My EDM Assignments are now complete!

My EDM Assignments are now complete!

TO my fellow classmates:

I really enoyed having a class with you guys. It was a great group. Everyone had such a great pesonality which made it alot easier to come to class. The personality's were all great. I hope school goes well for everyone. Hopefully we may a another education class together in the future!

Once again Good Luck!
See Ya!
Melanie Garron

My Final Post :(

This is the last post in my EDM 310 class. I am kind sad in a way. I have enjoyed this class for the most part. I feel like I have learned not only to utilize many tools on the computer but many things about educational in general. Mr. Wakeman is a great teacher and really knows his stuff.

When I found out that we were going to be blogging in this class I was a little scared because I had no prior knowledge of it. It has turned out to be a new and great experience. Each week when we were to do a new post I actually got excited because the topics were not boring at all. I always feel like I had learned something new and something that I could do or use in my “future” classroom.

My favorite part about the class was the when we were asked to make a podcast. I got into a group with Quinton and Tiffany. I really enjoyed working with them. We had a lot of fun laughing at Quinton  but we still learned a lot about blogging. Doing the podcast made me really realize how much I would like the use blogging in my classroom one day. One thing I wish we would have spent a Little more time on was ITunes. I know we did a lot of work with them but, I am still very unfamiliar with the situation.

I really enjoyed the class and all of the work that we did. It is an essential course for all education majors. Like I said before Mr. Wakeman is a great teacher and I learned a lot from him. I am going to miss him

I Tunes University!

I tunes University can also be known as “I tunes U”. This is a new educational program from the Apple I tunes store that gives teachers and students constant access to information no matter where they are. This program and more technology have made it possible for students to no longer just have to learn from their desk. Many faculty are commenting that they are beginning to take part in I tunes U because it is a fast and easy way to provide a lesson to their students not only swiftly but digitally.

If you haven’t noticed walking around campus almost every student is carrying a cell phone and most also have an iPod or mp3 player. Today’s young adults know more about technology than most. It is not uncommon for a student to gather information right off of their phone. This makes it easier for teachers to get students to use these hand held objects as their newest learning tool. I tunes U allows students to download the lectures straight to their I pod, I touch or I phone. This is a convenient way for the student to learn at their on pace anytime and anywhere. The best part about it is that is free!

Many Universities such as Stanford, Arizona State and New Jersey are all taking part in I tunes U. These universities can all make their on accounts for their school so that people outside will not be able to access the lectures. An Apple i.d. can be added or changed at anytime by the University. There is also a part of the program called External I Tunes U. This allows anyone who ha access to I Tunes to be able to download the lecture to gain knowledge for their personal benefit. Apple monitors all downloads.




In my opinion I think that this is a great idea. Teachers have finally found a way to stay connected with their students by using something they know the most about. I as a student would love this idea. I like the fact that the student has the privilege of learning at their own pace. I am one of those students that has to review things a few things so that I can get a better understanding. If this sort of thing is available when I become a teacher I will take full advantage of using this as a learning tool for my students. I feel that it will be very convenient for the both of us.

Teaching with I pods!!

Can an I pod be used effectively during instruction? This is a question that our EDM 310 teacher wanted us to think about this week. I personally do not own an I pod so my understanding of the device is very little. I needed to do a little research on the topic before getting started answering the questions.

An I pod is a digital audio player that is designed to store and play audio files that are encoded by Mp3. Depending on what kind of I pod you purchase depends on how much can be stored on it. I read that some I pods can store up to 10,000 song! Wow! How can something so small hold that much information? Many people use their I pod for listening o music, but the world is starting to realize that they can be used for much more.

I pods are now being transformed into educational tools. Apple how now created "I Tunes U" that makes many lectures and materials available online. This is not only useful to the instructor but, also to the students. The students are using the I pods as study tools because they are able to fast forward or rewind to parts of the lecture that may have been unclear. This program has become so popular that I tunes has offered it to all colleges. In grades K-12 I pods are being used a lot but mostly in foreign languages. This is because they function in digital voice.



