Communication Overseas?!? Can you hear me now?

As I sit in the audience of the Justin Timberlake Concert at the Verizon Center and realize, I haven’t written my blog about Podcasts! (mind you I say  this outloud) The man beside me turns and says “this is why I’m here tonight.” Not understanding what he means by that, I question him a little more. 

“Well you see, my wife is in Afghanistan on a private mission through the United States Government, she had tickets to go to the concert with her girlfriends.  She couldn’t make it tonight, so what better way than to use my technology skills I have and make it like she was.” 

Wow, I was so excited and had to ask what intro and outro music he used… the ITS nerd came out ;)

The man, now named Markus Steele, since I asked, told me that he uses their wedding song to introduce the podcast and that he has been making these ever since they got married, 10 years ago! I didn’t realize that Podcasts had been around that long.  He tells me that he only records the songs that his wife loves, mashes them together and puts it on a private website. 

Now… the hunt is on to find this website!

P.S Best Concert Ever! 

I'm so going to write something on Wikipedia and see if you notice!

Yeah right! Wikipedia says go ahead and try to 'edit' their pages.  You need sources upon sources to change even a misspelled word on one of their sites.  Unlike years ago, when anyone could change the spacing, add a few minor white lies, or change the page completely...Wikipedia has stepped up their game.  Why not use it in a paper? Who's to say it can't be a sited source of perfectly good information? 

But yes, I know what you're thinking- there is more to Wikis than just Wikipedia. Wiki's are very common.  They are online tools that can be used for many people to collaborate, gather, and share information.  What is neat about them is that you can give access to people to use it, so it is a controlled environment. BUT (always a but) once the person had the ability to sign in, he or she can edit, correct, add or change anything in the wiki at any time.

I had the honor of experiencing this first hand during the "SnowChi" storm in Washington, DC over February 12th.  We are receiving 12+ inches of snow and our professors thought otherwise of having us travel to campus when, you know, we are learning about collaborative online tools- WHY NOT USE THEM. So I came home, hoped into my PJs with a glass of wine and edited a Wiki! Yepp, but I had to wait until the other person in my class, who happened to log on first to edit the page, when finished.  I could 'steal the lock' but I thought otherwise- as even though this was online class this week...its face to face next week. 

Overall, it was a good experience and I learned plenty of things about collaboration using this online tool. Here's a few items I came across as I was working with my classmates during the snow storm. 

Connections

• Build greater connections between new and old knowledge by allowing student-created structure for the information and ideas.
• Build on the best of Bloom: Students use synthesis and evaluation constantly and consistently when they work on a wiki.

Creativity

• Build creativity skills, especially elaboration and fluency. Build creative flexibility in accepting others’ edits!
• Encourage “hitch-hiking” on ideas (a type of creative elaboration and analytical thinking: If X is true, then what about Y?).
• Introduce and reinforce the idea that a creative piece is never “done.”

Engagement

• Increase engagement of all students.
• In lieu of being passive “consumers” of their peers’ presentations (where they doze and ignore), wiki makers respond, change, and improve.
• Culminating projects no longer have to end.

Interpersonal

• Develop interpersonal and communication skills, especially consensus-building and compromise, in an environment where the product motivates interpersonal problem-solving.
• Develop true teamwork skills

Writing

• Improve the most challenging phase of writing process: revision, revision, revision!
• Increase flexibility to consider other ways of saying things.
• Build an awareness of a wider, more authentic audience.

Metacognition

• Stimulate discussion and self-awareness.
• Help students articulate issues about ownership, finding, different conceptualisations of the same content.

Blogs in Plain English

Breathe. Know that the Internet has no eraser.

As my title may elude, the internet has this thing about making EVERYTHING permanent. So why add personal thoughts to this spider webs of tattoos? 

I'll tell you why... I've never blogged before and quite frankly I've been enjoying it! 

Blogs are... well ALL ABOUT ME... and there lies the biggest problem.  If I don't have something worth sharing- I suppose I don't have a need to share anything, right? 

Many bloggers could take note of that, but what fun would blogging be if we had a "no one wants to read about that" attitude.  Blogs are inherently an open forum which allows users to be a part of the writing process, which in turn makes a blog an unfinished book that will never have an ending.  If a reader comments, one can engage and comment back- thus creating a discussion (or argument). This is unique to blogging.  But the reader must remember that the author may post whatever strikes their fancy and therefore may have no validity behind it.

More thoughts on this topic to come....

Why?  Because blogs are PUBLIC.  Anyone and everyone on the internet (unless you create special settings) can read it.  SO you must ALWAYS think to yourself... is this okay for EVERYONE to read?  My parents?  My grandparents?  My coworkers?  My BOSS!?

So go ahead create a blog...no pressure. 

If you want to know what someone fears losing.... watch what they photograph

Smile for the Camera! 

My Sister's graduation from Penn State University. 

Karl Lagerfeld once said, “What i like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”   If you want to know something about me... look through my camera lens.  

I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania called Latrobe.  It's the home of professional football, Rolling Rock beer, Mister Rodgers, and the first banana split.  Growing up in 'farm country' I needed to pick up a hobby so I wouldn't become a 'hillbilly' as the native call it, so I picked up a camera in 2nd grade. Of course my first camera was one that I could instantly take the picture and do the Polaroid shake to develop it.  I moved on from the shake to the famous little kid instant sticker photos.  My parents were always finding stickers on the walls, couches, and even, yes, even on the bathroom toilet.  I wanted everyone to see my pictures.  As I grew older, I was allowed to use my mom's camera on vacation.  I was so excited to be using a 'professional' camera- I took 2,000 pictures of Disney World!! 

Of course, my parents finally bought into the 'puppy eye' looks when I was 18 and I received my first professional camera... of course they hung this over my head so I wouldn't ask for a car.  (little did they know, they would have to drive me around to ALL the places I wanted to take pictures of..hehehe) 

My first camera... and my first photo... 

My neighbors horse... my parents house is in his eye 

 I bet you were thinking I took a picture and it got photo-bombed... in this case, I actually knew how to use a camera.  Now, a story behind the picture... I got in trouble for climbing a fence on private property and feeding an unknown horse carrots so I could get a 'cool' picture of his eye!  BUT the owner bought the photo and it now sits in his living room. 

So as for me... I'm a 4th year Kindergarten Teacher in Northern VA, pursuing her Masters Degree in Integration of Technology in Schools and a lover of Photography and telling a story through pictures.  

Sapphire, NC 

A picture is truly worth a thousand words... 

Coolest blind turtle I met while working at Seaworld Orlando