Hooked In...

So I've spent the better part of my day watching the Women's College World Series (which I've been hooked on for years), but I also spent it in anticipation of the phenomenon known as Kimbo Slice fighting in prime time on CBS.  Little did I know that I would be in for a treat in the four fights leading up to the main event.  To think, game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final was on tonight too, and I barely watched it because this MMA show completely hooked me in.  It also helped that Crush from American Gladiators was fighting tonight and ended up blasting her opponent.  As I type this blog, I just watched Kimbo come from the agony of defeat to win by TKO in the final round.  He has that Mike Tyson-type ability to capture an audience without the sideshow antics, not to mention he could knock you out cold just by looking at you (this dude is BIG!!).  Anyway, if you didn't watch any of the fights tonight, I recommend checking out Youtube (I'm sure there'll be clips on there within the next 24 hours) to see for yourself.  Until next time...

What I Want To Know...

So I'm taking my EDT532 course for grad school and was asked to start posting a blog during our course. Yesterday's entry was to respond to the following questions: "What do you already know?" and "What do you want to learn in this course?" Two very simple questions, but me being the supreme procrastinator that I am, completely forgot until I was on my way to class this afternoon. So, without further ado, here we go...
Question #1: What do you already know?
Well I've had my own website on Yahoo since I was a freshman at Endicott College in '98, but I've also been using Microsoft Front Page as my webpage editor in the ten years that I've had the site. As a teacher, I wasn't using the Internet for more that just research for my technology classes, but when I was given the title of Technology Resource Coordinator (read: Internet NERD), I began researching for more than just my class. Just last school year ('06-'07) I was intrigued by a Class Homepage Builder provided by Scholastic.com, so I began posting assignments and various websites for my students to my newly-created Scholastic homepage. Now, whenever they come into the computer lab, unless I send them to other sites, I usually have them log immediately into my Scholastic homepage and direct them to specific websites from there. I've also learned how to create podcasts using Audacity, as well as various projects using Adobe Photoshop and Flash. All three programs have allowed me to be creative in utilizing educational materials to benefit my students and others.
Question #2: What do you want to learn in this course?
Since part of its focus deals with creating websites, I would like to learn how to create one using Adobe Dreamweaver, as well as explore other possibilities for hosting my website. I really don't want to move it away from Yahoo if I can avoid it, but if there's another place that offers me more for less, I'll definitely take a peek at it at the least. I also would like to learn how to publish my podcasts to a site for others to download and listen to, which could hopefully lead to my students downloading specific lessons to do on their own.
I guess that just about answers both questions, but we'll see just how much I find out in these nine class sessions. Until next time...

My Favorite Time of Year...

So even though I should be passed out in bed right now, I'm sitting in my living room glued to my laptop listening to a Stanley Cup playoff game between my Dallas Stars and the San Jose Sharks. As I begin this blog, they're starting the second overtime, and hopefully they'll be done before I am!! If there's ever a time of the year that I look forward to the most, it's the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You don't have to worry about games ending in shootouts, and players really earn their paychecks in grueling, exciting, edge-of-your-seat, sudden-death overtime. Just today alone I watched the Penguins beat the Rangers in OT to advance to the conference finals before listening to the OT battle. It's time like these where I miss the Whalers the most, being able to hear Chuck Kaiton beautifully call the game as if we, the listeners, were there ourselves. There's only a select few play-by-play guys that will keep you glued to your TV or radio by the passion they put into the game. I've already immersed Ethan in playoff hockey from birth, putting him in his chair when he was just a few months old and watching Versus until every last game ended. In a way it's killing me that I'm not able to watch any playoff games right now unless they're on NBC, but at the same time it's rekindled my appreciation for listening to all those Whalers games on the radio growing up. I guarantee I probably won't roll out of bed until 6:30 to get in the shower tomorrow morning, but as long as the Stars win and advance to face the Red Wings, it will be all worth it. Even if they don't, and the Sharks force a game 7, that just gives me another chance to lose myself in one of the most exciting traditions in sports. Looks like I'm coming to an end for this blog, and the game rages on- just about halfway through the second overtime and no one wants to go home just yet. Looks like I'll be here for a while because I'm not going to miss that game-winning goal. Until next time...