I finally found a house. So, EXCITED!
The process took awhile to get everything finished. Because of a dispute on what I wanted the buyer to take care of before I moved in and what they actually wanted to handle. Of course, it was a house being sold because a parent(s) had passed away and it was being sold because the children didn't want it. So, the house had eight sellers.
My biggest tip for first-time home-buyers, check out what your state has for you. My contributing final closing cost was $15 because I took advantage of the first-time home-buyers program and as long as I stay in the house for 10 years, I don't have to worry about paying back the closing cost.
Second tip, get the inspection. If not for the factor of having knowing what you want the buyer to take care, but so you know what needs to be looked at for replacements. When you buy a used car, you like to take it to your mechanic, maybe kick the tires. Well, a house is a bigger investment and needs to be checked under the hood just as thoroughly. The house I got, I was able to find out that the siding is okay, but will need to be replaced soon. So, when winter came, I knew that my heating may be a little higher. The inspection will notice things you may forget to keep an eye out for when you look at the house. For me, they suggested places to put insulation that may help with cold spots in the winter. (Which is part of the tip, be there when they give the inspection to help notice things and listen to tips they give. If they say they don't want you there, don't hire them to inspect your house.)
Third tip, be aware of the city laws. One gets so worked up in looking for a house and school districts and neighborhoods, that you forget to find out about local animal laws, garbage rules, and costs of utilities (or what utilities are used). Cities are now getting more controlling about how many Fido's and Fluffy's you are allowed in your home. You may see your neighbor break the law, but you have to decide if you want to be the same way or not.
Enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but remember there is defeat in hunting. In the words of Dory from Finding Nemo "Just keep swimming."
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Tips for Sellers
One of the houses I viewed, the first floor looked nice, but there was a lot of stuff on the walls. Go upstairs and there was more stuff. Closets filled, climbing over stuff to get to closets, rocking chair in the bathtub, etc. Go down to the basement and the stuff was multiplied. I couldn't help but ask the question "Are they going to be able to move out in time?"
My realtor assured me that if we set a closing date they would have to honor it. This wasn't the first place I saw that had no signs of people packing. I'm not asking for the cleanest house in the world or things shoved in the closet (because we look in the close) I would prefer to see things boxed up and signs that you are motivated to move out.
The other thing I would appreciate (especially since it cost me getting the house I really wanted) is winterize. I don't know how much it costs, but it will cost you a sale. If you have house that is empty that you are trying to sell winterizing is necessary in order to sell your house.
One big tip that could help you with a sale. Check your listing once it is posted. Realtor's are human and can place things wrong. The description can have errors in it, which looks unprofessional. Most importantly and this has come close to affecting me looking at a house, they may say a house has one bathroom when it has 1.5. People will look at Bed and Bath first then at the description and that .5 can make a difference.
My realtor assured me that if we set a closing date they would have to honor it. This wasn't the first place I saw that had no signs of people packing. I'm not asking for the cleanest house in the world or things shoved in the closet (because we look in the close) I would prefer to see things boxed up and signs that you are motivated to move out.
The other thing I would appreciate (especially since it cost me getting the house I really wanted) is winterize. I don't know how much it costs, but it will cost you a sale. If you have house that is empty that you are trying to sell winterizing is necessary in order to sell your house.
One big tip that could help you with a sale. Check your listing once it is posted. Realtor's are human and can place things wrong. The description can have errors in it, which looks unprofessional. Most importantly and this has come close to affecting me looking at a house, they may say a house has one bathroom when it has 1.5. People will look at Bed and Bath first then at the description and that .5 can make a difference.
905 S 6th Ave Virginia, MN
This is a very nice house and has lots of space to work with. The pictures that are posted with it are very helpful on showing the size of the first and second floor. The basement is the size of the floor and usable for storage, laundry and it has a newer furnace. Even though it lists only one bathroom, there is a .75 bath in the basement and it is the only location with a shower. The bathroom on the second floor only has a bathtub. There was a possiblity of putting in a stand alone shower if you wanted to eliminate the closet in the bedroom next door. There is no bathroom on the first floor.
The biggest concern I had was this home is stucco on the outside and there were some major cracks in the stucco and would have to look at repairing those. However, I felt no major drafts in the house and the tempature they set the thermostat at was the tempature in the house (I know because they had thermometers all over the house.) THe other concern I had was although they had the electricity recently checked, they had the shower stall within a foot of the electrical box and that just seems a little dangerous to me.
Location is another factor. It is on a busy corner and there is not much land included with it because most of the space is taken up by the house and the two stall garage.
The biggest concern I had was this home is stucco on the outside and there were some major cracks in the stucco and would have to look at repairing those. However, I felt no major drafts in the house and the tempature they set the thermostat at was the tempature in the house (I know because they had thermometers all over the house.) THe other concern I had was although they had the electricity recently checked, they had the shower stall within a foot of the electrical box and that just seems a little dangerous to me.
Location is another factor. It is on a busy corner and there is not much land included with it because most of the space is taken up by the house and the two stall garage.
Friday, December 20, 2013
When to Look
I've gotten the suggestions that the best time to buy is in the fall so people don't have to winterize for Minnesota. I have been told that people put there houses on the market in the spring when there kids are done with school and they have the summer to move and not worry about changing schools in the middle of the year.
The problem is when is the best time to look at a house. It may be rough and sloppy, but I think the best time to look at a house is when the weather is bad. We had a week of below zero temps and if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have found out that the pipes were frozen. It also gave me a chance to figure out the difference in temps from one room to another. You go after a rain storm and you find out about leakage problems in the house or puddling problems in the land.
This may save you money on an inspector.
The problem is when is the best time to look at a house. It may be rough and sloppy, but I think the best time to look at a house is when the weather is bad. We had a week of below zero temps and if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have found out that the pipes were frozen. It also gave me a chance to figure out the difference in temps from one room to another. You go after a rain storm and you find out about leakage problems in the house or puddling problems in the land.
