April 26 Final Pause and Ponder

Thanks, Bill, for sharing all of your knowledge of the internet with us.

Sign up for the next class!!

If you are reading this blog and need a class for recertification or just need to take a graduate class, I highly recommend "Writing in the Digital Classroom." To be honest the best time to take this class would be in the summer when you have plenty of time to really explore the websites and the tools that you are exposed to during the class. But that is about the only negative I have to say about the class. If you are lucky enough to have Bill Gaskins for the instructor then you are already one-up. The tools that you learn are awesome and well worth the time you spend in class.

Discussion on Voicethread about Troy Hick's book

Voicethread

This tutorial for Voicethread takes you from the very beginning and walks you through the steps of using and embedding pictures as well. It was created by Radford University.

Break Closing and New Insights

Spring break is coming to a close and it will be so hard to go back to school and be confined indoors. Over this spring break I have realized that once retirement comes, I will enjoy it to the fullest. It will be so much fun to travel to visit our daughter, son-in-law ( who is really son #3), and our sprouting grandson whenever we would like instead of school dictated holidays. I will enjoy working around the house and even working in the yard. I will be able to play grandmom to our new grandchild when he/she arrives in October. This spring break has seen my youngest attend his first prom with a lovely young lady and even allow mom to go along on a lunch date with the two of them ( it helps when you pick up the tab). I have watched him take on the responsibility of pulling up all the holly bushes that lined the front porch and with his horticulture background from Mr. Ricketts, to decide what he would like to plant in the place of the bushes. He is growing up quickly and can be very responsible if we only loosen the apronstrings and allow him to take on the challenges. As much as I am not looking forward to going back to school, I know that the rest of this year will fly by, and with P.T. being a senior next year, next school year will go even faster. Thank goodness for the spring weather finally and all the new insights it brings!

Spring has Sprung

What a wonderful day today has been. The weather has been so lovely that there was no way I could stay inside and drug my husband to Brookgreen to enjoy the afternoon. The gardens weren't in full color but the daffodils, Japanese maples and the magnificant oaks were letting the crowds know that spring is finally here. We weren't the only one visiting the gardens. The parking lot was full with cars from SC along with friend from the north enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze. I can't wait until spring break!!

My Hometown

This is the next step in our class's adventure into the computer world. This is a short photo story that was created in class using photo story and the infamous youtube. Hopefully the next creation you will be viewing will be narrated.

http://www.symbaloo.com/us/share/47821da5056d5da5494f96cb80a39849

Online Publications

Sitting in an all afternoon session in Columbia about creating online publications, I am glad that some of the information that is shared today is the same as our instructor has shared with us in our digital writing class. Yes, I got lost for some of it but to give myself a little credit, it was because the computer I was using was not cooperating not only with me but the publications "guru" as well. Apparently USC computer labs have the same problems as the high schools. Some of the information was helpful for what we are all attempting in the digital class also. Mmmmm...think this digital stuff is catching on???? :)

Common Cold

Why is it that the simple common cold can make you feel so miserable? I have made it through flu season, the stomach bug, mono, strep throat, and bronchitis that all of my students have been battling all year to be attacked by the common cold. At least with the predicted weather being wet and cold, I planned ahead (for once) and have homemade soup waiting in the crockpot at home and have found a Paula Deen recipe for bacon and pimiento cheese muffins that I am going to try. We may not get snow, and that is okay with me, but the wet and cold is when you need to call in the reinforcements.