Gaining Experience on Several Levels

Since my interest lies in adult learning and higher education, I've been working on expanding my skills and experience both. I've mentioned before that I will be starting my Masters program at UT, so to pay for said education I've picked up a few extra jobs here and there. Besides teaching at Northeast State, I also work as a receptionist/caseworker at The Salvation Army, as a tutor (for English and test prep), and now as an instructor with Adult Education and the Kingsport Senior Center. It's a full schedule, but so far, it has been eye-opening on several levels. I think I am also going to commit to literacy training with the local literacy council. Crazy, maybe, but there's just so much I want to do.

Currently, I am working on getting the ins and outs of my new position at The Salvation Army down pat. Having a desk is a wonderful thing, but the job definitely gets real. I have really had to take a hard look at myself and the things I've completely closed my eyes to in my own hometown!

I am also in the planning phase of my as yet unnamed skill building class for Adult Ed. It will center on job seeking skills - resumes, cover letters, online job search, the use of social media, interview skills - and will also cover some basic computer instructions (Word, emailing, internet browsing). The class will last eight weeks and will meet twice a week for two hours. After I review the facilities and resources, I will be able to map out my course plans a little better. I plan on incorporating Edmodo as a class hub, so I can use videos and links to various online resources. I think I will ask the director of the program to provide all students with a link to a survey I am going to create in order to gather info on their skill level and expectations for the course. I want to create a faux online application for them to complete along with paper applications and possibly recruit volunteers for mock interviews.

Ok, I just noticed this entry got away from me. The positive is I've gotten (some) of my ideas down and I can come back to them later....which, I suppose, is the point of this whole thing. Right now, I'm behind an essay review and two reference letters, and I'm pretty sure I hear my bed calling my name.

Writing Instructors Take Note

While this is completely unrelated to technology, it is most definitely related to education! I wanted to share this wonderful resource on the off chance that there's a writing instructor reading my blog. A girl can hope, right?

I have been fortunate enough to make some fabulous professional connections with some very brilliant and talented women who contribute regularly to one of the best Basic Writing resources out there! If you can spare the time, go check out The Basic Writing e-journal. It offers a wealth of resource for writing instructors and accepts (and welcomes) contributions from other instructors. There's also a Facebook group, Council on Basic Writing, where ideas and strategies are shared, assistance is offered, and MANY great conversations take place. Everyone involved is working towards the same goal - providing the best writing instruction possible for students! I can't begin to tell you how much I've benefited from being a part of the group.

So, do yourself and your students a favor and check it out! I promise you won't regret it! That being said, I will leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors and a little groovy music to get the creative juices flowing!

Why write? To learn, to describe and therefore see, to speak and therefore hear, to entertain, to inform, to persuade, to celebrate, to attack, to call attention, to make money, to promote, to advocate, to connect, to relate, to make, to share. ~ Donald M. Murray, A Writer Teaches Writing.

 

My Screencasting Adventures

What I've learned, during the course of my research, is that I have a lot to learn! Such is the story of my life! I'm currently reviewing Casting Nine's screencasting how-to blog and watching suggested videos on YouTube and TED. There's a bit more to it than I realized, but I am perfectly OK with putting the work in. I will be able to use Tegrity whenever I am working on my course material through D2L, and so far, it seems to be fairly straightforward.

I will post a more comprehensive blog when I figure out exactly where I'm going with some of my ideas!

Mother's Day = Off Day

It's impossible to separate my personal life and my "work" life because I love them both. So, occasionally, there will be some overlap. Like now. Cause it's Mother's Day and I have to brag a little.

Don't be fooled by the blonde hair. They're all mine.

At the risk of sounding cliché, I'm just going to say it. My kids are (and always will be) the most magnificent thing I have ever done. I am in a state of constant amazement that I had a hand in creating such fabulous little (if I'm being honest, they are not so little) people. While they do generally torment and terrorize me, I am thrilled with being their mother. They are funny and good-hearted. They have warped sense of humors. They love to read and try new things. They are respectful and a little messy. I never in a million years thought I'd be a mom and I still can't believe we've managed to keep them alive this long, but I am so thankful to have them. I look forward to seeing them learn and grow. I think they will do great things, but I mostly just want them to be happy.

My babies - happiness is seeing them smile.

With that being said, I have two "off days" a year - my birthday and Mother's Day. As one of them is upon us, I am taking full advantage of all the perks it entails. No housework of any kind, no feeding or locating lost items, no answering questions or phones....My very capable husband will be handing it all while I enjoy reading trash literature and watching girly movies. I may even paint my nails! All of them!