This may save you money on an inspector.
124 S 3rd St, Virginia, MN
This house made me want to cry. I fell in love with this house. It's 120 years old and has great character. Two sets of steps leading upstairs. Large basement with Sauna and 2.75 bathrooms. Set of stairs leading to the attic. New insulation, furnace, and several new windows.
The part that made me want to cry is no one has been in the home since June of 2012 and no one winterized. Two years in a row the pipes have froze. I predict that when it thaws this year the pipes will break, the boiler furnace will be wrecked, and great damage will be done. A great house that has withstand decades ruined because someone didn't take care of it for two years.
The part that made me want to cry is no one has been in the home since June of 2012 and no one winterized. Two years in a row the pipes have froze. I predict that when it thaws this year the pipes will break, the boiler furnace will be wrecked, and great damage will be done. A great house that has withstand decades ruined because someone didn't take care of it for two years.
1130 Lincoln Ave, Eveleth, MN
Eveleth is a town of awkward streets and I say this because it took me awhile to figure out what was road and what was driveway. It has some businesses but not much.
This is an old 7 bedroom home that has a single bathroom. I was expecting a home that would have rooms chopped so a large family could make do with what they had, but it actually started out as seven bedrooms. Actually the one on the main level could be questionable. It has no closet and no heating source and it's kind of just there. It claims a .25 bathroom in the "walk-out basement", all it is is a shower that I wouldn't want to use. The basement is a dirt floor and it looks like the walls don't go all the way to the floor anymore.
The house is cool, but it needs some fixing. It has had some water damage from possibly the roof at some point and the walls were in the process of being repaired but are incomplete. Although there is only a shower stall in the bathroom, there is plenty of room to place a sepearate soaking tub, which would have been my plan if I had the money to renovate the rest of the house. It looks like whoever owned the house first was going to renovate it, but never finished it. The kitchen looks amazing and the house has great potential for any size family, but it is definitely a fixer.
This is an old 7 bedroom home that has a single bathroom. I was expecting a home that would have rooms chopped so a large family could make do with what they had, but it actually started out as seven bedrooms. Actually the one on the main level could be questionable. It has no closet and no heating source and it's kind of just there. It claims a .25 bathroom in the "walk-out basement", all it is is a shower that I wouldn't want to use. The basement is a dirt floor and it looks like the walls don't go all the way to the floor anymore.
The house is cool, but it needs some fixing. It has had some water damage from possibly the roof at some point and the walls were in the process of being repaired but are incomplete. Although there is only a shower stall in the bathroom, there is plenty of room to place a sepearate soaking tub, which would have been my plan if I had the money to renovate the rest of the house. It looks like whoever owned the house first was going to renovate it, but never finished it. The kitchen looks amazing and the house has great potential for any size family, but it is definitely a fixer.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
608 N 2nd St Tower, MN
Tower is a little busier town then Soudan with a few more things to offer like a grocery store, thrift store, and gas stations. It offers central location of being only thirty minutes to Virginia, Ely, Cook, Aurora, and Biwabik. You have the small town atmosphere of everybody knowing everybody. I lived in my trailer for seven years on Main Street, so it wasn't hard to notice it was gone, but still people were concerned and asked me what was going on. Even ones I didn't know the name of.
This house has not been lived in since, I believe July 2012. I got close enough on the purchase that I was going to have an inspection with contingency of utilities turned on. The water was turned on, so don't know what happened once they were turned on to take care of them for winter because never got to the point that the furnace was turned on. The electricity inspected fine because the power company required it to be inspected before they would turn on electricity. The seller would only put in 50 gallons of fuel and the delivery company had a 100 gallons minimum and it was causing delays. Mostly the seller was "dragging his feet" because I was asking a lower price and wanted utilities turned on. I signed agreements beginning of September and cancelled the papers middle of November without the seller ever getting a fuel delivery to the house. Passed the seven day deadline from signing papers to get inspection because of waiting for the delivery.
The seller is more of wanting to sell it "as is". He doesn't live in the state and all the appliances are there (some aren't in the correct location, like the fridge is in the garage) and he doesn't know if they work). So, he won't remove anything and I swear it looked like things appeared in the garage from the first and second time I looked at it.
The garage is cool because it is actually a carriage house with the swing out doors. The basement is half cemented and half dirt. It is cemented enough to house the furnace, fuel oil tank and for you to walk to them minus abou two feet from steps to the cement that you have to walk over a wooden board. The two bedrooms are good sized, but no closet in one (there is an armoire in there) and the other has a half closet with shelves under it. Huge laundry area because it used to be the kitchen and the kitchen is an addition, just don't know how old it is. Nice size pantry with a built in apothecary style drawer system.
Recommendations: Make sure you get the utilities turned on. I know the electricity was inspected, but know how anything worked in the house. Saw some sockets painted over, but don't know if they were properly capped off. This place has some charm and space for a starter home, but make sure you get it inspected and that you aren't in a hurry to move.
This house has not been lived in since, I believe July 2012. I got close enough on the purchase that I was going to have an inspection with contingency of utilities turned on. The water was turned on, so don't know what happened once they were turned on to take care of them for winter because never got to the point that the furnace was turned on. The electricity inspected fine because the power company required it to be inspected before they would turn on electricity. The seller would only put in 50 gallons of fuel and the delivery company had a 100 gallons minimum and it was causing delays. Mostly the seller was "dragging his feet" because I was asking a lower price and wanted utilities turned on. I signed agreements beginning of September and cancelled the papers middle of November without the seller ever getting a fuel delivery to the house. Passed the seven day deadline from signing papers to get inspection because of waiting for the delivery.
The seller is more of wanting to sell it "as is". He doesn't live in the state and all the appliances are there (some aren't in the correct location, like the fridge is in the garage) and he doesn't know if they work). So, he won't remove anything and I swear it looked like things appeared in the garage from the first and second time I looked at it.
