Blog Assignment 1: Student Profile

I am not what most would consider a "traditional student". I actually "started" college in the fall of 1986 at Hinds Community College in Raymond, MS, transferred to USM the following fall of 1987 and "dropped out" in the fall of 1988 with the intention to return "soon". One marriage, two children and about twenty years later here I am! Hi, my name is Lorie Busby and I am an Elementary Education major at the University of Southern Mississippi. My current occupation led me to decide to return to school; I am a teaching assistant in kindergarten and I absolutely love what I do.

Over the course of the years, I have written a variety of letters, papers, thoughts and experiences. Probably one of the most difficult papers that I have written academically would be my Teaching Philosophy, when there are so many different beliefs as to why and how I would teach, it was hard to pinpoint the most important. I have also written several speeches and literature essays that I enjoyed researching and writing. As far as professional or work place writing that I have done, well, I have written legal documents for an attorney, church bulletins, resume letters, resignation letters and proposal letters, oh, and weekly class updates (I have worked in several different areas). But probably the most difficult piece that I have ever written on a personal level was my memories and thoughts of my mother for the Priest that officiated her funeral. It is very difficult to write about something so emotional, even now I tear up thinking about it.

True writing is never easy for anyone, if they say it is, well...it must not be very interesting or intriguing to read. For any piece to have any meaning, whether it is an essay, speech, novel or even a text, it takes thought and time to get it just right. If not it would loose the audiences’ attention and would serve no purpose.

As for this class, I am not sure what I hope to learn. Maybe how to organize my thoughts better? It should be a challenge since it does not focus primarily on one subject but rather a variety of areas. Do I have worries? Yes, I do but I am a worrier when it comes to my assignments and wanting them done correctly.

Blog Assignment 1: Student Profile

I am not what most would consider a "traditional student". I actually "started" college in the fall of 1986 at Hinds Community College in Raymond, MS, transferred to USM the following fall of 1987 and "dropped out" in the fall of 1988 with the intention to return "soon". One marriage, two children and about twenty years later here I am! Hi, my name is Lorie Busby and I am an Elementary Education major at the University of Southern Mississippi. My current occupation led me to decide to return to school; I am a teaching assistant in kindergarten and I absolutely love what I do.

Over the course of the years, I have written a variety of letters, papers, thoughts and experiences. Probably one of the most difficult papers that I have written academically would be my Teaching Philosophy, when there are so many different beliefs as to why and how I would teach, it was hard to pinpoint the most important. I have also written several speeches and literature essays that I enjoyed researching and writing. As far as professional or work place writing that I have done, well, I have written legal documents for an attorney, church bulletins, resume letters, resignation letters and proposal letters, oh, and weekly class updates (I have worked in several different areas). But probably the most difficult piece that I have ever written on a personal level was my memories and thoughts of my mother for the Priest that officiated her funeral. It is very difficult to write about something so emotional, even now I tear up thinking about it.

True writing is never easy for anyone, if they say it is, well...it must not be very interesting or intriguing to read. For any piece to have any meaning, whether it is an essay, speech, novel or even a text, it takes thought and time to get it just right. If not it would loose the audiences’ attention and would serve no purpose.

As for this class, I am not sure what I hope to learn. Maybe how to organize my thoughts better? It should be a challenge since it does not focus primarily on one subject but rather a variety of areas. Do I have worries? Yes, I do but I am a worrier when it comes to my assignments and wanting them done correctly.

Ok

Final Reflection

When I signed up for this course, I thought it would be something like a refresher type computer class. I was definitely wrong about that. It has been fun learning about the different ways that technology can be used in the classroom. I have a better understanding as to why there should be more computers in the classroom. I really do see the benefits that technology has to offer the youngest of learners. Programs that are designed to promote reading and math are wonderful tools.

I think my weakest point was probably getting started on projects. In the beginning, my slow Internet connection really distressed me. It made it hard to focus on getting projects done. But that was finally resolved, thank goodness, and I was able to buckle down and get to work. I would say that my strongest point is my ability to adapt easily to computer programs and navigate around the Internet. Most everything I have learned up until taking this course, I have taught myself, whether by “playing” on the computer or by reading books to figure out programs such as “Excel”.

This is probably the most “discussion” involved online course I have taken out of the 11 that I have enrolled in so far. Peers from this class in particular have been very helpful. The instructor has been GREAT! I had a problem earlier in the semester, sent her and e-mail, and she called me within 10 minutes. She was very helpful in solving my dilemma, and I was so thankful that she was able to call me immediately. Which was totally unexpected.

I used e-mail more than any other communication tool that we had available. Not only is it more familiar to me and seems to be more personal, it also seems to be the quicker way to view responses to individuals. The discussion boards were informative, but very time consuming, so I did not go back and check responses often enough. As far as chat rooms, voice board and the live classroom, it is difficult to schedule in these types of communicative tools. I would rather be in a face-to-face class than sit and type a lot. The blog did have its advantages though; I enjoyed reading my peers responses to assignments and viewing their links. It gives me a better understanding sometimes of what our assignments are about and how others viewed how to do it.

I am very excited to use the knowledge that I have gained from this class and apply it to the students that I work with. I wish everyone luck in this journey we have chosen to help enrich our lives so that we too can pass along this knowledge to our own students.

Assistive Technology Assignment

The Assistive Technology assignment was probably the hardest assignment for me. It is not very easy to work with a partner on internet assignments. I guess I am just old fashioned, but I find face-to-face partner assignments a little bit easier. Difficult to squeeze in timewise, but probably easier because you are more or less forced to complete work in a more timely manner. Tools like these are more easily by-passed by e-mailing.

Web Site

This was a great assignment. Teacher websites are a wonderful tool in many ways. Number one...no waiting to have newsletters printed and then putting in folders to go home! I call this going green. Also, for parents on the go, it is a excellent tool to keep up with their children's class assignments and activities. Most important though it the line of communication that it opens between parents and teachers. It helps keep both sides well informed.

http://sites.google.com/site/mrsbusbysclass/

Turnitin

The turnitin assignment was very enlightening! I never really knew how teachers were able to check plagarized papers, so this was definitely a learning experience. I was in the 95% range on my first try and got it down to 19% on my second try. This website would be very beneficial for students in that it would "force" them to correct their errors and think about what to write more. As for the teachers perspective, I could see how a tool such as this would help them find those who have plagarized papers.

http://13472225174503952475-a-g.googlegroups.com/web/Turnitin-Lorie.pdf?hl=en&gda=Y4oeikUAAACqk5jgZMghTwuFja4U4szd3vac2-Q575KgeNoasVsE-Wqo1VdSBG8fAPb3uoqtdf0cn8WIbWh5zqeDKtDBmq67Gu1iLHeqhw4ZZRj3RjJ_-A&gsc=w-uwngsAAAAuzBAMW85w7jNiAh-mMh3J