Bluetooth
Apparently my cellphone has bluetooth. I don't know what exactly bluetooth is, but I am one step closer after today at the library. We first played with a scanner and tried to install it to the computer (which I took apart and hooked back together for my requirements... 2 down 7 to go!) but it just wasn't working. So then we played with this cool thing that I don't know how to explain (I couldn't even Google it because my vocabulary is limited) but it was very cool. Via bluetooth, it connected to the computer and we could play on the internet and then write on it. We imported a United States Map and then I put checkmarks everywhere that I have lived. It was exciting.

Yesterday at 11:08 I emailed the librarians in Texas to get them to take me on as the "mentee" (they, one of them really, would be the mentor). They have not yet replied. I am kicking myself for not emailing sooner (hehe just checked my spam file on gmail and it says "Hooray! No Spam here!") but I didn't want to email sooner because then I would have had to email sooner. Makes sense I am sure. But it was only one day ago and I am sure they (there were three people I emailed for heaven's sake!) will not leave me hanging for long.



- posted by Alicia @ 4:08 PM |

 
You made my day
Thanks Jacki for showing me one of the coolest blogs (and potentially the subject of a copyright lawsuit!!!) out there. It makes me crack up just thinking about it. What a way to use the internet. Sadly, however, it reminds me of the time in high school I left my purse on top of my car and drove away. My camera was in it. These girls from high school took a few pictures (bad pictures, no not dirty, just things like the floor and feet) before returning everything. It was like they did not understand how to operate my simple point and shoot camera. Their loss.

Now I am off to turn in my substitute application that I have had for exactly one month and two days (had FILLED OUT mind you). I am hoping that they will rush my application and I can attend the orientation on Wednesday. Or I am subconsciously hoping that, alas, I am too late and its not *really* my fault, is it?

Oh and the funniest thing about the new blog? Yep, they have a gmail account.

- posted by Alicia @ 10:48 AM |

 
Football, blogging, and Gmail...
The world is going crazy. Gmail is out of control. But first, a high school football game.

Last night, I went to my small town football game. There are two high schools here. There used to be only one but they split just a few years ago. I don't quite understand the split, because (as cities in Texas have learned) you can have better football teams by splitting the high school into 9,10 and 11,12 rather than two whole 9-12 schools. And isn't everything about football? I guess not here, because that is not what they did. So last night was the big rivalry game between the two high schools and the whole freaking town came out. It was truly something out of a corny made for tv movie. It was packed. Also the stands were smaller than I was used to in both high school and certainly in college so the field was SO close. It was crazy. Some of the students were scared that something bad would happen because evidently the high school rivalry is quite fierce. (In a high school game while I was in high school we had a streaker during the marching band time. It led to some excitement and a few arrests. I was sorta hoping for some excitement like that, but nothing happend.)

I have been on some high school english teacher's websites lately looking at the CyberEnglish courses, where the whole class is concerned with making an online portfolio. It looks interesting. It teaches HTML and computer stuff which is the future. It made me think (in Travis from Clueless, "OK, like, the way I feel about the Rolling Stones is the way my kids are going to feel about Nine Inch Nails" kind of way"). The way that I know how to type correctly and use the regular computer is how my kids will know HTML and all the cool internet things. That is so encouraging. And makes me want to know everything that they are going to know because I don't want to seem behind the times. But I already am. Oh well. I am doing my best to stay semi-informed on what is going on with the internet and blogging and how it is having an effect on education. I am excited to use it when I get my teaching certificate and start teaching. Slowly but surely I am collecting cool ideas.

This gmail thing is out of control. Now there is a song about gmail.(Lyrics here... scroll down a ways) I don't know what to say. It's just kind of crazy. But I do LOVE my new gmail account and find the way the conversations are still separated in yahoo rather annoying. And its sad that I need to keep yahoo for my listservs so that I still have the yahoogroup access. And there is still the yahoo-has-been-so-good-to-me-guilt. Oh well.

- posted by Alicia @ 4:15 PM |

 
Day 2...
Today was day 2 in the high school library. Today, I succeeded in staying until noon, 1/2 hour longer than I stayed last week. Yea me! Today went a lot smoother. I knew who the librarian was, who the Para was, who the student aides were, and basically how the library worked. It was nice coming in and not having that, "Who are you and what are you doing here in a high school library" look on everyone's face.

