So here I am learning how to put everything in Google - docs, presentations, RSS feeds, email, and chat and I'm afraid I'm going to forget how to use it all! At the same time, I'm learning how to use tumblr and putting all the video, chat, audio, text, quotes, links into one place and make it all look pretty. The essential question I asked in my research has some good answers, but whether I'll be able to put it all to use in my classroom is still the big unknown. I hope my AP will be a little le…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 16, 2008 at 1:00pm —
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Okay, a plan seems to be emerging, thanks to all of you. I think, Julie, that you hit a note with me in suggesting that I create a presentation that will make the school look good. We received an "A" rating last year for our quality review, but it was a low A. My principal really wants to raise that into more solid territory, and this desire may be an inroad into getting what I need. What I'll have to do is develop a plan that will feed into one or more of the ratings categories of the quality r…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 15, 2008 at 10:13am —
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Wow! I mentioned to Paul that there is no way to read everything that is sent to Google Reader via an RSS feed. yes, it's a nice way to manage the information highway, but it is highly intimidating. One might think that it could quickly become overwhelming. I guess the key is to know when to walk away. My problem is that I'm not sure I'd even be willing to embark for fear that I would be sucked in by the aura of having so much knowledge. I'm the first one to admit that I love it when students sa…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 14, 2008 at 1:57pm —
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So many things are going through my head today. I made the mistake of looking at my credit card bill online last night - $75 gas, $25 Easypass, $76 gas, $25 Easypass, etc., etc. The stipend will barely cover it all, not to mention the wear and tear on me and my car. I hate driving up to the Bronx every day. I never know how bad the traffic will be, how long the bridge will be backed up, whether there will be an accident. . . I've enjoyed this class tremendously, and I've learned so much, but I w…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 14, 2008 at 10:08am —
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 9, 2008 at 1:00pm —
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With so much going on now between nings, blogs, twitter, voice thread, hypertextopia and now skype, I'm becoming concerned that come September when I have to teach my students how to use some of this stuff, I'm going to be totally blank. What happens when I don't use all this stuff for a couple of weeks (going on vaca in August) and I come back as even more of a neophyte than I am now (if that's possibl…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 9, 2008 at 10:00am —
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Well, today I arrived 15 minutes late after sitting on the second longest parking lot in the world for 40 minutes (the Pelham Pkwy, the first being the Long Island Expwy.), to find a discussion of the text book in progress (finally!). I read it so long ago, it seems, that I had to really concentrate to figure out what everyone was discussing. As I mentioned before, I'm not sure how to integrate project based learning into the Workshop Model (of TC fame) that I am required to utilize in my classr…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 9, 2008 at 9:54am —
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I looked at some of the comments I received over the weekend and it is very exciting that people outside our little group are reading our stories! I'm not sure I agree with or even care for some of the comments, but right now that is beside the point.
I'm a little technologied out right now (a little overwhelmed) and it took a lot for me to sit down in front of the computer and get to work, but since we are trying something new today, I'm hoping that it will capture my interest and I'll want to…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 7, 2008 at 11:16am —
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Not only does Hypertextopia (I still hate typing that word) require me to think differently as a writer because it does not have to be lineal, it also requires me to think about writing in layers. What does that mean? It means that not only do I have to satisfactorily record my thoughts, but then I have to go back and record deeper meanings, thoughts and ideas. For example, the links I added are my own creation and when I added them I had to think about what I intended those links to accomplish…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 3, 2008 at 1:53pm —
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My Hypertextopia story is complete! Hooray! The title is
"Having Kids." Julie M. and I have been working together, and I have to say it has really been a wonderful collaboration. Today I added lots of links that provide more details, insights and reflections on my story. This truly is MY story. The neat thing about Hypertextopia that I took advantage of is the possibility of creating different branches to our stories. I learned over my life…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 3, 2008 at 11:00am —
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So last night I had a brief opportunity to look at Ning again. As I mentioned at the morning discussion, I received a lovely email in response to my request to remove the Google ads that are listed on the side of my Ning page. The Ning people seemed very excited that I was using a Ning for educational purposes and were very helpful in editing my page for the purpose of using it as part of my pedagogy. They removed the ads, and also told me how to remove the Ning logo and the created by . . . I a…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 3, 2008 at 10:03am —
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Today's session was much better. Although I got a little bogged down in trying to integrate the advanced features of Hypertextopia into my story, making my story more cohesive and congruent, I felt much more challenged today than I had yesterday. I found myself looking forward to writing today even though I'm still not thrilled with Hypertextopia. Although I like the idea of using the links to help students develop more active reading skills, I can see the benefit of using this as a writing tool…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 2, 2008 at 1:52pm —
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Yes, that's a play on words. Yesterday afternoon I didn't know what to do with myself. I was trying to utilize play time constructively, but I was a little tired of writing and staring at the screen. I felt like I would have been much more involved had I picked up pen and paper - despite the fact that I have been composing on a computer since 1985 (I'm really dating myself!). I guess it was the fact that I wasn't thrilled with Hypertextopia. I understand the idea of it, and Julie M. made a good…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 2, 2008 at 9:46am —
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I'm not sure I see how this space is any different from any other writing space. Yes, the graphic nature of this is nice, but you can do this anywhere - not necessarily even on a computer. I find it disconcerting and distracting that I can't see the whole page - I don't like that little writing box. Maybe by the time we get to the end, I'll understand the significance of using this site, but I'm not there yet. I'm usually not skeptical of technology based tools, but this one has me baffled. What…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 1, 2008 at 1:59pm —
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I'm still not as comfortable with this site as I'd like to be. It seems that each time I log on it looks different. Maybe that's because I keep adding stuff? I like to see the same thing each time because it creates a level of familiarity that keeps my stress level low. I have to wonder whether I'm doing things correctly because I don't know if it's supposed to look that way. Oh well, I guess if it was wrong, someone (Paul) would say something.
I began reading the textbook and I am not thrilled…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on July 1, 2008 at 9:44am —
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I seem to always have such big plans, but when it comes to implementation, I hit unforeseen roadblocks that end up frustrating me to no end, then I have to reconfigure my plans and it ends up being something completely different (and not usually as effective) as originally planned. So I spent the afternoon setting up my own Ning that I intend to use not only in my classroom, but for homework, discussion boards and communication with my students. Will it work that way, probably not, but I remain…
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Added by Wendy Farkas on June 30, 2008 at 1:59pm —
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This is my finished voice thread. 
