saskatchewan does). There is still about 4-5 feet of snow up there. It was an absolutly beautiful day as we headed out onto the trails at 9AM and it was only-2, by the time we stoped and had something to eat and take a few pictures it had started to snow and was a complete white out in 20 min. (kinda scary when you don't really know where you are going).

Here is a picture of me and all the snow!

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. ~Kin Hubbard

What kind of world do we live in?

It just absolutly amases me that people will be so low as to take what is not theirs. This past weekend my friend had two of her puppies (lab crossed with pit bull) stolen. This just makes me up set not only because they were stollen but they were not old enough to leave their mother yet and the fact that who ever took them didn't respect the privacy of my friend and went into her yard and just picked them up. Who would do such a thing??? Who ever took them was very daring as my friend and her roomate were home on the night they got stolen. So how did they do this? Did they drive right into the yard, did they walk into the yard and take them? Have they been watching and scouting around to find out what the best time to do this was or was it just some young kids out on a joy ride and saw them and decided to take them??? I guess we will never know.

My Feb break!

Has anyone tried booking flights in the middle of Feb break...well guess what you can't find a flight from Edmonton or Calgary to saskatoon from Feb 19th to the 24th. Everyone is flying home from their wonderful, hot, relaxing feb vaccation. Well not me...I'm stuck in Saskatoon and what an interesing break it was....more like frustrating. Lets begin by saying I decided to get some assignments done as I am going to BC in 2 weeks for a week and as a reasult of looking at resources on line I ended up with a virus and spyware on my computer and was without a computer for 3 days, so getting a head of the game on the assignments didn't happen. On sunday I had to drive to Edomonton as there were no flights to Saskatoon. My dad and brother-in-law flew in from work up at Fort Chip and could not get home. So guess who had to drive to Edmonton to pick them up...Yup lucky me. I have decided if you have to go to Edmonton for anything that you should go up the night before and then come back the next day. The only pros to my quick trip were the hour of shopping in Edmonton, the double lane hiway there and back and my dad's laptop having a mobile broadband internet connection. Yup, I'm writing on my blog on the way home form Edmonton and Dad is drving...

Wikipedia Editing

I deceded to check out my home town on wikipedia and there was some information that was missing so I added it...One of the top 5 golf courses in Saskatachewan is in Nipawin and it wasn't even mentioned.

Here is what I edited on the Nipawin page-

Other annual fishing events are the Codette Walleye tournament, Ladies fish for freedom tournament, and the Vanity Cup Walleye tournament running the last weekend in September and the first week in October.

Nipawin is also home to a beautifully landscaped 18 hole golf course. It has been rated as one of 100 public cources in Canada and one of the top 5 in Saskatachewan. Annual events held at the Evergreen Golf Club are - Bob Dow Memorial Golf Tournament and the Evergreen Classic Golf Tournament along with many other tournaments through out the golf season. Nipawin is also home to golf pro Tyler Baker.

If you are more of the Winter ourdoors person Nipawin is a great place to visit. Nipawin is located along the Trans-Canada Snowmobile Trail. There are many other groomed trails that run around Nipawin along with Snowmobile rallies.

Curling is also found in Nipawin for the young and old. Nipawin hosts the Ladies, Mens and Seniors Bonspiels and the Evergreen Curling Classic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipawin

Research Paper

I have decided to do my paper on access to technology improves learning.

Group Task

Blog assignment - Katie and Lana

Knowledge:

1. Keeping parents informed

2. Homework/handouts online

3. Discussion groups 

Comprehension:

1. Get parents involved in a meaningful way in the classroom

2. Allow for differentiated instruction - way to get students involved who might not normally participate in the classroom

3. Extend learning beyond the classroom - Allow students to post what they have learnt during class discusions/ ask questions/ discuss with each other etc. 

Application 

1. Self-reflection - to improve your teaching

2. Collegiality (Jay's mot cle "key word") - can share tips/ ideas/ resources with one another

3. Keep up to date and organized - efficiency - easier to update = time can be used to improving lessons and making sure they are not static

Analysis

100% YES! Static websites are more of a one way communication. It is just a more high tech form to lecture. The students are not involved in this scenario. Blogs open up dialogue and is a way to provide a learning community (which may not always happen in the classroom due to time constraint) It allows the students to collaborate with and reflect upon the information. They are more able to control their own learning as it focuses on the process. 

Synthesis 

I think blogging allows teachers to have more of a facilitator role. Blogs can extend learning beyond the classroom and give the students a more active role into their learning. In the classroom it is as if the teacher controls the flow of information and imparts knowledge on to the students. Blogging would allow for more scaffolding as knowledge would be constructed as a group. It does not flow in one direction, but rather it is discussed, interpreted and negotiated amongst everyone. I also think teachers would be amazed at the insight it would provide into their students. You could begin to prepare lessons more in tune with their interests and capabilities within the classroom. 

Evaluation

1. cut and paste discussion - overuse of sources - lack of original thought

2. time consuming / waste of time - if not for educational purposes 

3. hard to control - may get out of hand ex) cyber-bully / inappropriate posts 

What a weekend...

This past week has been very intersting as I have been waiting for my teaching certificate and I was told it would probably take 3 months. Well to my surprise I recieved it in the mail on Friday...How excited was I!!!! I now have to contact the different school divisions to let them know I now have my certificate and that I can start subing. Now the waiting games start...how long before I get put on to the list will depend on how fast the principals take to determin who gets interviews.

This weekend was definately a weekend of understanding as I took my First Aid and CPR with AED. After being class from 8-6 saturday and sunday and missing out on the wonderful weather ( as clark was on a ski-doo rally -- that I wish I could have been on) I passed the course with flying colors.