Sharing thoughts

I highly encourage you to read each other's blogs. Hope some of you will continue beyond this course. I think our online program could benefit from more mutual encouragement and sharing of ideas, as well as resources. It's good to hear from each other, not just the instructor. I'll try to keep blogging (for that one person who is really reading!)

I'd love to hear what you thought about the use of blogs - even if you didn't try the approach.

more May events

I forgot another event coming up next week. My son is supposed to return from his backpacking in South America. I've been somewhat anxious not knowing where he is and hearing from him very irregularly. So, I'll be glad to see him and have him home briefly. Maybe I can share a picture from his trip and describe an adventure or two.

Also coming up is graduation. Students really do finish the program - Master's and doctoral! I look forward to seeing some grads at the reception after the actual ceremony. Congratulations to all who are finishing!

May and more

Just in case anyone wonders...Jazz Fest was great. The weather was fantastic - in between torrential rain storms and days of flooding. We relaxed with music, ate fair-type junk food, saw lots of friends, and engaged in much people watching. I'm already looking forward to next year.

This weekend is the annual trek to a family reunion in Louisiana, carrying on family traditions. We plan to eat some crawfish and visit with many family members. Tonight, when I had planned to finish grading, the university server is down. Maybe I didn't really want to finish early (or on time). Sorry to make anyone wait.

We're finishing the edits on the practicum textbook. Maybe that little project can really be checked off the list soon. Next we'll see if anyone wants to adopt the book as a text. I'm not expecting that we can splurge from the profits. We might be able to go to the local ice cream shop though.

Another semester almost over

Coming up this weekend is my very favorite time in Denton. It makes living with frequent hailstorms, unbearably hot Augusts, very little seafood, and almost everything else worth it. Coming up is a 3-day Jazz Fest - sitting outside, listening to free music, eating funnel cake, watching the people and dogs, visiting with friends, and relaxing. I never take papers to grade (now I have an excuse since most work is online) and just savor the time. So, picture me from Friday through Sunday night at the local park. I'd give the link here, but we really don't want more people to come!

Meanwhile, it's hard to believe that another semester is ending. I've enjoyed the comments and sharing in Diversity. I appreciate the open attitudes and willingness to re-think old ideas or beliefs. I'm looking forward to the final essays.

This summer I'll be teaching another favorite, after a long lapse - Family Financial Counseling. We focus on working with families who have severe money problems, rather than those who have extra money. I also have a goal to improve my online teaching with more videos and embedded audio. I hope to incorporate some of the elements learned from the Quality Matters course I recently completed. I'm also open to suggestions from any students!

Life on an Island

Okay, now I've survived Second Life. It was as much fun as I expected! I'll never be a great gamer...and I read an article about the problems in Utopia...but I'm still intrigued. I must truly be an optimist down deep inside, to believe that we could create paradise where people could get along. Hmmm - it hasn't worked so far on any known planet.

One student today reported 19 new inches of snow. Meanwhile, we enjoyed lunch outside in short sleeves. Texas has a few days of nice weather. Unfortunately, since I felt obligated to read drafts of ethnographies so that everyone could move ahead with their research, I spent most of the day inside wishing to be outside.

I'm interested in hearing fun spring break plans from anyone who wants to share. I think we'll go camping in Big Bend and enjoy the stars, silence, and lack of internet connection. I haven't finished reading Wikinomics, so I'll save that for break. Any other reading suggestions?

Post Valentine's

Just in case anyone is reading this and is curious about an update for my son's experience in 2nd grade, here's an update. He reported that it went well, except for a few details. The room mothers (still the label used, excluding many family members who might want to help out) brought little gifts for each child. Instead of the cupcakes we would have had when I was little, the children received pencils. The boys got pencils with basketballs on them while the girls got pink pencils with flowers. No one got to choose. Even my son thought there were some problems with that. He did enjoy reading The Little Ballerina (as assigned) and showing some ballet positions. I'm learning much about the current state of schools through his perspective.

Meanwhile, I finished my portfolio and learned much more about TaskStream. It is do-able! I'm also taking an online course for the first time and have truly learned a lot. My first quiz score was disappointing; I've agonized over the questions marked incorrect. Now I have new perspective on online quizzes and their format. I've also learned that the work takes much more time than I anticipated. Does that sound familiar?? I have enjoyed the course and am eager to apply my new skills...but will also be relieved in a few weeks - if I pass. It's hard to fit in the time to do my coursework and real work and family work. You really have to be motivated!