Many students at Duke University began to use the I pod about three years ago as a way to absorb their course content. This was the first school to provide each student with a 20 gigabyte I pod. The students also have many compliments on them such as, size, power, convenience; they fit right into armbands and jean pockets. The students feel that this new tool has really helped them take charge of their way of learning. Although Duke was the first University to use I pods the idea is catching on rather quickly everywhere else. I personally think this is a great idea. I do not have an I pod but I am sure if there was a learning initiative involved I would be encouraged to purchase one.

All About Dr. Alice Christie

In my EDM 310 class this week we were asked to explore the website about Dr. Alice Christie. Mr. Wakeman wanted us to write our response to the page after doing so. I was unaware of who this woman was. I was eager to explore the site because I love learning about new people.

Dr. Alice Christie has been an educator for over forty years. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Technology and Language Literacy from Arizona State University in 1955. She served in the College of Teacher Education and Leadership at Arizona State University from 1955 until her retirement. She just recently retired. Before teaching at the University she taught for 25 years in K-12 schools.

Christie feels as though she has learned much from her years as an educator. She does National and International Workshops where she speaks on how technology can enhance teaching and learning. In her research she has tried to investigate several different topics involving technology. She looked at gender differences in the uses of technology, scaffolding teachers as they integrate technology in their classrooms, and the use of electronic portfolios for assessment.



She had many interesting topics on her website but the one I chose to talk about in my post was a workshop Christie did called Virtual Field Trips. It just sounded like something fun. Many school budgets are holding the children back from going on field trips. Dr. Alice Christie speaks of a great alternative to this called Virtual field trips which are appropriate for any grade level. VTF is also very convenient and inexpensive. The children use the right technology such as videos, headphones and audio segments to interact in these field trips. The students are able to explore the rainforest and be an astronaut without ever leaving the classroom. In my opinion I think this is great alternative to a filed trip. Christie had some great things to say about technology and I was very glad I had the chance to read and learn about her.

Wikipedia....Reliable yes or no??

I will admit that I am a guilty user of Wikipedia. Almost every professor I have had made it clear to our class that we are not to use Wiki as a source for any paper done. This was almost impossible for me to do. It is so easy for me to just go to Wiki when I am unsure about a word or needed to know a definition. Wiki seemed to include anything I ever needed to know.

I never really saw the real harm in using Wiki so when given this assignment in my EDM 310 class to find out about the reliability of it, I decided to learn a little more about this encyclopedia Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia. The name is a portmanteau of the Hawaiian word for quick, “wiki“, and “encyclopedia”. The encyclopedia is updated in over 100 languages, including constructed languages such as Esperanto. The English version of Wikipedia contains over one and a half million articles. Wikipedia was founded as an extension of the expert-written Nupedia project. However, the idea of a publicly-written collaborative encyclopedia was rejected by Nupedia's advisory board, and the project was managed independently by several top Nupedia contributors. Despite this, Wikipedia soon eclipsed Nupedia in terms of content and traffic. Within two years the Nupedia project was abandoned, and all its content was incorporated into Wikipedia. Much of today's Wikipedia staff are former Nupedia staff. The fact that anybody with an internet connection can edit its contents, has made Wikipedia become viewed as an unreliable source of information. The encyclopedia allows anybody to edit its pages, even anonymously. To address this issue, and to ensure quality, accurate content, all submissions and edits are moderated and regulated by a staff of regular volunteer.

