Well, one week has gone by since Chris flew back to Michigan and I have, thus far, felt great about my move!
We arrived Saturday night around 5:30 pm (MTN time zone), went to Patricia and Erik's favorite Sushi restaurant, then to Patricia's favorite bar and finally to a super hipster bar in downtown Denver. By that time it was about Midnight (2 AM Michigan time) and Chris and I were ready to konk out.
Sunday, we went to Patricia's fave breakfast joint then Chris studied at a library, Patricia and I organized a bit, hung out and went on a walk. After our walk, Patricia, Tron and I went on another walk/jog to Whole Foods (Patricia likes that place a little too much, in my personal opinion, lol.), Erik made some dinner, Chris came home to eat then headed out to see a buddy in Downtown Denver and I hit-sheet!
Monday, Chris planned on heading to A-Basin to get a day of skiing in, but slept in and ended up studying at a library nearby while Patricia, Tron and I headed out on a hike and Erik flew to a work-related destination.
I have to say, Patricia was quite instrumental in the fact that I was completely organized by the time I had to say goodbye to Chris! My closet was organized with shoes in their slots, pants hung, shirts hung, and all workout gear (I say all because of the amount of gear I have! lol) folded on a shelf of my black organizer, undergarmets and socks in their bins, laundry basket in its designated location, pictures arranged on my boards, The Hunger Games on my book shelf, textbooks on bookshelf, clock/alarm plugged in, bed and sheets put together, chair for desk bought, desk situation completed, the food I brought/bought was organized in the fridge/my shelf, house key obtained and iPhone AND skis delivered! ...yes, all before Chris left on Monday night! I know right, pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! I was feeling quite proud of myself!
Last week, Erik was out of town on business, so it was Patricia, Tron (their dog) and me at their condo. Tuesday, Patricia had class downtown, so I figured to take Tron on a run and get my school work going and get situated. Patricia came back pretty late and Tron was konked-out from our run. We were all beat, so an early bedtime for us! Wednesday, I was home with Tron as Patricia had to work at the Dental office. Tron and I went on a pretty good run! I was excited! Then, once Patricia arrived home, we did a 'HIIT the Beach' workout and it kicked out behinds! Bedtime for us to get ready for an early morning workout at the PEAK workout facility with Erik's Mom, Linda, at 7 am. Thursday's workout was AMAZING! I ran a solid 3 miles, then did some agility, abs and legs and felt quite proud of my AM. Later, Patricia had to go downtown again for classes, and this time I decided to join her as I had homework to do as well! (YEAH Master's Program!) It worked out quite well as I completed a good amount of my weekly readings and homework! Friday was a travel day for me as I was visiting Jaci in Texas for the weekend so an early night was definitely in the making. However, a bit of nightmare around 2 am had Patricia and I with knives and a taser in hand as we entered her bedroom. Needless to say, I don't think I've ever laughed that hard at 2 am IN MY LIFE! Each time I have told the story, in more detail than this, I haven't been able to get it out without laughing hysterically...so hard I cried and was bent over as my abs hurt so much!!! Yes, the story of the lives of Patricia and Katie...living together...even at the ages of 25 and 26! WOW, that is a night I will never forget!
Thank goodness, Patricia was still able to pull herself out of bed at 5 am to take me to the airport and I was off to Texas! Yeehaw, ride 'em cowboys!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Week 3 Reflection
reflect on the videos in the Unit 1 folder as well as the Prensky reading and the articles on Generation Edge.
How have each of these described YOUR students?
What have each of the articles and videos shown/said that doesn't describe your students at all?
Are there any characteristics, traits or behaviors of your students that none of these authors have even mentioned?
**Basically, how do your students compare to what these authors have to say?
In regards to the 1998, Alan November article, my opinion differswith each point he makes. When I go into a classroom, I am amazed by the magic of a teacher, and I say to this teacher, "This is incredible. You ought to write an article or put this up on your Web site." But the teacher says, "No, I just do this everyday. Nothing special here." Teachers don't know how special they are. They wouldn't know because they don't have a collective sense.