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm not sure how February has gone so quickly. Instead of reading more book reviews, I'll post a few thoughts here. I read a very informative article in the NY Times on February 5 entitled "On Race and the Census: Struggling with Categories that No Longer Apply." The author, Brent Staples, addresses the issues we talked around in one class DB. My afterthoughts focused on an interesting research topic - the impact of the racial categories on sense of personal identity. How does that label influence my attitude toward self? How fluid is that identity? Any doc students out there looking for a research topic? or just a little fun research activity? I think my privilege as a white person would inform my answers to those questions differently, but what does the research literature say?

On another topic, my son is substitute teaching in second grade today. Are there still valentine parties in schools? Does anyone else remember decorating a shoe box to take to school? Is that a ritual that has died completely? I almost wish for a box to put outside my office door today to see if any valentines appear. I'm celebrating tonight with husband of 32 years and a concert by Ruthie Foster, a great gospel/blues/jazz singer. I hope you have a good day, even without receiving any commercial messages.

Happy February!

In working on some questions for the current board, I spent lots of time at tolerance.org. There are some excellent resources and suggestions for Black History month (do's and don'ts for classrooms that are especially helpful). Thinking about double consciousness also made me get out an old favorite, Ellison's Invisible Man. Let me know if anyone else appreciates that as much as I do. It always makes me think and never seems out of date. Some of my doc students will relate DuBois's concept to qualitative research (I hope!). I'm also hoping an ECDE major might apply the concept to teenagers and think about research along those lines. Maybe that would even tie into current research by two doc students on adolescent identity development.

More snow and more reading

It's been fun to read others' blogs! I'm assuming I have a few "bleaders," even if very few of you are commenting.

We have actually had a few more snowflakes in Denton, cause for great excitement. The cold weather gave me a excuse to stay in and read more. Totally unrelated to my classes this semester (yes, even teachers want to do something not required), I just finished reading
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. It's a very entertaining account of a 30-year-old's attempt to cook every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. I laughed loudly at her descriptions of cooking, living in New York City as a transplanted Texan, surviving marriage, and blogging. (So, there's a slight connection with me and with my roles this semester.)

I'm also trying to learn more about TaskStream...and struggling to create my own portfolio there. Faculty have to submit a yearly self-evaluation, and it seemed appropriate to learn the platform that our students will learn and use. Except that now I'm doubting whether I want to learn something new or take the easy way. Maybe others can relate to that dilemma.

Okay, time to go read some slightly less interesting stuff.

Working from Home

Here's my usual work site - sitting on my sofa at home. I thought you'd want to see my setting when I'm reading DBs and book reviews. The laptop enables me to work toward the goal of responding to all emails within 24 hours. However, I do sleep sometime (even sometimes falling asleep right here with the laptop). Email is definitely my preferred method of communicating; I've grown to hate voice mail and phone tag.

Snow Days

I know it's hard for some of you to believe, but the beginning of school here has been greatly impacted by ice and a few snow flakes. We were iced in on MLK Day and then closed again on Wednesday. So, several projects (such as mailing CDs) are somewhat delayed.

On a positive note, being iced in did give me some time to read. I just finished Made to Stick and will be sharing ideas from that very interesting approach.

Look in Bb for some other ideas about where to blog.

Course Shell Ready on MLK Day

Okay, now I'm really committed to blogging - I mentioned it in the syllabus, so I can't back out. You can do your homepage in Bb and link to your own blog--not required, just encouraged.

I think I should answer the same questions as the syllabus requests of you:

• where I grew up: small town in Louisiana with mom, dad, 2 older brothers and a younger sister. My siblings are all still in Louisiana and we're all still close even though I've lived in Texas for many, many years.
• food: favorites have been crawfish, shrimp, butter beans, greens, cornbread dressing. Now with 2 vegetarian children, my tastes and my cooking have changed (no more seasoning with bacon grease, for example).
• music: jazz and blues. My husband and I are looking forward to a Marcia Ball concert next month.
• family ritual: My family of origin has a family reunion once a year, at the family cemetery. My husband knows that we will go.

So, keep looking for some pictures to be posted soon. Meanwhile, explore Bb, complete the quizzes, think about your family for the ethnographic research.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I thought you would enjoy some personal thoughts from me as we travel this journey together. I'll share thoughts about books I'm reading, movies I've seen, ideas from your posts, and probably much more. We can learn the process together! Hopefully, this will connect our community of classmates.