We were asked to review some blogs about wikipedia that can be found on the npr website. All of these blogs contained information concerning the reliability of Wikipedia. A grad student named Virgil Griffith wanted to create a web tool that made it possible for those who had been editing Wiki could be identified. The way this is made possible is that anytime a computer is used to edit or add to the encyclopedia a number is virtually scanned from the computer. Many big businesses have been accused of doctoring these edits to better themselves. An example of this is; someone at Dow chemical purged a whole section about agent orange and its harmfulness and made the whole thing disappear. Another example is that someone from Diebold deleted 15 paragraphs from an article on e-voting machine-vendor Diebold. This article was critical of the company’s machines. This to me proves Griffiths idea about the scanner a very good idea.

During some of my Wiki research I came across a fact that in 2005 the scientific publication Nature performed a comparison of the accuracy of Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica, the leading print encyclopedia. It found that while the amount of errors per article in Wikipedia and Britannica were the same, the severity of errors in Wikipedia were worse. Encyclopedia Britannica suffered mostly from fact omission, whereas Wikipedia suffered from inaccurate information. This research made me have a whole new realization on Wiki. In the future I may not use this source as much and if I do I will be sure to double back and check it with something more reliable.

Randy Pausch: Last Lecture

Last week for my EDM 310 class we were asked to do an assignment where we listened to podcasts done by students from last semester’s class. One of the podcasts that I chose was on the last lecture done by Randy Pausch. When I heard the students talking about him he sounded like a fascinating man. Automatically I knew that I was intrigued by his techniques and would love to learn from him. This week we were asked to listen to his last lecture which excited me because since hearing bits and pieces about him I had really wanted to see what his last lecture was really all bout.

Before watching the video I did a little research on Pausch to try and learn more about exactly who was delivering this lecture and listen to his story. Randy Pausch was known as being an extraordinary professor who touched the lives of many students not only through his words but his efforts to help them become all he knew they could be. He worked at four Universities in his time: Brown University, Harvard University, Carnegie Mellon and MIT. In September of 2006 he was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. He had 10 tumors on his liver. Only 20% of victims of Pancreatic Cancer are able to have surgery to try and remove the tumors. Pausch was lucky enough to fall in that 20% range. He had surgery in late September. He was in rehab for months trying to get well. He was a strong man and hung on for a long while. Some days were better than others but eventually the cancer won and Randy Pausch past away in July of 2008. I really should not say the cancer won because really it didn’t. Pausch lived his life to the fullest until the end.

After learning so much about this amazing man I could not wait to listen to his last lecture. I was sure he would have something grand to say. At the start of the lecture Randy Pausch asked the question, “If you had to deliver one lecture before you died what would it be?” Well Pausch was about to deliver his last lecture so he would answer that question for himself. He starts by introducing himself and telling about his cancer. He states “We cannot change the cards that we are dealt just how we play the hand.” First he introduces the topics he wont talk about and number one is family because he says he is too weak to not cry. He then introduces the topics in which he will talk about. They are as follows: His childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, lessons learned and how we can achieve our dreams and enable others to do so. He begins by stating his childhood dreams such as being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL and being a Disney Imagineer. Pausch states that children should all have specific dreams, for instance instead of dreaming to be an astronaut he dreamed to be in zero gravity. He touched on each briefly. In some way or another Pausch achieved all his childhood dreams. He eventually got to ride in the vomit commit with his students where he experienced zero gravity. He did not play in the NFL but, football is something Pausch said changed his life. He spoke of one of his coaches named Jim Graham. Graham was a mentor for Randy. One thing he taught Randy was that you could learn how to play football even without a football because it is all about the fundamentals. This can be used in many aspects of life. Randy was taught never to give up and all about the head fake. If your wondering what the head fake is, it is a simple theory of Pauschs that we teach our children when they are young to learn indirectly. Another childhood dream of Randy’s was to become Captain Kirk. Well the closet he got was meeting him. This goes in the same sense with another childhood dream of becoming a Disney Imagineer. He tried several times and they did not want him. He decided that brick walls are in everyone’s way, not to stop us but to show us we can achieve anything. Randy learned that some brick walls more made of flesh. He forced his way into being connected to Disney. He became good friends with Jon Snoody and spent 80 hours working with the imagineers. He soon became part of the Aladdin VR project that was a big success.

