UEN.org

As with many teacher helps out there, UEN.org can make the teaching load a little lighter. There are a lot of awesome helps such as video clips that you can incorporate into the classroom learning. From my brief experience with it, I have discovered two main features that I really enjoy.
The pioneer library feature is great! you can pull up current newspaper articles and encyclopedias. (This is always handy when you have curious students.) I also really like the lesson planner. I have made lesson plans before and it was kind of a pain to flip through the core that I printed off. With the lesson planner, the core objectives, standards, and indicators are very organized and easy to find. You can also store all of you lesson plans in one place so none of them get lost!

Blogging in the Classroom

Today we discussed how blogging can be an asset for the classroom. I really like the idea of creating a classroom blog. It is a great place to show parents what your class is doing and is involved with. I think it is a great way to get parents involved with the classroom.
Also it is cool to have students have their own blog for their journaling. Of course you would have to keep it a safe environment so I think that it would be a good idea for the teacher to be the main author and the student as a secondary author. That way the teacher can edit what the student writes if it is not appropriate.

Dollhouse

While walking through the Hobby Lobby here in Logan, Dan and I came across all of these amazing dollhouses! Dan talked me into buying one and I have been so excited to get it done. I made a lot of progress and then school started. I look forward to weekends not just because school is out but because I can work a little bit more on my house.

This is the inside and outside of the house so far. I still have a ways to go! and yes that is wallpaper.

I was introduced to the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman series by Pamela Aiden. It is basically Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's perspective. I really enjoyed reading them and recommend them to any Jane Austen fans.

Into Another Semester

Well fall semester ended quite well. Daniel is now in the Electrical Engineering Program and is preparing for another semester of hard work. I is in the transition semester and is taking a variety of classes. My instructional technology class requires me to create a blog and make postings for assignments. This will make me update more often than I have been used to!

This week I auditioned for and made it into the Cache Chamber Orchestra. It is a community orchestra that a teacher's aid I worked with told me about. Dr. Robert Frost asked me to be principle 2nd violin. It will be a big job. I am a little intimidated because there are older people in the orchestra. I guess I just worry what they think about a young 20-yr-old taking over the section.
I am so excited to be playing again. When I found out that it was audition only...I practiced hard. Sad to say I wasn't used to playing so much and gave myself a blister on my left hand! It was painful to practice but I was determined. I am grateful that the Lord helped me get past the pain and eventually make the blister go away.

Daniel now has a job at WestHost. It is a webhosting company and one of the fastest growing. He is enjoying working there even though it requires him to be at work early-2AM.

School is our Life

Well since October Daniel and I have been immersed in our school work. We only have 3 weeks left counting finals week! We got out once a week to Bajio or Bedo's--SOOOO GOOD! Sometimes it might seem that we dropped of the face of the earth but we just want our family to know that we are thinking about them and praying for them.

Congrats to Ty and Kristi for the birth of their new boy!

Hope to see you soon!