The garage is cool because it is actually a carriage house with the swing out doors. The basement is half cemented and half dirt. It is cemented enough to house the furnace, fuel oil tank and for you to walk to them minus abou two feet from steps to the cement that you have to walk over a wooden board. The two bedrooms are good sized, but no closet in one (there is an armoire in there) and the other has a half closet with shelves under it. Huge laundry area because it used to be the kitchen and the kitchen is an addition, just don't know how old it is. Nice size pantry with a built in apothecary style drawer system.
Recommendations: Make sure you get the utilities turned on. I know the electricity was inspected, but know how anything worked in the house. Saw some sockets painted over, but don't know if they were properly capped off. This place has some charm and space for a starter home, but make sure you get it inspected and that you aren't in a hurry to move.
12 Church St in Soudan, MN
Soudan is a sweet little town that originated as a mining town. There is only one store in Soudan with gas pumps, ice cream shop, and small general store type. This originated from the 1800s when the town was created and the buddy town, Tower, has the stores, bars, community store, and cafe.
This house from 1900 has a crawl space accessed from outside for under the house, but unfortunately it was not well maintained. You could possibly keep a large portion of the materials when you demo the house and one or two of the out buildings. I say this because the house is not very habitable, but the location is absolutely perfect to live in Soudan. It is right next to the park and walking trails. The lot is huge and extremly level. The best part is that even though you are living in the town, it is a wooded area behind you and is an excellent view for a morning cup of coffee from a brand new home.
FYI: Make sure you save the doorbell because that is a charming piece of character that needs to stay on the property. If you don't want it, I will take it.
This house from 1900 has a crawl space accessed from outside for under the house, but unfortunately it was not well maintained. You could possibly keep a large portion of the materials when you demo the house and one or two of the out buildings. I say this because the house is not very habitable, but the location is absolutely perfect to live in Soudan. It is right next to the park and walking trails. The lot is huge and extremly level. The best part is that even though you are living in the town, it is a wooded area behind you and is an excellent view for a morning cup of coffee from a brand new home.
FYI: Make sure you save the doorbell because that is a charming piece of character that needs to stay on the property. If you don't want it, I will take it.
Fresh Start
Any posts from this point and later were required for a class for my Master's Degree that I completed in 2011 (hence the long time between the last one and this). In August of 2013 I was told that I had until May of 2014 to remove my mobile home from the land it was resting on. I decided to sell the mobile home and buy my first home. Well, being in Northern Minnesota, I thought that even though I had until May, we have had snow still on the ground up to the end of May and no one was going to want to have to move the trailer then. I decided it was time to move into a house and some place with my own land. I thought I had a house before I sold the trailer, but the deal fell through. So, living with family, but looking at houses with a budget of $50,000 max in the Iron Range of Minnesota with min. 2 bedroom & 2 bathroom. After looking at some homes, I started wishing there was a way to let people know what they would be getting into before they visit the home and vice versa. Well, I'm giving it a try.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Week 6: Scope Creep
It was to be the social event of my lifetime and I actually had a ticket to the ball. When my mother died, I had the resources to taylor it to my size and a current style.
My stepsisters did not want me to go, but my stepmother agreed to it. It was a week to the ball and I was ready to work on my dress after I finished my chores each day, then my stepmother came with an extra list of chaores that needed to be finished before I could go to the ball. It boiled down to having the estate in immaculate condition, as well as, performing my regular choirs and helping my stepsisters prepare for the ball. With a song in my heart and a dance in my step, I was able to get all the chores finished, but was unable to find time for my dress. I did my very best to work hard and fast, but was unsuccessful.
(Side note: For those of you that were wondering, I could not think of a story from my own life, so, I used Cinderella's dilemna.)
If I had been in charge, the solution would have to be easy, I would have used money from my father's estate to purchase a dress. It would not need to be lavish, but enough to turn heads in appreciation and not revulsion. The other change I would make, and of course my personal favorite, is the task of delegation. I would be assigning my stepsisters some chores because one of the reasons is "to free themselves up to do other tasks" and this will give me some extra time to finish my dress in time if I am not able to buy the dress I want (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). Of course, if I were truly in charge of the estate I would not be in the istuation of worrying about tayloring my old dress and cleaning the whole house.
References
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
My stepsisters did not want me to go, but my stepmother agreed to it. It was a week to the ball and I was ready to work on my dress after I finished my chores each day, then my stepmother came with an extra list of chaores that needed to be finished before I could go to the ball. It boiled down to having the estate in immaculate condition, as well as, performing my regular choirs and helping my stepsisters prepare for the ball. With a song in my heart and a dance in my step, I was able to get all the chores finished, but was unable to find time for my dress. I did my very best to work hard and fast, but was unsuccessful.
(Side note: For those of you that were wondering, I could not think of a story from my own life, so, I used Cinderella's dilemna.)
If I had been in charge, the solution would have to be easy, I would have used money from my father's estate to purchase a dress. It would not need to be lavish, but enough to turn heads in appreciation and not revulsion. The other change I would make, and of course my personal favorite, is the task of delegation. I would be assigning my stepsisters some chores because one of the reasons is "to free themselves up to do other tasks" and this will give me some extra time to finish my dress in time if I am not able to buy the dress I want (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). Of course, if I were truly in charge of the estate I would not be in the istuation of worrying about tayloring my old dress and cleaning the whole house.
References
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Week 5: Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources
I am working on a project that involves creating a plan to create a program for a Masters of Divinity online for a well-established college used to traditional teaching. Looking at some of the other colleges/universities that have both traditional and online courses for Bible colleges and found two resources that use to house their online courses.
The other good point of these two websites is they give some of the colleges that they work with currently. They also show some information of what the site looks like and what students would be working with.
http://www2.knowledgeelements.com/index.php?id=96
http://cccdl.org/
Although it is a secular video site, www.youtube.com also contains information for Christian basis for students to see examples of sermons, interviews, and much more. It is a resource that can be used for many classes whether they are for a Bible college or a public college.