This is not about technology. It's about understanding the impact of technology on how students learn."
But if you focus on information communication planning and you ask every teacher, "What information do you want? What relationships do you want?" then every teacher can participate
*The parent validation of their child's work would definitely be useful at the secondary level. For those students who try to "play" thier parents and teachers against each other, this would be a way to not have the teacher taking the role of the "bad guy" and their parents would actually see why their children are earning the grades they are
LIVE VIDEOS IN CLASSROOMS- I disagree. Until Unions are no longer or educators do not have to worry about parents questioning instructional style and content, I believe videoingan entire classroom/class will not happen. Playing devils advocate, what about the students whose mother or father are restricted from 'seeing' them; would this be acceptable for them to view/connect to? Yes, the school could have a private system set up similar to the system the teacher in the article uses as an example. However, the district would need the funds to set it up and create the individual security keys for each individual student and in each individual class they attend; this could be seen as a large financial barrier.
On the ottther hand, having a live feed administrators/parents can conect toat any point iin time throughout the day would keep teachers on their toes at all times; some may be thinking, but shouldn't they be on their toes at all times? I definitely agree with you, however, unfortunately I have had coworkers mention they never teach with their door open because you never know who would walk by and misperceive a comment or a lull period of time and question their professionalism. In her defense, she had a huge success rate both throughout the year and when following them thereafter, students prove the knowledge gained from her class, consistently.
SKILLS WHICH SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN THE CLASSROOM- future focus of teachin should be within the realms of teachiing the skills students needin order to decipher accurate vs. inaccurate informatioon on the web.
How have each of these described YOUR students?
What have each of the articles and videos shown/said that doesn't describe your students at all?
Are there any characteristics, traits or behaviors of your students that none of these authors have even mentioned?
**Basically, how do your students compare to what these authors have to say?
In regards to the 1998, Alan November article, my opinion differswith each point he makes. When I go into a classroom, I am amazed by the magic of a teacher, and I say to this teacher, "This is incredible. You ought to write an article or put this up on your Web site." But the teacher says, "No, I just do this everyday. Nothing special here." Teachers don't know how special they are. They wouldn't know because they don't have a collective sense.
This is not about technology. It's about understanding the impact of technology on how students learn."
But if you focus on information communication planning and you ask every teacher, "What information do you want? What relationships do you want?" then every teacher can participate
*The parent validation of their child's work would definitely be useful at the secondary level. For those students who try to "play" thier parents and teachers against each other, this would be a way to not have the teacher taking the role of the "bad guy" and their parents would actually see why their children are earning the grades they are
LIVE VIDEOS IN CLASSROOMS- I disagree. Until Unions are no longer or educators do not have to worry about parents questioning instructional style and content, I believe videoingan entire classroom/class will not happen. Playing devils advocate, what about the students whose mother or father are restricted from 'seeing' them; would this be acceptable for them to view/connect to? Yes, the school could have a private system set up similar to the system the teacher in the article uses as an example. However, the district would need the funds to set it up and create the individual security keys for each individual student and in each individual class they attend; this could be seen as a large financial barrier.
On the ottther hand, having a live feed administrators/parents can conect toat any point iin time throughout the day would keep teachers on their toes at all times; some may be thinking, but shouldn't they be on their toes at all times? I definitely agree with you, however, unfortunately I have had coworkers mention they never teach with their door open because you never know who would walk by and misperceive a comment or a lull period of time and question their professionalism. In her defense, she had a huge success rate both throughout the year and when following them thereafter, students prove the knowledge gained from her class, consistently.
SKILLS WHICH SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN THE CLASSROOM- future focus of teachin should be within the realms of teachiing the skills students needin order to decipher accurate vs. inaccurate informatioon on the web.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
About me!
Hi there! My name is Kathleen (Katie) Degenhardt and was a full time High School Special Education teacher in Bloomfield Hills. I'm now devoting my time to my master's courses to finish my IT masters as quickly as possible!