He moves on by stating that he is so glad to be a professor. He first saw that he could enable the dreams of others when he met a student named Tommy Burnette. Tommy wanted to be apart of all the Star Wars movies. He worked very closely with Randy who put faith in him and he soon worked on all three movies as an undergrad student. Pausch soon made a class at Carnegie Melon called Building Virtual Worlds. Only 50 students were drawn to take this class. It became a big hit which is why they started ETC, which stands for Entertainment Technical Center. This is a 2 year program in which you could earn your professional degree. One thing worked on during this time was Alice. Alice is virtual software that is a novel way to teach kids how to make computer games. He stresses that the best way to teach someone something is to have them think they are learning something else. Pausch claims that Alice is his professional legacy. My favorite quote used by Pausch was to talk about Alice. He says, “I like Moses get to see the promise land but I won’t get to set foot in it, but that’s okay because I can see it and the vision is clear.”

Pausch starts talking about lessons learned. He thanks his parents for giving him such a special childhood. He says that others such as mentors, students and colleagues have a huge part of our lives. He feels as if he learned as much from his students as they learned from him. One last thing he says is we have ways to get people to help us. First believe in karma, tell the truth, apologize when you screw up and focus on others. He ends the lecture by letting everyone know that this talk was not for the audience but instead for his kids.

Wow! This man is amazing! I admire him just from a video. Pausch was a true educator. He believed in his students and took them places. I feel as if everyone could learn a little something from Randy Pausch because I know I did. Before I end my post I would like to point out one more fascinating thing about Pausch. He had a quote for everything. I would like to end by repeating a few of those in memory of Randy Pausch. “Don’t complain, just work harder!” “When people give you feedback, cherish and use it!” “When you do right good things will have a way of happening.” “When it comes to men that are romantically interested in you, simply ignore all they say and only pay attention to the things they do.” “Loyalty is a two way street!” “When you have held the most precious thing in the world in your hands its tough to hand it over, but hand it over to better hands than yours.” “Get someone to be self reflective!” “If you wait long enough people will surprise and impress you and when you are angry with them you have not given them enough time.” “Be good at something it makes you valuable!” People will show you their good side, because no one is all evil!” “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted!” This is just one way to show you how intellectual Randy Pausch.

South Fall 2008 Podcast Reviews

The pod cast I listened to was titled, Lessons from Life: The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch. Basically the question the students were asking listeners was if you had to choose one lecture to do before you die what would it be? Pausch was a very talented professor but sadly recently past away. He did lectures on a variety of topics. He had a dream to play in the NFL but the closet he ever got to meeting anyone famous was talking to some big wigs at Disney. His way of thinking was what our kids learn they learn indirectly. He used many techniques in his teaching. He took activities that students normally would not enjoy and turned them into something fun and educational. Another technique discussed in the pod cast was the brick wall. He told his students that brick walls are not put up to hold us back but to show that obstacles can be overcome if the desire is put into affect.
My favorite part of the pod cast was when the girls talked about Pausch’s technique the card game. Everyone is dealt a hand of cards and we all have to make the best of it because we cannot change it. The students who did the pod cast did a great job. They gave a lot of information and made me really want to admire Pausch. I could tell they were very nervous and there was a lot of pausing. The one thing I would change is probably how the title correlates with their pod cast. The tile ensured me that I would here much about Pausch’s last lecture before his death. Instead the students talk more about his life and many lectures he had done. Other than that I thought it was great! You should check the podcast about Pausch out!