The other good point of these two websites is they give some of the colleges that they work with currently. They also show some information of what the site looks like and what students would be working with.
http://www2.knowledgeelements.com/index.php?id=96
http://cccdl.org/
Although it is a secular video site, www.youtube.com also contains information for Christian basis for students to see examples of sermons, interviews, and much more. It is a resource that can be used for many classes whether they are for a Bible college or a public college.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Communicating Effectively (Week 3)
Each person likes to hear information, communicate, or give news in their own way. Me I do better speaking with someone over the phone instead of face-to-face. Some people, like my grandfather, hate to talk on the telephone. Some express themselves better in a letter whether it is through the traditional post office or electronic.
In the example, we were given the same message in three different formats: e-mail, voice-mail, and face-to-face, and then decide if we could infer any difference between the three examples.
The following are my initial responses of each example:
Example
E-mail Correspondence: Jane seemed understanding of Mark's time, but persistant of completing a project. She showed desperation by giving other options, but did not give enough detail for Mark to not have to contact her. Creating an e-mail session that could be numerous.
Voice-mail Correspondence: Once again Jane was not very detailed in her request. She did not specifiy a report, just that she needed it. I heard a monotone voice that did not seem desperate to get the job done. You could sense some understanding of his time.
Face-to-face Corresponde: Starts out friendly, but I would not worry about putting it off since there seemed to be no urgency in her voice. Her change of voice made it less confrontational. Once again lack of details.
Since I had no tone of voice to hear, just words chosen, I felt the e-mail was more understanding and better conveyed the necessity. Body language and verbal tone can often be a hinderance in determining compassion or urgency. Saying the same phrase in three different tones will give you three different reactions.
A media that I viewed ("Practicioner Voices: Strategies of Working with Stakeholders") had interviewed Vince Budrovich and he gives the advice "Tailor your communication strategy to fit the specific needs of each stakeholder." One needs to take into consideration certain words can be offensive or thought of as rude to one person can be harmless to another.
There were two lessons I learned from this communication example.
1. Detail is very important, each one of the correspondences were written as if the recipient knew exactly what was being talked about. That is not always the case. If someone is working on several projects and/or several reports not getting a specific title or description can waste valuable time with more correspondence to figure out that information.
2. Perception can be the biggest problem for any type of communication. "To make sense out of a message, to determine the meaning to attribute to it, the receiver uses perception" and this perception is not always what the sender is hoping for (Waltman, 2010).
References
Waltman, J. (2010) Communication. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Bun-Comp/Communication.html
In the example, we were given the same message in three different formats: e-mail, voice-mail, and face-to-face, and then decide if we could infer any difference between the three examples.
The following are my initial responses of each example:
Example
E-mail Correspondence: Jane seemed understanding of Mark's time, but persistant of completing a project. She showed desperation by giving other options, but did not give enough detail for Mark to not have to contact her. Creating an e-mail session that could be numerous.
Voice-mail Correspondence: Once again Jane was not very detailed in her request. She did not specifiy a report, just that she needed it. I heard a monotone voice that did not seem desperate to get the job done. You could sense some understanding of his time.
Face-to-face Corresponde: Starts out friendly, but I would not worry about putting it off since there seemed to be no urgency in her voice. Her change of voice made it less confrontational. Once again lack of details.
Since I had no tone of voice to hear, just words chosen, I felt the e-mail was more understanding and better conveyed the necessity. Body language and verbal tone can often be a hinderance in determining compassion or urgency. Saying the same phrase in three different tones will give you three different reactions.
A media that I viewed ("Practicioner Voices: Strategies of Working with Stakeholders") had interviewed Vince Budrovich and he gives the advice "Tailor your communication strategy to fit the specific needs of each stakeholder." One needs to take into consideration certain words can be offensive or thought of as rude to one person can be harmless to another.
There were two lessons I learned from this communication example.
1. Detail is very important, each one of the correspondences were written as if the recipient knew exactly what was being talked about. That is not always the case. If someone is working on several projects and/or several reports not getting a specific title or description can waste valuable time with more correspondence to figure out that information.
2. Perception can be the biggest problem for any type of communication. "To make sense out of a message, to determine the meaning to attribute to it, the receiver uses perception" and this perception is not always what the sender is hoping for (Waltman, 2010).
References
Waltman, J. (2010) Communication. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Bun-Comp/Communication.html
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
"Post-Mortem" of VBS Clowning (Week 2)
I have been doing church clowning since I was eight-years-old and I do not mean funny wig, red nose, and rosy cheeks. My mother was professionally trained as a clown and taught me, so every inch of me was covered with make-up, wig, and fabric.
Whenever I start a new church, I believe in getting involved so I know the people. Well, when I started, the first big event was Vacation Bible School (VBS) advertisement in a local parade. While it was being decided on what needed to be done, I mentioned my clowning ability and they asked me to be a clown for the parade. I enjoyed every minute of it, entertaining, joking, running around, and making a great memory.
A meeting for VBS came up and I attended to see what I could do. Well after discussing assigning, I spoke up that I had not been assigned anything. The pastor said that I had a calling for clowning (which could be taken different ways) and asked me to be a clown everyday of the week of VBS.
So, the planning begins.
I verified with my stakeholders (the pastor) if he wanted anything certain he required, trying to get some limitations as described by the text "Project Management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects." He simply said, "Do what you want?" Well, I went to my subject matter expert (my mother). We started going over options and I made a decision, that I believe was my first mistake, but got caught up in the excitement. I decided to do a different clown each day.
Mistake number two arose when my job asked me to work full-time that week instead of just part-time. I agreed, but thought I would still have no problems with VBS since it was in the evening.
So, I carefully planned out an outfit, wig and make-up for each day. Used my computer to see what the make-up would look like instead of applying it on my face. Made sure all the costumes fit and made sure wigs or hats covered my ears. i had each day in its own bag with a tag of what was needed from a different day and what gag props I would use that day.
