Oddly enough, Blogger now claims that my username and blog URL are not recognized so I'm having difficulty updating my account.  Hmmm....what to do now? I clearly have an account and a blog though I haven't posted in almost a year. Did I miss some other update? If so, then why is my blog still accessible? So annoying. Back to threading my way through the process of tracking down my account.

Practicing Technology

Embedded video

Using an iPad in the Classroom



List of good resources

1. Free technology for teachers: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
2. WebEnglishTeacher: http://www.webenglishteacher.com/
3. Folger Shakespeare Library: http://www.folger.edu/
   

Ed Tech Workshop Harvard 2011

Summer is the usual time for most of my traveling. This year I'll be visiting Cambridge and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I had to forgo a trip to Destin because of ankle surgery as a result of ongoing problems stemming from an injury in February.

I'm on this trip for professional development, funded by the stipend I receive because I hold a chair at my school. July--It's hot here in Cambridge, but cool in Robinson Hall where I'm attending Teaching English with Technology led by Tom Daccord and Carla Beard. In three days (we're currently on day 2), I will no doubt learn so much that my head may feel as though it will burst! I've been anticipating this experience for months, and so far Tom and Carla have definitely not disappointed me.

Where to start? Although I see myself as reasonably tech-savvy armed with my laptop, iPad, and iPhone, I really want to incorporate more technology in my teaching. Doing so will take some re-thinking on my part and definitely some revision of my syllabus for each class, but I need to energize my curriculum. In addition, I plan to share the knowledge I gain here with my colleagues when school begins again in August. That's assuming, of course, that I can recall enough detail and process to share!

Already I'm excited about using wikis and blogging. I'm thinking about ways to use these tools with my senior students in particular. I've also collected a variety of helpful websites and other resources that are enough to make my head spin!

What has been especially helpful is the time allotted to practice techniques that I would either otherwise forget or possibly never even attempt. So I've added to a wiki that I started four years ago and abandoned, including media, documents, an entire book, a map, and links. Now I'm updating this blog, which I had kind of forgotten about, and I have the challenge to integrate media and other options in this kind of etext as well.

Poets and July 2008

At the end of a week in Vermont at an AP Institute on English Literature, I find myself refreshed and inspired to return to the classroom in August with new ideas. The experience was even more than I had hoped for, certainly well worth the trip up from the South. Vermont is a beautiful place, and the little town of St. Johnsbury is congenial. I drove to Waterbury today to Ben & Jerry's; along the way I passed through a number of small towns, among them Montpelier. It's the smallest state capital in the country in population. Are there any large cities in Vermont? No. I just keep hoping I'll see a moose.

Last week at Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire, was a truly magical experience. That one was definitely more than I had anticipated. A Conference on Teaching and Poetry, the website described it. I interpreted that to mean more of a slant to teaching poetry. It turned out that we also wrote poetry. Most of the other teachers there were already poets! Although I indicated from the beginning that I was more of a left-brain, analytical, problem-solving person, I did write some poetry. Mostly, I think, to be able to tell my students that I did it when I attempt to use some of the writing prompts with them. The most exciting moments came when I mustered up the courage to read a couple of my poems at the final poetry reading on Thursday night. It was a public reading in Robert Frost's barn (where the conference itself was held). That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I simply couldn't pass up.

Maybe I'll continue trying to write some poetry. It's a therapeutic practice, I've found.

Next week---on to Maine and lobsters!

Getting organized for the East

Today--now that I finally have DSL--I've begun to transfer some files about travel in China to delicious.com to my account there so that I can locate them quickly. As I shifted some, I was amazed at how many I had already managed to collect! The New York Times travel section has been especially helpful. Next I'll need to go back and re-read all of the articles and make some notes.

While I'm eager to immerse myself in the research and notetaking, today is probably not a good day. Another migraine has struck, this time with accompanying nausea. I'm excited about being able to do so much more and so much faster with DSL, but I just don't feel good. More than anything else, I need to transfer all of my Favorite Places to bookmarks in delicious.com, and that process will take some time. Once I complete that, I can cancel my AOL account, and will I ever be glad to be rid of it! I do, however, have so many files that it will undoubtedly take time to make the transfer, but once done, I think that all of the information will be better organized and more accessible, especially the files I need for school.

I also checked the time and temperature for Beijing today, and I discovered that the time difference is 12 hours. Predicted high for today is 101 F. Whew! I knew it was going to be hot, but this hot?

China trip

Today I've created my blog about our trip to China, which is about six weeks away. When we first starting thinking about and planning this trip, July seemed so far away, but now it's summer. I've begun some reading, mostly fiction by Chinese writers, set in ancient China that's helping me gain a better understanding of history. One of the guide books had a great list of suggested books that I used when I went to the library; some of the titles were available, and I'm working my way through them. One is a history of past and present that my husband is reading now. I borrowed the Cambridge History of China from a colleague who teaches history and visited China last summer; she prepared a timeline that's been helpful in understanding the various dynasties. I have this desperate need to be better prepared for this trip than I have been for some of the previous trips we've taken to foreign countries, because I know so little about China---or I think I do. Maybe I know more than I realize! Anyway, I have a lot of reading to do.

Last night I began to worry about what kinds of clothes to take for the hot, humid weather we'll encounter for the 16 days we'll be gone. I could hardly fall asleep while I made a mental inventory of what I have and what I may need. Do I need to buy more clothes? Yikes! I don't want to take too much, but I do want to have what I'll need. Mostly I don't want to have to stress about this aspect of the trip, but it IS important. After all of the stress about renewing the passports and obtaining the Chinese visas, I'd like to get the clothing thing settled as soon as possible. Shoes are a big concern.