E-PORTFOLIO O'DOOM

The English major/geek in me loves using the verb "e-porting". Woo!


I wonder if last year's SMACers did too??

Oh the places you'll go...

Last night we, almost veteran MACers, got a chance to meet the incoming MACers. It was almost a surreal experience... and I'm not quite sure why.

I wasn't present at this meeting last year, but I remember clearly the anticipation of beginning the program in June 08. The filling out the questionnaires, finding out who my mentor would be, making the move to A2, visiting my placement for the first time...

And the weirdest part? I can barely believe that it's been only a year. So much has happened! And I think I say this every year... but this year has been so jam packed full of experiences sometimes I think I'm on overload.

They warned us... that this year we would be busy. And I thought to myself! Ha! Of course I can do this! I've been busy before... but this is a different kind of busy. But I'm happy as well as tired...

All those memories of the summer before are so clear in my mind, and I can hardly believe that I've come to know so many people in such a short amount of time.

And oh the things I've learned about people about teaching... the list is endless. Sometimes I feel as if I've experienced more in this year than I did in my four years of undergrad. Amazing and amusing.

Just a Thought

I love colored chalk. No. Really. It's great. Especially pink chalk. That stuff is awesome.

MACUL Application/Reflection (sort of)

It is finally spring break! Though it doesn't truly feel like spring outside. In fact it feels like fall: cold, windy, and dreary. But I think I'll take this opportunity to reflect on what I learned from MACUL... those many weeks ago.

Twitter is fun, addictive, and when used correctly, I imagine effective for certain purposes (though I have not updated in weeks). LiveBlogging has potential... though I wish the comments made by others participating would show automatically on the screen. Otherwise, it just looks like I'm talking to myself.

I attended a session about how to use Powerpoint effectively in the classroom. And one of the interesting pieces of information I learned during this session was the effectiveness of placing a picture on a slide and having the text on a separate sheet of paper (handout).

So.

I decided to attempt a lesson using this suggested method. The lesson was with my 11th graders on the characteristics of Gothicism. Actually, I was quite proud of this lesson. I got some great pictures (classic paintings and the like) that I thought really embodied Gothicism. What I didn't take into account was the following...

The importance of an LCD projector.

Powerpoints in my classroom must be given through the television set. The quality of the Powerpoint slides then goes down dramatically. My students were squinting trying to see what was on the screen. And the impact that I was hoping for? Kind of missed it...

Alright I have to admit there were more factors other than the technological that got in the way. However, I'm going to try look into a possible LCD Projector that I might be able to borrow. Maybe? I don't do Powerpoints that often, but to engage visually oriented learners it might be a good idea to try this type of lesson again with something that might make the images have more impact.

MACUL Conference