One of the key enjoyments for me as a clown, and I think others enjoy, is getting to change my voice for the character I play. A very critical mistake I made was not trying a different voices before VBS started whether it was the week before or that day.
Two weeks after the parade, a symptom that I had been dealing with worsened and I ended up in the Emergency Room. I did not let it stop me, I continued with my routine and worked with the symptom every time it came. Unfortunately, fear did hinder me and I did not perform as well as I had in past times, even from the parade. In the multimedia "Practitioner Voices: Overcoming 'Scope Creep'," Dr. Reckom mentioned that one should build in resources ahead of time to help with unplanned circumstances. However, there are circumstances that cannot be planned or prepared for ahead of time.
At the end of the week, I had been thanked and complimented, but I finished not feeling I had given everything I had or could do. Time will tell if I made enough of an impression to be asked to clown again, but after this experience, I will try to remember the age old saying "too much of a good thing." For if I would have tried to do less, I would have felt I had done more for the children, which is what VBS is about.
References
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Whenever I start a new church, I believe in getting involved so I know the people. Well, when I started, the first big event was Vacation Bible School (VBS) advertisement in a local parade. While it was being decided on what needed to be done, I mentioned my clowning ability and they asked me to be a clown for the parade. I enjoyed every minute of it, entertaining, joking, running around, and making a great memory.
A meeting for VBS came up and I attended to see what I could do. Well after discussing assigning, I spoke up that I had not been assigned anything. The pastor said that I had a calling for clowning (which could be taken different ways) and asked me to be a clown everyday of the week of VBS.
So, the planning begins.
I verified with my stakeholders (the pastor) if he wanted anything certain he required, trying to get some limitations as described by the text "Project Management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects." He simply said, "Do what you want?" Well, I went to my subject matter expert (my mother). We started going over options and I made a decision, that I believe was my first mistake, but got caught up in the excitement. I decided to do a different clown each day.
Mistake number two arose when my job asked me to work full-time that week instead of just part-time. I agreed, but thought I would still have no problems with VBS since it was in the evening.
So, I carefully planned out an outfit, wig and make-up for each day. Used my computer to see what the make-up would look like instead of applying it on my face. Made sure all the costumes fit and made sure wigs or hats covered my ears. i had each day in its own bag with a tag of what was needed from a different day and what gag props I would use that day.
One of the key enjoyments for me as a clown, and I think others enjoy, is getting to change my voice for the character I play. A very critical mistake I made was not trying a different voices before VBS started whether it was the week before or that day.
Two weeks after the parade, a symptom that I had been dealing with worsened and I ended up in the Emergency Room. I did not let it stop me, I continued with my routine and worked with the symptom every time it came. Unfortunately, fear did hinder me and I did not perform as well as I had in past times, even from the parade. In the multimedia "Practitioner Voices: Overcoming 'Scope Creep'," Dr. Reckom mentioned that one should build in resources ahead of time to help with unplanned circumstances. However, there are circumstances that cannot be planned or prepared for ahead of time.
At the end of the week, I had been thanked and complimented, but I finished not feeling I had given everything I had or could do. Time will tell if I made enough of an impression to be asked to clown again, but after this experience, I will try to remember the age old saying "too much of a good thing." For if I would have tried to do less, I would have felt I had done more for the children, which is what VBS is about.
References
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Week 1 Blog following
Notice that it seemed that there was no real place to leave a comment to say you are following, unless you comment on a past posting. So, if you follow me, you can comment on this post.
MaryLei
MaryLei
Monday, November 1, 2010
Converting to a Distance Learning Format
The scenario was: "A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times."
I personalized it and created a scenario that showed how a repair shop in an auto dealership could use online course management system to better train their mechanics new and old.
Converting to a Distance Learning Format
The service department in Duluth, MN for a Ford dealership has hired a new
service manager, Jack Thomas, and he was placed in charge of training the mechanics
that are newly hired and continuous education for current employees. Using the former
training program of face-to-face learning, the manager did not like the quality of
communications among trainees. He went to the boss with the idea to change the training modules to a blended learning format by continuing the face-to-face training for hands-on learning and learner interaction, but also utilize an online environment to further learner and trainer interaction. This would give access to training materials, such as, videos, worksheets, web links, databases, assignments, etc. by using a server.
With the boss’s approval, Jack starts the preplanning stage for the program. The
main ideas he considers are online accessibilities for all employees and technology
capabilities. Jack has to reflect that “the issues to consider is how the choice of a
particular method can be used to involve the students in all the instructional settings” in order to effectively create a blended formula (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009).
By using the online environment, Jack believed it would be a better way to give
the employees a chance to focus on what they need to know. He hoped to create video
tutorials of certain aspects of automotive repair, as well as access to extensive databases for different models of vehicles and repairs. With the idea that “instructors can rely on existing media to help enhance learning experiences” Jack hopes to use videos and, especially, databases that are already available on the internet, saving him time and money (Simonson et al., 2009). With this information, if the student did not feel confident about his in-class learning, he would have the resources to fall back on.
One major goal that Jack hopes to enact is assigning current employees to keep a
dialogue open with new employees. With the variance in work schedules, having the
online access would make it a more realistic goal and more of an encouragement for all learners to communicate online.
With his goals and ideas formed, Jack starts the process of developing, designing,
and deciding what would be best for the trainees.
References
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning
at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
I personalized it and created a scenario that showed how a repair shop in an auto dealership could use online course management system to better train their mechanics new and old.
Converting to a Distance Learning Format
The service department in Duluth, MN for a Ford dealership has hired a new
service manager, Jack Thomas, and he was placed in charge of training the mechanics
that are newly hired and continuous education for current employees. Using the former
training program of face-to-face learning, the manager did not like the quality of
communications among trainees. He went to the boss with the idea to change the training modules to a blended learning format by continuing the face-to-face training for hands-on learning and learner interaction, but also utilize an online environment to further learner and trainer interaction. This would give access to training materials, such as, videos, worksheets, web links, databases, assignments, etc. by using a server.
