Thank you Pinterest

As we all know, Pinterest is a big deal. I, myself, am a self admitted Pinterest Junkie. I find and use recipes from here at least twice a week. Lately I've needed some motivation. This 'pin' says it all...whether you need the reminder to eat right and exercise, let go of pessimism or just relax a little, I feel the most important one is to Tell yourself you can do this! It's always nice to hear other people pump you up and motivate or tell you what you want to hear but its a whole other level when you can tell yourself and believe what you're saying!

Loving Haiti! Please Help!!

Close family friends have made it their mission to help an orphanage in Haiti. The orphanage has lost power, making life that much more challenging. The Faith of my friends and the people at the orphanage is amazing. They are trying to raise enough money to get power back to the orphanage in the way of solar panels so that this problem won't happen again!
PLEASE HELP! They are so close to reaching their goal and any amount helps! Their is no donation too small.
You can read more about the orphanage and how to donate by clicking HERE!!! This also happens to be her blog. Now talk about purpose and direction!!!

Let's Go GIANTS, Let's GO!

Who didn't become a NY Giants Fan when Kevin Boss (played at WOU) was a Giant??? I went to HS with Kevin and are family friends (yes, I name dropped and tooted my own horn for knowing an NFL player). Now he plays for the Raiders but now a little piece of me is still a Giants fan...

Here is a pic of me and Kevin back in June...

But he's not the only reason I want the Giants to win the Super Bowl...

THIS GUY Tom Brady and the Patriots beat my Broncos! I've always thought Brady was kind of a goober (actually liked his interview last weekend but won't admit it out loud). This video makes me laugh every time!!!! GOOBER!

GO GIANTS!!

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

Direction? Who needs direction?! Thank you for those who commented on one of my recent posts about what direction to take this blog. I had it in my head that I needed a "main idea." However, after your comments and a great conversation with my mom, I'm not going to muzzle myself. The best advice was from my mom. "Just do you."
I don't find myself to be real interesting. My life is not glamorous. However, I think that is how I will relate to most people! I think most people are probably normal people just like me...I like to think so anyway.
 A typical day for me is includes anything and everything that my kids need...I'm up early and off to the gym, breakfast and get everyone ready for the day,  dropping off to preschool then picking up, lunch time, nap time, dinner time, swimming lessons, basketball camp, bath time and kids' bed time. Now I do homework, sneak a few chocolate chips, watch Kim and Kourtney Take New York something educational and informational...like American Idol :)

This is a picture of me and my favorites...minus the husband. This pretty much sums us up. This particular day, my son tripped over his own feet out front of Fred Meyer and scraped his nose. It really was no big deal...he didn't even know his nose hit the ground until I told him but he insisted on wearing the band aide for days. The laundry you see behind us is on the back of the couch. It probably sat there for at least three hours before it made its way into their respective bedrooms...and three hours would be on a good day.

Although I'm lucky if I get a shower before noon, still trying to lose the "baby weight", cry when I watch the Lion King, get the tune of Yo Gabba Gabba stuck in my head, and consider a day with no time outs a 'good day,' I know that this is exactly where I should be at in my life.  I love it, wouldn't change it. But I'm also very excited to have this outlet where I can bring out my inner nerd and start blogging about big kid stuff!

Found this on Pinterest and loved...

From here on out...

I have been trying to decide what direction I want to take this blog. Here are a few ideas I had about possible "content" for my blog...
-documenting my MAT journey
-Health and Fitness.
-Parenting, household, that type of stuff
-just a blog about "hot topics." Whether its about issues in education, around the globe, or local news and media...just get my views and opinions out there.

Whatever I decide to do with this, I want it to be interesting to the people who take the time to read it. So now I ask YOU! What are your interests? What blogs do you read on a regular basis?

Journal Articles

The first article I read was read was Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Blogging Across the Disciplines: Integrating Technology to Enhance Liberal Learning, Davi, A., Frydenber, M., Gulati, G., Vol. 3, No. 3, September 2007.

This article is geared toward the use of blogs in college courses and integrating this popular technology into the classroom. A study was conducted at a business university in three different courses. They used the blog the same way for each class...assign readings, post discussion questions and reflections. The author discusses the many ways in which blogs are beneficial in the classroom. By creating an online form of communication, it can create a sense of community outside the classroom, allow students to interact with one another and give every student an equal voice. Blogs can also be used an "online diary" where students can write about their own thoughts, feelings and experiences related to their specific course topics.
This article also discusses the differences in gender and technology. To my surprise, the article says that women are more likely to feel intimidated about participating in the blog and have less online experience than men. However, their studies showed that women found that women benefited more from their blogging experience.

I enjoyed this article. This article was from 2007 and it seems that a lot of my college courses are moving toward the discussion/reflection outside the classroom. I'm sure we are all familiar with Moodle and in a sense, our discussion forums on Moodle are a type of blog. I would also agree that it creates an open platform for everyone to join in the discussion. More often than not, I find that my classes usually have one or two students that are more outspoken than everyone else. On the flip side, there are probably others that are not as comfortable to speak in front of the whole classroom. Blogging and communication might be easier for those who are less likely to engage in the classroom to be part of the discussion.

Article #2 came from Australasian Journal of Education Technology, Exploring the Use of Blogs as Learning Spaces in the Higher Education Sector, Williams, J., Vol. 20, Issue 2, 2004, Pg 232-247. This article talks about what a blog is and how it has evolved into a powerful technology teaching/informational tool. It discusses how blogs are used in everyday life and how it is being introduced and used in classes in higher education. It looked at two different studies and concluded that students who were asked to use blogs as part of class participation found it to be beneficial and helpful. There was very little negative feedback.
Both articles that I read revealed similar information so this particular article did not surprise me or introduce anything new. This article was written in 2004 and it is kind of interesting to see how all of their findings compare to today. I am familiar with different types of blogs and have regular blogs that I read daily. Some for entertainment and some for informational purposes. I think researchers knew that blogging was an up and coming thing...hence the research and articles!

Introducing...

Good Afternoon! My name is Traci Beaver. I am a new student at WOU and just started my journey in the MAT program. I would like to teach middle and high school health when it is all said and done.

I got my start at OSU and graduated with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. Shortly after graduation, I married my husband, Cass, and we decided to start our family. I am now a mother to my two beautiful children, Nathan age 4, and Kendall age 1.5. For the last four plus years, I have been blessed to be a stay-at-home mom. During my time at home, I started a blog that revolved mostly around stories and updates about my kids. We spent a year living in Coos Bay and this was an easy way to share pictures and stories about our day to day lives away from our extended family.

 About three years ago I was given an opportunity to coach volleyball at the high school JV level. This is where I got my start at teaching/coaching at the adolescent level. I feel like this is where I really should focus my career.

So now I'm here. Because I already enjoy blogging, I am not that good at it! My personal blog is very basic. I often have great ideas about motherhood issues and other "hot topics" but have not been able to transition my blog to a more professional, thought provoking, interesting blog. I want to learn how to market my new blog to others outside my family and have it taken seriously. I also feel like technology is the way of the future. I think that communication with parents and students via the internet, blogs, etc. is becoming more and more popular and common.

I am really looking forward to this course and hope I can use this blog even after our four short weeks.