Why this . . . . is a good thing?

This blog title will become a regular title in my blog on this day.  Why this . . . . is a good thing?  The . . . . will be where I put an event, piece of technology or another related item to this blog.  I hoping that I will present a well researched item that works well in the classroom, presentation or some other kind of professional development.

The world, oh the world.  This week I have been Skyping with individuals in Asia.  This means that I am talking in real world time with individuals who live in an Asian country, a place that my daughter travelled literally 24 hours to visit.

I am in the process of turning my skills into something else.  Something that I can do over the Internet in a remote position, where I can earn an annual salary and a bit more.  Not only that but I want to some traveling, but I want to do it six months out of the year and then spend the rest of the year up in the mountains.

God is fighting my battle right now and I am planning on this life!!!

Book Review: The Cyber Effect A Pioneering Cyberpsychologist Explains How Human Behavior Changes Online by Mary Aiken

A cyberpsychologist, really.  Yes really, we have progressed in our world to the point where we need someone to explain the type of person who is online.  In this case the character of the psychologist in  CSI: Cyber, (i.e. played by Patricia Arquette) is based on the author, Mary Aiken.  I loved that show and I learned a lot about that field of cyber, this book explains more . . 

Synopsis

The author explains the behavior of people who spend a lot of time online or use online. Mary Aiken's  coins the phrase "cyberchrondria" to describe a whole suite of anxieties related to online search of real and imagined health ills.  In addition, she discusses why people develop relationships online as opposed to in person. 

Aiken has a number of recommendations to help avoid some of the pitfalls she sees in her research, for example, a separate Internet for children, which would be walled off from the dangerous Internet of porn and predators. Parents need to be vigilant, but unfortunately they don't have all of the information the need to adequate and informed decisions. 

Book Review plus 4. 6 stars:

This book is fascinating and, but not a quick read.  While reading the book does each you a lot about safety . y, especially what to look for when searching the Internet. It is an interesting outline of a world that most of us touch every day but know so little about.  

This ARC was provided to me from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review. 

Mentor Books: Good/Bad

"A mentor text is a written piece used in education as an example of quality writing used by an individual to illustrate a genre or text." (ehow.com/about_5324946_mentor_text.html (2016)

Artists use other paintings and drawings to learn techniques. Teachers follow other teachers around to learn their styles. People use models of like material or models that represent something that they want to create. Writers in and out of the classroom are no different, they need inspiration, a good model or just an idea so that they can make their  improve their manuscript

I spent a lot of time looking at webinars to find the best approach and presentation.  However, I noted that in one of my presentations, it wasn't very good and needed to understand the problem.  People who use mentor text in a similar method in order to help them correct a problem that they may be having with their manuscript.  I know that when I have attended trainings in the past most of the presenters encourage people to underline or take notes as they read a book.  I know that I have done that! I have found a passage or way the author has written a scene and wrote down my interpretation of the author's style. I DO NOT COPY IT!

Copying a style of writing, it is just copying.  When you see how a writer has written a manuscript in a genre or trying to find a good rhyme,  it is good to take notes and use it for future or  current manuscripts.  Ralph Fletcher encourages the use of mentor texts in his books, when teaching during writing workshop. Reading for research is a month long "challenge" to read various types of mentor texts and blog posts on all different kinds of genre and techniques.  I didn't really get into this year, but I will be going through it on my own at a leisurely pace.  What I really want to do is include the technology so that I can save my notes, the books and keep it handy for curriculum materials.

In the next coming months, I will be developing curriculum materials with one eye on educational technology and the other eye on working a skill or technique into a writing lesson.

Let's Salute the Week!

Well, we finally had a our first full week of school with the students and I had to take a half day off.  I though how much easier it would be if I could have had everything on video for my students and subs.  The good news I am a lot closer than I was yesterday.  Next week I will discuss it with you!

Procrastination

I have look at my most visited sites.  They include:

• Amazon
• Home! Daily Mail Online
• TMZ.com Celebrity Gossip
• Facebook
• Find Titles/NetGalley
• News/People.com

None of the "most visited sites" do not include an educational site or educational technology site.  I must admit I wasn't surprised to see those sites. They are one that all I have to do is enter the first letter and the rest of the site comes up. I will say that none of these sites have an app on my tablet's home screen 

My word is Diligent.  I will be diligent because I want to be a Google trainer and Apple Distinguished Educator.  This will happen!

Let's Salute the Week!!

  “I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.  I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.  “- Mother Teresa

 I wish I could say that I liked the lessons and events of this week. There are times when I like to think that I am writing a blog that attracts a million followers because I am sharing very interesting and wonderful words in the field of educational technology.  Blogs that are written by a wonderful Christian Educational Technologist. I am grateful that I have the ability to write that I am trying to show I am GRATEFUL for what I have!!

Lessons and they're Learning . . . and more learning

Praise You in This Storm

Songwriters:  John Mark Hall, Bernie Herms

Sung by:  Casting Crown

Thy Will

Writer(s): Hillary Scott, Emily Weisband and Bernie Herms (2016)

Sung by:  Hillary Scott and the Scott family

Shaken (c) 2014

written): Bernie Herms/Matthew West/Randy Phillips

sung:  Danny Gokey

Giants Fall

Songwriters: Molly E. Reed, Francesca Battistelli, Jeff Pardo

 Sung by: Francesca Battistelli

These four songs were playing each night on the way from home,  four out of the five nights this past week I cried coming home,These songs were playing.  It is one of those situations where I understand it on an intellectual level, but it still hurts.  These songs didn’t make it any better, but it was handled in a very hurtful situation.

Apple Distinguished Educator Program

No, I am not one nor have I completed the requirement to become one.  However, I received and invitation to go ahead and complete the lessons to to become one.  I am very excited about the process. If you are interested the application is open.

It is an eight course process and hopefully by Jun I will have completed all of the courses.

This week will be better!