With the boss’s approval, Jack starts the preplanning stage for the program. The
main ideas he considers are online accessibilities for all employees and technology
capabilities. Jack has to reflect that “the issues to consider is how the choice of a
particular method can be used to involve the students in all the instructional settings” in order to effectively create a blended formula (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009).
By using the online environment, Jack believed it would be a better way to give
the employees a chance to focus on what they need to know. He hoped to create video
tutorials of certain aspects of automotive repair, as well as access to extensive databases for different models of vehicles and repairs. With the idea that “instructors can rely on existing media to help enhance learning experiences” Jack hopes to use videos and, especially, databases that are already available on the internet, saving him time and money (Simonson et al., 2009). With this information, if the student did not feel confident about his in-class learning, he would have the resources to fall back on.
One major goal that Jack hopes to enact is assigning current employees to keep a
dialogue open with new employees. With the variance in work schedules, having the
online access would make it a more realistic goal and more of an encouragement for all learners to communicate online.
With his goals and ideas formed, Jack starts the process of developing, designing,
and deciding what would be best for the trainees.
References
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning
at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Where is Distance Learning Headed?
I am new to the distance learning “scene” and heard numerous possibilities for what is available now and in the future. In a multimedia presentation “Future of Distance Education,” George Siemens gives reasons that distance education will grow:
-Increase in online communication
-Practical experience with new tools
-Growing comfort with online discourse
-Ability to communicate with diverse and global groups.
With “social networking” on the rise and the U.S. Postal Service facing changes to practices, Postal Service’s Jordan Small has said “even if the economy recovers, the trend would not reverse as Americans increasingly turn to e-mail, online shopping and online bill payments”, online activity is accessible and strongly utilized (McConnell, 2009).
The problem arises than will education take on the concerns of the negative aspects of distance education or will it allow continual growth and wait to see what future technology will be? Schmidt & Gallegos covered in their article that one of the most important issues that was spoken of “interaction with instructor” and then it was “interaction with classmates” (Schmidt & Gallegos, 2001). Gambescia & Paolucci speak in their study that they “found a surprising lack of high visibility of online degree program offerings on university official websites, opting to use either a secondary link or have readers use a search feature” (Gambescia & Paolucci, 2009). These are just a few of the concerns that have been covered in articles of distance learning.
Although I cannot say with certainty what path will be chosen, I know that my plan is to always keep the problems of socialization, instructor interaction, and finding ways to help those who believe they are not motivated enough to participate in distance learning. To accomplish this, with any career that a person chooses, I would keep current with all aspects of the instructional design community and technological advances. Showing this commitment not only provides a more profitable learning experience for the learner, but a more profitable experience for me.
References
Gambescia, S., & Paolucci, R. (2009). Academic fidelity and integrity as attributes of university online degree program offerings. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 12(1). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html
McConnell, D. (July 31, 2009). U.S. Postal Service weighs service cuts. Archived at CNN’s articles at http://articles.cnn.com/2009-07-31/us/postal.cuts_1_postal-service-first-class-mail-post-offices?_s=PM:US
Schmidt, E., & Gallegos, A. (2001). Distance learning: Issues and concerns of distance learners. Journal of Industrial Technology, 17(3). Retrieved from http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/schmidt041801.pdf
-Increase in online communication
-Practical experience with new tools
-Growing comfort with online discourse
-Ability to communicate with diverse and global groups.
With “social networking” on the rise and the U.S. Postal Service facing changes to practices, Postal Service’s Jordan Small has said “even if the economy recovers, the trend would not reverse as Americans increasingly turn to e-mail, online shopping and online bill payments”, online activity is accessible and strongly utilized (McConnell, 2009).
The problem arises than will education take on the concerns of the negative aspects of distance education or will it allow continual growth and wait to see what future technology will be? Schmidt & Gallegos covered in their article that one of the most important issues that was spoken of “interaction with instructor” and then it was “interaction with classmates” (Schmidt & Gallegos, 2001). Gambescia & Paolucci speak in their study that they “found a surprising lack of high visibility of online degree program offerings on university official websites, opting to use either a secondary link or have readers use a search feature” (Gambescia & Paolucci, 2009). These are just a few of the concerns that have been covered in articles of distance learning.
Although I cannot say with certainty what path will be chosen, I know that my plan is to always keep the problems of socialization, instructor interaction, and finding ways to help those who believe they are not motivated enough to participate in distance learning. To accomplish this, with any career that a person chooses, I would keep current with all aspects of the instructional design community and technological advances. Showing this commitment not only provides a more profitable learning experience for the learner, but a more profitable experience for me.
References
Gambescia, S., & Paolucci, R. (2009). Academic fidelity and integrity as attributes of university online degree program offerings. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 12(1). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html
McConnell, D. (July 31, 2009). U.S. Postal Service weighs service cuts. Archived at CNN’s articles at http://articles.cnn.com/2009-07-31/us/postal.cuts_1_postal-service-first-class-mail-post-offices?_s=PM:US
Schmidt, E., & Gallegos, A. (2001). Distance learning: Issues and concerns of distance learners. Journal of Industrial Technology, 17(3). Retrieved from http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/schmidt041801.pdf
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Distance Learning Week 5 Assignment
With my course project choice being to help the people in the mentorship program I proposed for Christian Youth, I thought it best to look at online Bible classes. Using a basic Google search I found numerous classes to take, but decided to focus on free ones that ended in ".org" instead of the others. It was a way to limit and I have always considered a little more trustworthy.
The Online Bible course I chose was Jordan Park which is a course offered by Jordan Park Church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama (I have never been there and have no affiliation with the church.)
Before I start my critique of the course, I would like to say "Thank you" to the church for offering a service that is helpful to many people.