The second pod cast I listened to was titled Bogging and Teaching. The students discuss how blogging can be used effectively by teachers and students and they also share information about usefull blogs. I agree with the first point of blog usage. Blogs are a very useful to not only useful in keeping in touch with his students but also with the parents. Many students brush off homework and tell their parents they do not have any. Teachers with class blogs typically update their blog daily so the students are always informed. The second student to teach made a great point about keeping parents up to date. She gives an example of a scenario where a parent was unable to attend a field trip but they were able to see a variety of pictures due to the blog. I thought their pod cast was awesome! They all seemed like they were very informed about the subject they were speaking about. I am sure they could have added more but as far as I am concerned they did a great job at convincing the audience on why blogging is a great tool in the education field.
As a future teacher I will be using blogs in my classroom. This semester was my first time ever to use a blog. I found it very interesting and useful. It made it so easy to keep in touch with Mr. Wakeman without actually having to schedule a meeting with him or send him an email to ask a simple question. Technology is becoming more and more advanced and as a student I feel privileged to have the advantage of keeping up with it at my fingertips.

At first when reading the blog posted on the fischbowl website I agreed with Fisch. He had a good point to what he was saying. Technology has become so far advanced today you will be left so far behind if you do not keep up with it. Teachers today should have many different qualifications than thirty years ago or really even ten years ago.

Today in school the board of education gives students so many expectations they are required to meet. Shouldn’t teachers have to meet these same expectations? I am a college student and have had quite a few professors that do not know how to work the computer but, they still expect their students to be responsible for learning all the information contained on it. That seems a little hypocritical to me.

As I said above I agree with Fisch’s opinion on being technologically literate. It is very helpful to have skills like this not only in the education field but for everything. However, no offense to Fisch, I feel as if he was a little harsh. Not all teachers need to be so technologically advanced. How do you think they learned so many years ago? I know I may sound a little contradictory revealing my opinion on this but what I am trying to say is not all teachers should have to be technologically advanced, some should tough. Isn’t that what computer teachers are for?

Despite my opinion being quite biased, I still enjoyed reading the post. Fisch has some interesting comments. However he may need to take a lesson in spelling for a while and lay off on those not so technologically advanced. I suggest everyone read the blog technilogicaly illiterate for themselves and formulate their own opinion.

International blog usage K-12

I would not call myself simple minded but I never really take the time to think about other places in the world. When we were given the assignment to find an International blog I thought to myself, “Where am I suppose to find that?” The same technology we are using today in the U.S. is being used all over the world. Many teachers are using blogs as a way to stay connected with their students. I am so intrigued by the fact that people so many thousands of miles away are learning in the same way that we are.

I found a blog for a first grade class in an American school located in Shanghai, China. The teachers name was Mrs. Toa. She calls her students Toa’s troops. Mrs. Toa uses her classroom blog as a way to keep her children internationally connected in more ways than one. The blog displays maps and weather reports from many countries around the world. The main use of the blog is for students to be updated about the class. She posts all upcoming assignments so the students know exactly what they are responsible for. This weeks post featured a video and picture from their Chinese New Year’s Day assembly and she tells the students what a fantastic job they have done. I can tell just from looking at the pictures and her comments to the students that teaching is her gift and she has a very special relationship with her students. To check out Mrs. Toa’s class blog you may visit http://www.teachers.saschina.org/stoa/.

I continued my search for International blogs. I came across a blog for a combined 5th and 6th grade class in Australia. The teacher calls himself Mr. C. When I first clicked on the blog I could automatically tell that Mr. C was a fun teacher. The first thing I noticed was a letter to his students talking about how much fun the New Year pool party was. How much fun would it be to have a pool party at school? I do not think my 5th and 6th grade teachers even owned bathing suits. Apparently in Australia you are in 5th grade for half a year and then you become a 6th grader because he gave them a challenge for becoming 6th graders called towers of paper. In the challenge the students had ten sheets of paper and a few other materials. They had to build a tower that would stand by finding the weakness of the paper. He included pictures on the blog of the students hard at work. Mr. C uses the blog to get the students involved in the class in an exciting way. He does not just post assignments but also stories, fun facts, videos and gives his interesting point of view on each. I think the way Mr. C’s class blog is set up really has the student’s attention. I think everyone should take a look at this blog at http://www.562008.edublogs.org/.

