Tuesday, October 4, 2011

If you can follow my thought process on this one, you deserve a pat on the back!

I visit my mom once a week if weather and family schedules allow. It is terrible that an overnight stay with your mom has to be decided around the availability of someone watching the dog! Yes, a dog, a puppy still and one not to be trusted. He is the most spoiled dog we have ever had but he's the cutest. And yes, I've said that about all the dogs that have influenced my life.


But back to mom, and not really to her but the drive to and from her home, after work, before work. Soon winter light and weather will influence this drive, sometimes making it an impossible trek. However, last night and this morning I had no fears of bad roads. The beauty of the changing leaves dancing in the twilight of evening and the early rays of morning can take a busy day and make it bearable, or a hectic dash to the office not so daunting. The splendid leaves of the red maple, golden oak, ones of orange, green and brown of all the other trees blend into a palette of peace and promise. The more you see, the deeper the desire becomes for more addicting scenery. Soaking in this beauty is enriching for the mind and soul, cleansing away life's stresses and worries.


Just like the many beautiful trees that beg for a second look, so do the two sites I am going to  talk about today. I've mentioned them before, but I find both of them to be so interesting and valuable that I have to do a repeat.


I'd like to remind you of a blog that comes to us by way of Oklahoma. Who knew there were such powerful minds in that rustic, wide-open state. The Career Testing Center blog (http://careertechtesting.blogspot.com/) has been addressing classroom use of Twitter and other social media, providing us with encouragement of use and promise of successful connections with and for our students. The last few posts entice us with titles such as:

The A-Z Dictionary of Educational Twitter Hashtags



34 Interesting Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom



Nearly 200 Websites to Find Out About Anything and Everything

and more. I encourage you to take another look at the advice given here, it is well thought out and useful.

 

I've mentioned the second site in my list of resources but never brought it to the forefront for conversation. In today's Kenneth Beare - About.com ESL Guide <esl.guide@about.com> newsletter, several links are given to many useful tools for working with beginning level students. Check it out for fluid, purposeful ideas for working with the brand new ELLs in your classroom.

 

Well, time for lunch. Time to take in the freshness of fall and the beauty of falling leaves. Rake? Who said that? No four letter words allowed here. SWT

 


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