It was obvious that this was not an elaborate, highly-backed project. It was simple text, simple script, and simple tools, which for a basic learner can be very important. However, I am not a basic learner, and I am definitely not one who likes to just read text, especially online. There were no graphics, no images, no animation, just text. It was appreciated that the text was different depending on the importance, but it was still just text. I could tell that they were hoping to reach an audience through the Internet, but looking at our course text "Teaching and Learning at a Distance," I get the sense of "'Dumping' a Face-to-Face Course onto the Web." I could easily see this information as a sermon or a pamphlet or a Bible Tract.
The one redeeming factor of the course was the end quizzes. It gave you fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and multiple choice (with more than one possible answer). Now I am not a fan of quizzes, but the thing that helped was the fill-in-the-blank was not from text on the site. You had to find references in the Bible and fill-in-the-blank from the verses in the Bible.
I will admit that this is not the best online course, but it has potential.
References
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
The Online Bible course I chose was Jordan Park which is a course offered by Jordan Park Church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama (I have never been there and have no affiliation with the church.)
Before I start my critique of the course, I would like to say "Thank you" to the church for offering a service that is helpful to many people.
It was obvious that this was not an elaborate, highly-backed project. It was simple text, simple script, and simple tools, which for a basic learner can be very important. However, I am not a basic learner, and I am definitely not one who likes to just read text, especially online. There were no graphics, no images, no animation, just text. It was appreciated that the text was different depending on the importance, but it was still just text. I could tell that they were hoping to reach an audience through the Internet, but looking at our course text "Teaching and Learning at a Distance," I get the sense of "'Dumping' a Face-to-Face Course onto the Web." I could easily see this information as a sermon or a pamphlet or a Bible Tract.
The one redeeming factor of the course was the end quizzes. It gave you fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and multiple choice (with more than one possible answer). Now I am not a fan of quizzes, but the thing that helped was the fill-in-the-blank was not from text on the site. You had to find references in the Bible and fill-in-the-blank from the verses in the Bible.
I will admit that this is not the best online course, but it has potential.
References
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Selecting Distance Learning Technologies
Example 2: Interactive Tours
A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?
In the multimedia program “The Technology of Distance Education” it listed and defined five pieces of technology that could be used for distance education:
1. Podcasts
2. Discussion Technologies
3. Blogs
4. Concept Maps
5. Media Sharing Sites
I believe for this particular example, three of the technologies would be needed: podcasts, discussion, and media sharing. The media sharing would not be sites, but the ability to share media on the Course Management System (CMS) that was chosen by the teacher. The teacher needed three main functions, touring the museum with curator assistance, view pictures of the artwork, and discuss/critique the artwork chosen.
There would be two options for using the podcast, using still pictures in a slideshow format or a video-recording of the museum. Each were defined in the definitions from the multimedia program.
Discussion area could be used to speak with the curator and/or hold the critique session with the students. The other option for the curator would be having a chat session during the tour of the museum, and if that is too confusing or distracting, using a podcast will be able to record an audio of the curator giving the tour.
To view the critiqued pieces of art for all students, the media sharing feature of a CMS would help to have a more accessible and closer view of the artwork then what would be available on the podcast for the tour.
There were two CMSs that I looked at for this example and feel that would help to supply the teacher with her/his needs, Moodle (moodle.org) and Haiku Learning (www.haikulearning.com). One of the major differences between Moodle and Haiku is that with Moodle you would need to download software to operate and a lot of people (with good reason) are leery of that procedure. According to Mcafee Security, “malware has exploded this year [2009], with almost as much unique malware in the first half of 2009 as in all of 2008” (retrieved from http://us.mcafee.com/en-us/local/docs/Mapping_Mal_Web.pdf ). The plus side for Moodle is that it is more of a global CMS reaching “210 countries” and “78 languages” (retrieved from moodle.org).
Moodle has been applauded by its users for numerous reasons. Thomas Robb, a faculty member at Kyoto (Japan) Sangyo University, spoke praise in his article “Moodle: A Virtual Learning Environment for the Rest of Us” with the following accolades, “After having taught online courses for a number of years using WebCT and Blackboard, I fell in love with Moodle at first sight… [t]he best feature of Moodle is that it can easily have every feature you want as long as there is someone around willing to program it.” (Retrieved from http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume8/ej30/ej30m2/ ).
Although Haiku Learning is not as well-known as Moodle, it still has had success for the educational community. I will admit that going to the source is kind of biased, but it is easier to find the success and people usually go into more detail. For example, in an interview with Ann Hostetler, who teaches at Goshen College in Indiana, she was asked “how Haiku LMS has affected her teaching.” She responded “I have found Haiku to be a flexible, user-friendly, and invaluable tool for organizing resources for my students. With Haiku, I can put files, web links, course information, images, videos, and mp3 files all in one organized, accessible space” (retrieved from http://www.haikulearning.com/interview/ann-hostetler ).
With two user-friendly CMSs to choose from, creating a course to help students learn more about the art in New York will not only be easy for the teacher but the student as well.
A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?
In the multimedia program “The Technology of Distance Education” it listed and defined five pieces of technology that could be used for distance education:
1. Podcasts
2. Discussion Technologies
3. Blogs
4. Concept Maps
5. Media Sharing Sites
I believe for this particular example, three of the technologies would be needed: podcasts, discussion, and media sharing. The media sharing would not be sites, but the ability to share media on the Course Management System (CMS) that was chosen by the teacher. The teacher needed three main functions, touring the museum with curator assistance, view pictures of the artwork, and discuss/critique the artwork chosen.
There would be two options for using the podcast, using still pictures in a slideshow format or a video-recording of the museum. Each were defined in the definitions from the multimedia program.
Discussion area could be used to speak with the curator and/or hold the critique session with the students. The other option for the curator would be having a chat session during the tour of the museum, and if that is too confusing or distracting, using a podcast will be able to record an audio of the curator giving the tour.