I feel as If I learned so much from the International blog search. The whole world is different and we could all learn a little something from each other. No matter where you go there is someone with the desire to teach and someone yearning to learn. These blogs display just how much teachers get involved with their class. To me teaching will be more than a career. I love children and by becoming a teacher I am willing to dedicate my heart and soul to the students I teach. I hope I will retain some of the useful knowledge I gained from exploring these blogs and deposit it into my classroom.

K-12 Classroom blog usage in the U.S.

Technology has grown in a considerable amount over the years. The students going to school at this day and time are way further advance when it comes to these new technologies than those students twenty, or even ten years ago. Many teachers, grades K-12, are trying to come up with new ways to stay connected with their students and also ways to keep them entertained while still learning. The computer has become almost a necessity and the internet is its runner up. A personal student blog is something new schools have been using in the classroom to retrieve the work and progress of their students. A blog can be seen as like a personal network for the classroom. The student can post their work and the teacher can keep track of it through the posting date and times. The other students are also allowed to read the work of others. This not only helps the other students come up with new ideas but to give their fellow students feedback on their posted work.

While surfing the internet I came across a blog used by a 5th grade class in Detroit, Michigan. The teachers name is Mr. Ambrose. He sees his class blog as a way to keep parents and students updated and connected from class and home. On the blog Mr. Ambrose tells the students everything they need to know about the class. He has many different categories in which to choose from. Parents and students have access to the blog. He posts important dates, assignments, rules, fundraising events and games the students can play for practice. For example this week his class will begin a unit on the solar system. He lists step by step what the students need to know and will know by the time the unit is over. From what I can tell Mr. Ambrose keeps his blog very up to date. He seems like the kind of teacher that not only wants to keep the students informed but also the parents which is very important to most. Mr. Ambrose is taking advantage of blogging in the classroom in a very positive way. To take a look and maybe get some ideas for your future classroom check out Mr. Ambrose’s class blog at http://www.classofambrose.blogspot.com.html/.

The next class blog on the web I checked out was a 4th grade class in San Diego, California. The teacher of the class is Mr. Kootman. When first clicking on the blog I noticed how colorful and user friendly it was. Mr. Kootman tells the parents and students all about himself, where he has been in his life and where he plans to go. He posts his weekly newsletters on the blog so everyone will be informed of upcoming events. He allows a different student to write on the blog each day to describe that day and all the activities done in room 40. Mr. Kootman then allows the other students to review the post and give their opinion. He uses this feedback as constructive criticism. In my opinion I think the way that the blog of class 40 involves all the parent is a great way to create a positive atmosphere in Mr. Kootmans 4th grade class. If you would like to learn more about his class blog you may go to http://www.kootmansclass.com/blogs.html.

I think these two blogs were great examples to look at if you are interested in uing a blog in your classroom. Both of these teachers were similar in that they were very concerned with parent involvement which I think is great. I am sure that I will be taking great advantage of using a blog in my future classroom to stay connected with my students. Another great website to look at for information about blogging that I enjoyed reviewing is http://www.supportblogging.com/.