I grew up in Troy, however attended Mercy High School in Farmington Hills. I then continued on to Michigan State University and was later accepted to their College of Education, majoring in Special Education- Learning Disabilities and minoring in English. Immediately proceeding graduation/student teaching, I was offered a couple of full time Special Ed. positions and decided on Bloomfield Hills, considering that was where I did my student teaching! I taught in Bloomfield Hills as a high school special education teacher for 4 years. During my 4th year, I made the very difficult decision to resign from teaching and go full time as a student to get my Master's in Instructional Technology. I recently decided to follow my lifelong dream of living out west and made the drive out to Denver, CO...I arrived here YESTERDAY!
While student teaching, I became good friends with our media technician/program/software manager and our District's IT guru for our building; needless to say, I ended up with a few programs/software updates none of our Sp. Ed. or Gen Ed teachers even knew we had. I wanted to use as much technology as our district had to offer, so I immersed myself in that setting. My last year, I had 6 iPads in my classroom which were used everyday by either myself or my students! My students and I learned (with each other) how they could access the curriculum in a way which best suited them.
Besides technology as a hobby, I am a big runner, love yoga, enjoy biking, swimming, photography/scrapbooking, reading-when/if time permits-, hanging out with my 4 brothers, my parents and keeping in close touch with my 20 cousins!
What brought me to the IT masters program? Well, one of my main goals as a Special Education teacher is to teach my students skills, techniques and strategies, they can use in their everyday school setting to show their 'true' knowledge, instead of their knowledge impeded by their disability. My other goal is to find them access to the general ed curriculum, just as their fellow students can easily access. As our world of education is rapidly transforming into a technology friendly environment, not only is knowing how to implement, integrate and utilize the tools technology has to offer, but being on the brink of instructional technology could be life-altering for my Visually Impaired, Reading Disabled, Writing Disabled, etc. students.
The program/path I am beginning is to obtain my Masters of Instructional Technology with an emphasis in K-12 technology integration. I hope to gain a more thorough understanding of what Instructional Technology really means, what it can look like in the K-12 setting and make a thorough conclusion on how to EFFECTIVELY implement and EFFICIENTLY utilize the tool-if and when appropriate.
Additionally, I believe that with a degree in science and technology, I will be very marketable and highly sought-out.
Wayne State's reputation in IT brought me to choose WSU.
As far as a favorite website, it would have to be either TED or Pinterest, as there are a plethora of topics to choose from within the age category needed.
I would like to apologize for my late response as I did not have access to my blackboard account until last night. (Unfortunately, as a result of recently moving, some of my mail was lost in the 'forwarding' process.).
Either way, I look forward to working with each of you and learn from all, as much as possible!
Katie~
"If a child doesn't learn the way you teach, then teach the way they learn." ~Unknown
I grew up in Troy, however attended Mercy High School in Farmington Hills. I then continued on to Michigan State University and was later accepted to their College of Education, majoring in Special Education- Learning Disabilities and minoring in English. Immediately proceeding graduation/student teaching, I was offered a couple of full time Special Ed. positions and decided on Bloomfield Hills, considering that was where I did my student teaching! I taught in Bloomfield Hills as a high school special education teacher for 4 years. During my 4th year, I made the very difficult decision to resign from teaching and go full time as a student to get my Master's in Instructional Technology. I recently decided to follow my lifelong dream of living out west and made the drive out to Denver, CO...I arrived here YESTERDAY!
While student teaching, I became good friends with our media technician/program/software manager and our District's IT guru for our building; needless to say, I ended up with a few programs/software updates none of our Sp. Ed. or Gen Ed teachers even knew we had. I wanted to use as much technology as our district had to offer, so I immersed myself in that setting. My last year, I had 6 iPads in my classroom which were used everyday by either myself or my students! My students and I learned (with each other) how they could access the curriculum in a way which best suited them.
Besides technology as a hobby, I am a big runner, love yoga, enjoy biking, swimming, photography/scrapbooking, reading-when/if time permits-, hanging out with my 4 brothers, my parents and keeping in close touch with my 20 cousins!