To view the critiqued pieces of art for all students, the media sharing feature of a CMS would help to have a more accessible and closer view of the artwork then what would be available on the podcast for the tour.
There were two CMSs that I looked at for this example and feel that would help to supply the teacher with her/his needs, Moodle (moodle.org) and Haiku Learning (www.haikulearning.com). One of the major differences between Moodle and Haiku is that with Moodle you would need to download software to operate and a lot of people (with good reason) are leery of that procedure. According to Mcafee Security, “malware has exploded this year [2009], with almost as much unique malware in the first half of 2009 as in all of 2008” (retrieved from http://us.mcafee.com/en-us/local/docs/Mapping_Mal_Web.pdf ). The plus side for Moodle is that it is more of a global CMS reaching “210 countries” and “78 languages” (retrieved from moodle.org).
Moodle has been applauded by its users for numerous reasons. Thomas Robb, a faculty member at Kyoto (Japan) Sangyo University, spoke praise in his article “Moodle: A Virtual Learning Environment for the Rest of Us” with the following accolades, “After having taught online courses for a number of years using WebCT and Blackboard, I fell in love with Moodle at first sight… [t]he best feature of Moodle is that it can easily have every feature you want as long as there is someone around willing to program it.” (Retrieved from http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume8/ej30/ej30m2/ ).
Although Haiku Learning is not as well-known as Moodle, it still has had success for the educational community. I will admit that going to the source is kind of biased, but it is easier to find the success and people usually go into more detail. For example, in an interview with Ann Hostetler, who teaches at Goshen College in Indiana, she was asked “how Haiku LMS has affected her teaching.” She responded “I have found Haiku to be a flexible, user-friendly, and invaluable tool for organizing resources for my students. With Haiku, I can put files, web links, course information, images, videos, and mp3 files all in one organized, accessible space” (retrieved from http://www.haikulearning.com/interview/ann-hostetler ).
With two user-friendly CMSs to choose from, creating a course to help students learn more about the art in New York will not only be easy for the teacher but the student as well.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Defining Distance Learning
Before starting the course “Distance Learning”, I defined it as basically teacher and student were not in the same location and time, but they were on the same “page.” It helped that I had witness or experienced different types of distance learning. By mail, by video camera conference, by Internet, etc. After our required reading for this week and multimedia, I was not surprised that although it was more eloquent, the definition was not much different. In the multimedia “Distance Education The Next Generation” Dr. Simonson defined distance education as “formal education in which the learning group (teacher, students, resources) are separated by geography and, sometimes, by time.”
Although I was surprised in our reading “Teaching and Learning at a Distance”, how far back in time “Correspondence Study” went, I was not surprised at the consideration of postal mail as distance learning. Unfortunately the reason I know of this as a possibility is due to all of the scams that have been used any many comedic routines, scams that are now used on the Internet every minute of every day. Even with the scams that have overwhelmed the idea of distant learning, there is still a need and desire for those wanting to learn but no resources to accomplish it.
Each medium that was used in the past and present to maintain distance education can be utilized for the future. Regular postal mail has a continued potential for the areas of the globe who do not have access to modern technology or even electricity.
If you look at the mind-map I created. I have distance learning broken down into 5 categories. Now you may see the category of animal and be a little confused since we are to be creating where we believe distant learning is heading. Granted animals (like the ones I listed) were mostly use for the dispersal of news or information or course materials; however, if you look at the fifth animal I list (“Purple Dinosaur”) animals have often been considered teaching tools. Not only to have the animals to watch in their daily habitats, I was proud to be one of the students to take home the rat that my 6th grade class studied, but they are important to a mental comprehension and pacification. In the article “Pets-The Furry Mind-Body Healers” (retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/pets---the-furry-mind-body-healers-a267588), research has found that “it has been found that when pets are in a house with children between one and six years of age, the kids often develop improved social skills and better coordination.” In the third part of the article “Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web” speaks of a concern “about social development that may exceed classroom-based instruction.”
I believe that the opportunities are endless with the technology and resources we have available to us, but there is that fear in the back of my mind that started from personal experience, will isolation become an even bigger problem as distance learning increases in popularity, efficiency, and possibilities.
Although I was surprised in our reading “Teaching and Learning at a Distance”, how far back in time “Correspondence Study” went, I was not surprised at the consideration of postal mail as distance learning. Unfortunately the reason I know of this as a possibility is due to all of the scams that have been used any many comedic routines, scams that are now used on the Internet every minute of every day. Even with the scams that have overwhelmed the idea of distant learning, there is still a need and desire for those wanting to learn but no resources to accomplish it.
Each medium that was used in the past and present to maintain distance education can be utilized for the future. Regular postal mail has a continued potential for the areas of the globe who do not have access to modern technology or even electricity.
If you look at the mind-map I created. I have distance learning broken down into 5 categories. Now you may see the category of animal and be a little confused since we are to be creating where we believe distant learning is heading. Granted animals (like the ones I listed) were mostly use for the dispersal of news or information or course materials; however, if you look at the fifth animal I list (“Purple Dinosaur”) animals have often been considered teaching tools. Not only to have the animals to watch in their daily habitats, I was proud to be one of the students to take home the rat that my 6th grade class studied, but they are important to a mental comprehension and pacification. In the article “Pets-The Furry Mind-Body Healers” (retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/pets---the-furry-mind-body-healers-a267588), research has found that “it has been found that when pets are in a house with children between one and six years of age, the kids often develop improved social skills and better coordination.” In the third part of the article “Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web” speaks of a concern “about social development that may exceed classroom-based instruction.”
I believe that the opportunities are endless with the technology and resources we have available to us, but there is that fear in the back of my mind that started from personal experience, will isolation become an even bigger problem as distance learning increases in popularity, efficiency, and possibilities.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Project #1 has completed
It doesn't look beautiful, but the cats are enjoying it. They have a place to scratch, a place to hide and toys to play with.
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