ACCESS and ALEX

As an Elementary Education major I find the Alabama Learning Exchange website very helpful. This website is not only useful to me as a student but also to teachers and administrators. ALEX allows you to review the Alabama Course of Study, helpful web links, example lesson plans, great learning techniques and many other useful features. ALEX could also be known as a vital tool to future and current teachers.
After reviewing the Alabama Learning Exchange website I was impressed right away at how user friendly it is. The home page is very self explanatory. When the page comes up the first thing that you will see is a series of colorful blocks with a variety of options listed on them. The first option is the Alabama course of study. This provides the mandatory lessons that must be taught to students K-12th grade. These guidelines must be followed punctually. If you need some help coming up with your lessons, not only are there example lesson plans posted that you may use but also many helpful web links that will take you to webs sites that will provide many constructive ideas that may be added in accordingly. ALEX also allows you to create your own personal workspace. This means at the website you can create an account by using a personal user name and password. This is now your workspace where lesson plans are submitted and stored. Teacher web pages are also available when you create your own workspace. If you think this is something that would be helpful to you as a student, teacher or an administrator, simply visit the website http://www.alexstate.al.us and begin researching now.
I also did some research on the Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide website. ACCESS is an initiative of the Alabama Department of Education. The program basically provides students with a great deal of learning opportunities. Many high school students are very bright and move through material taught using the Alabama Course of Study very quickly. In Alabama public high schools, the number of classes that allow these students to work up to their full potential is limited. With ACCESS students are given the opportunity to take part in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, a wide range of electives and many other courses to which they may not have “access” to otherwise.
The ACCESS website contains a large amount of information about how to get involved in this program. The online course catalog allows you to look at current courses available and specific times they will take place. On the homepage there is also a link to resources. This option allows students currently using the ACCESS program to download and print helpful forms such as study guides and presentations. This program is a great way for teachers to motivate their students and expand their teaching knowledge. I was very interested in the website because when I was in high school this type of opportunity was not brought to my attention. Some of the students in my classes were very intelligent and would have most likely loved an opportunity to enroll in a program like that of ACCESS. If you or anyone you know feels like this could be an option or even a great learning experience simply go to the website http://www.accessdl.state.al.us. This hyperlink will take you straight to the homepage which will serve as a guide and inform you of everything needed to know about ACCESS.

About Me!

My name is Melanie Leigh Garron. I am 19 years old. I live in Semmes, Alabama and have been a resident there for about fifteen years. Before Semmes I lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with my mother and father. I am half Canadian so many of my family members live really far away. We spend every summer traveling to many family reunions, so we keep in touch with almost everyone in the gigantic Garron family. I have two sisters and two brothers. My oldest brother was killed in September due to a drinking and driving accident. This hit our family really hard. We have all pulled together to try and stay strong through these hard times.
My life pretty much consists of work and school. I am currently a full time student and a full time employee. I am the Financial Secretary at West Mobile Baptist Child Development Center. I have been working at the CDC for five years and have enjoyed every minute of it. I love children and I feel that we touch so many lives everyday. The CDC is a ministry of West Mobile Baptist Church. We are so thankful that the church provided us with a place for the center. The best thing about work is the people; everyone there has such a great spirit, so I have to say going to work is a breath of fresh air. If you are interested in learning more about where I work you can visit the website for the church which is http://www.westmobilebaptist.org. Once you get to the website go to the Child Development and you can click on my e-mail if you have any questions.
I am currently enrolled at the University of South Alabama. I have been attending for two years and I am now a sophomore. It took a lot for me to go to college, because I had many problems getting financial aid and I was almost ready to give up. I kept my head held high and finally got in. My major here at South is Elementary Education. I am very excited about making teaching my career because as I have said before I love children. Many people try to discourage me about teaching because of the economy today but I do not let them get to me. I feel that if God put the desire in my heart to teach then he will make a way for it to happen.
In my spare time, which is not much, I spend time with friends and family as much as possible. I am also addicted to my cell phone and could probably text message with my eyes closed, so honestly I would say that is my favorite hobby. I spend a lot of time on http://www.facebook.com to keep in touch with all my friends and family. When you go to the website you may search for me using my first and last name. Feel free to stop by add me as a friend. I am always looking for new people to talk to.

First Post :)

My first time posting something on the blogger was a little confusing at first just because I was not used to using this particular website. I actually had more trouble creating the account with google than figuring out how to make a post on the blogger. I think this is a really creative way of receiving information from your students and probaly would have been more useful in my CIS 150 class. I am sure i will get the hang of it and eventually catch on to the swing of things.