It was also a very productive day. First I entered some books into the library automation software. They use Spectrum, which is very different from Dynix that I used at my time at the public library. Spectrum is very easy to use. I successfully checked in a student's book by myself and also did some copy-catalogging. I felt guilty about the "copy" part, though and wished I had my copy of the AACR2 on me so that I could make sure I was doing everything right. What a nerd.

Later this morning we got out the super cool technology and started playing with it. We hooked up a document camera to a projector and later a laptop to the projector. It was exciting. I got one of my nine AV setups complete. (For one of my classes I need to show that I am competant enough to hook up a TV/VCR, laminator, etc.)

That was enough productivity for me to clock out and take my starving self home to eat. Yum.

- posted by Alicia @ 5:59 PM |

 
Barnes and Noble fun
Today I went to Barnes and Noble to study. I also needed to buy an HTML book, because I was technically supposed to buy one for my Audio Visual Materials class. But it cost $50 and I thought I could wing it. And I still think I could, especially with all the resources available online. But, I thought it would make it easier on myself to just break down and buy a good HTML book so that I wouldn't be flipping through so many browsers and could instead have a book in my lap while working throught the online tutorial and quiz. Anyway, I studied, reading 2.3 chapters. Then I went searching for a good HTML book. The only requirement was that it covered the elements I will be quizzed on and that it cost LESS than $50, thereby making the purchase a wiser decision.

So I ended up getting a Web something for Dummies book, costing only 34.99. Wow! I thought I would use a few of those saved dollars on some goodies (but still educational goodies) for me. I kept looking a few minutes in the Computer/Programming section and found another book (one of those made and promoted heavily by Barnes and Noble) that was only $9.95! Super Wow! So then I was really able to buy some goodies! And I did.

I bought Count of Monte Cristo, because its a classic that I have not read and I LOVE the movie. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, because it is a great read and now I can share it with everyone I know without paying late fines. A copy of Bookmarks magazine, because it has an article on graphic novels, and of course my HTML book. The great thing was that the BN discount is worth 10% this week, double what it normally is, enough to mostly subsidize my study food: an oatmeal raisin cookie and tall Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea.

- posted by Alicia @ 6:57 PM |

 
Everybody needs a backup plan
I need my two years of teaching experience. I need this within the next three years so that my first masters course and two years of teaching experierience all happen within five years. So I have applied to an accellerated teaching program in Texas where a friend might have moved. But now the chances look better for her to move to another city. So now I am in the process of applying there. Now I also have to decide why I would want to live where. On top of that, I need to pick a librarian mentor who i have never met in a high school where I have never been in a city in which I do not currently live. Life is not easy. But at least now I have a backup plan. Grrr.

- posted by Alicia @ 3:42 PM |

 
Library Observation
This week I spent half a day at the local high school library. It was a test to see if I really thought I would like the enviornment and the kind of work being done. Would I enjoy what I have put myself on the road to being my future? I did. I like the flexibility of seeing different people and doing different things and working with both students and faculty. It was a very quiet day at the library when I was there, so I didn't get to see much actual teaching or educating. The lirbary there is in charge of checking out textbooks so I got to do some processing of those. I hope that I can see more of the collaberating with teachers and really working and not just administrative stuff. I will be going back once a week, both to observe and help out and get information and requirements taken care of for my MLS classes this semester.

- posted by Alicia @ 11:07 AM |

 
On Blogging
I have spent too many hours in the past few days working on how I want this blog to look. It's really bad that I don't have the money or intellect (computer speaking) to make a really cool blog. But I have decided that this will have to do and I am happy with it so far.

Things I should have been doing while working on this blog:
1. Read articles on Block Scheduling and the Library Media Center
2. Read WebCT postings so that I am counted "present" for class today
3. Pick up my closet -o- clothes off of the floor of my room
4. Eat breakfast
5. Dry my hair
6. Start on Inspiration project for Audio Visual Class (this software is amazing!)
7. Pay Bills
8. Find people to give my gmail account invites to.

Things I have discovered instead of doing the above 8 things:
1. When I am a teacher I am going to have to pay money and be more computer savvy so that I can have a wonderful website
2. Blogging is the personal essay sort of book of the future.
3. My eyes get tired when looking at the computer screen too long.



- posted by Alicia @ 10:05 AM |

 
To the future...
With my new gmail account, and my recent obsession with reading people's blogs and blogging in general and learning about blogging in education, I figured it was about time I started my own blog. So here goes.

- posted by Alicia @ 5:16 PM |