What brought me to the IT masters program? Well, one of my main goals as a Special Education teacher is to teach my students skills, techniques and strategies, they can use in their everyday school setting to show their 'true' knowledge, instead of their knowledge impeded by their disability. My other goal is to find them access to the general ed curriculum, just as their fellow students can easily access. As our world of education is rapidly transforming into a technology friendly environment, not only is knowing how to implement, integrate and utilize the tools technology has to offer, but being on the brink of instructional technology could be life-altering for my Visually Impaired, Reading Disabled, Writing Disabled, etc. students.
The program/path I am beginning is to obtain my Masters of Instructional Technology with an emphasis in K-12 technology integration. I hope to gain a more thorough understanding of what Instructional Technology really means, what it can look like in the K-12 setting and make a thorough conclusion on how to EFFECTIVELY implement and EFFICIENTLY utilize the tool-if and when appropriate.
Additionally, I believe that with a degree in science and technology, I will be very marketable and highly sought-out.
Wayne State's reputation in IT brought me to choose WSU.
As far as a favorite website, it would have to be either TED or Pinterest, as there are a plethora of topics to choose from within the age category needed.
I would like to apologize for my late response as I did not have access to my blackboard account until last night. (Unfortunately, as a result of recently moving, some of my mail was lost in the 'forwarding' process.).
Either way, I look forward to working with each of you and learn from all, as much as possible!
Katie~
"If a child doesn't learn the way you teach, then teach the way they learn." ~Unknown
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Beginning of IT6230
The Beginning of IT 6230- Winter 2014
Usage of Gmail and Twitter have been, for at least 5 years now, in my favorites, visited at least once daily, used for social and professional networking and have been known to capture my full attention for much longer than anticipated! The blogging website, Blogger, was introducted to me and utilized during Undergrad, however I forsee myself spending time learning utilization tricks and tips!
Thus far, one tool I have not used, but am aware of and acquainted with, is a RSS reader. Of what I know, a RSS reader gathers desired articles based on the users personal preferences and assembles them into one portfolio; easy access to relevant, craved-for information in a timely and efficient manner is a RSS readers achieved goal.
http://feedly.com/index.html#my
My personal website is a constant work-in-progress! Any constructive comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Technology is an ever-changing topic resulting in the inability to CONTINUOUSLY be on the cusp of the newest, latest and greatest technology (in general), let alone educational or instructional technology. Take a moment and think about how closely intertwined and connected not only educational technology and instructional technology are, but then add in every other deviation of technology; each branch of technology plays a role, in some way, shape or form, with instructional technology and/or educational technology. With that said, in order to attempt to be up on the latest and greatest information in regards to educational and instructional technology, one needs to have an open mind to welcome and encourage comments, suggestions, critiques, discussions of other possibilities other than one's own.
Usage of Gmail and Twitter have been, for at least 5 years now, in my favorites, visited at least once daily, used for social and professional networking and have been known to capture my full attention for much longer than anticipated! The blogging website, Blogger, was introducted to me and utilized during Undergrad, however I forsee myself spending time learning utilization tricks and tips!
Thus far, one tool I have not used, but am aware of and acquainted with, is a RSS reader. Of what I know, a RSS reader gathers desired articles based on the users personal preferences and assembles them into one portfolio; easy access to relevant, craved-for information in a timely and efficient manner is a RSS readers achieved goal.
http://feedly.com/index.html#my
My personal website is a constant work-in-progress! Any constructive comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Technology is an ever-changing topic resulting in the inability to CONTINUOUSLY be on the cusp of the newest, latest and greatest technology (in general), let alone educational or instructional technology. Take a moment and think about how closely intertwined and connected not only educational technology and instructional technology are, but then add in every other deviation of technology; each branch of technology plays a role, in some way, shape or form, with instructional technology and/or educational technology. With that said, in order to attempt to be up on the latest and greatest information in regards to educational and instructional technology, one needs to have an open mind to welcome and encourage comments, suggestions, critiques, discussions of other possibilities other than one's own.
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A Part of Me
My brothers and me at the Rose Bowl 2014...can you guess our team?!??