So, to all you mothers (on the off chance there are some reading this blog), Happy Mother's Day.

Mad Juggling Skills

I picked up my juggling skills during my undergraduate work and I feel like I've only gotten better as I've aged. (And by aged, I mean remained in a perpetual state of 29.)  I juggled work, school, family, friends, and (occasionally) sleep....Since I graduated, didn't get fired, am still fairly well loved by my family, kept two kids alive and healthy, and haven't collapsed from sheer exhaustion, I must have mastered the art, right?  I sincerely hope so because those skills are currently being put to the test. Fortunately, we're not talking chainsaws, so I suppose I will survive.

What I am talking about is getting these courses plotted out with very little to go on at this point. The summer writing course shouldn't be a problem. I've taught the material many, many times; however, I really want to spice things up a bit and ensure my students are digitally literate. I'd also like to incorporate some of the things I've learned along the way, but I just don't have the time to put it together. I may just have to settle for small things and see what happens. I found an excellent presentation on SlideShare that only serves to reinforce my feelings on the importance of digital literacy:

Digital Literacy in a 2.0 World from Kyle Jones

Truth be told, it's the other two courses I'm most concerned about. My 21st Century Job Seekers course for Adult Ed and the Intro to Social Media for the Senior Center are being pulled together from scratch. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal. I'm full of ideas and know how to translate those ideas into effective, meaningful lessons. The problem is I am still in the dark about expectations, requirements, and technology resources.  While I am very flexible when it comes to implementation, I do prefer to have everything ready in advance, including backup options. Since both courses have essentially been outlined, I suppose I will just continue to list the objectives for each module and create activities, projects, and assessments like I do know what's going on!

Course concerns aside, I have found an excellent blog on the Chronicle of Higher Ed called Casting Out Nines which should help me navigate the ins and outs of screencasting tools. I hope to use these tools on both the PC and the iPad to create content I can use in all of my courses. There will be a lot of research and trial-and-error I'm sure. Expect more on this in my next blog.  

Until next time, enjoy some DMB love to help you through it!

 

Education and the High Cost of Learning

I spent some serious time reviewing my graduate material tonight and was able to find a huge amount of pertinent information. While digging through the various links, I found course and assignment descriptions as well as the required and recommended textbooks. All I can say is WOW. I'm so looking forward to starting this program and putting what I learn to good use!

Unfortunately, while I was doing all this digging, I found out the textbooks are going to cost quite a bit. I think, since I know what I need in advance, I can spend some time looking for bargains and that makes me feel a little bit better. The one thing I didn't find was what my actual tuition costs will be. I can only imagine they will be horrifying.....sigh. I really hope to be able to pay out of pocket and will be juggling three jobs to try to make that happen, but I don't have a clue if that will work out. I did my part and emailed the Bursars Office and my advisor, so we'll see what happens!

In the meantime, I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Union Plus scholarships announcement in June. Maybe I should consider online fundraising =)

On the off chance someone looks at this blog and is actually interested in the program of study at UT, I am including a link below!

UT's Master's Degree in Online Learning Environments

In the Beginning

Sometimes, the best place to start isn't always the beginning. Trust me. I like where I'm at now way better than where I started. Although, I will admit, I did enjoy the in-between immensely. With that being said, here we are.
 
Since this is my first post, I will keep it short and sweet. I am on fire for what I do. I love every part of my job (except Excel) and look forward to going in to work everyday. I have been slowly working towards my ultimate goal of total world domination, and I've been enjoying every minute of it. I am constantly searching for ways to make my material relevant and interesting, and I drive my family crazy with my random outbursts of "Oh I can use this for an assignment!" or "Hey what do you think about this topic?"
 
I am also interested in leadership. Not the "I'm your boss; do what I say" kind of leadership.......I want to lead and to serve. I don't just want to put my ideas into action; I want to hear yours too! Being a good leader is being a good listener, right?
 
I want to make students think, and I want to make them question. I want to see everyone, students and colleagues alike, realize their full potential. I want to make sure everyone has a shot at an education despite their lack of support, income, or preparedness. Lofty ideals? Maybe. Do I think accomplishing these goals will be easy? No, but I don't give up, and I don't let fear or self-doubt sway me. I want to make a difference and to do something that matters. So that's what I'm doing.