My Website

Here is my website for class.

www.lesley.edu/faculty/kmccoy/kansascity/km090105/index.html

I am so excited about learning these new things. It has been a long time between learning for fun and learning for class preparation. I am so glad that I started school. I have met some wonderful people and learned wonderful things.

I wish that I could devote my more time to class--I really enjoyed working on my website--I would like to know how to do it better. I think that I could have a lot of fun with it. The students at Vatterott really enjoy it when they are taking the class.

End of the phase

Today was the last day of the phase. It is good to see it over. It is also rather sad too. There were no more new starts. They are teaching program out--the new one is supposed to start in November.

This is going to be a long weekend. I have classes on Saturday and Sunday and I have a webinar to attend on Friday. I'm glad that I like school or I would really dread this weekend.

Long Day

Dad asked me to drive him to his doctor's appointment in Columbia. No biggie. However, the appointment was for 12--the doctor didn't arrive until 3:00--he was in surgery. I was amazed at the treatment we received. They were so nice. Today they had planned to have a birthday party for one of the nurses. So they included us. We were the only people there. They came into the waiting room with cake for us. We just sat there and they listened to Dad talk. One of the nurses was really interested in gardening. That happens to be Dad's favorite topic--it was great to watch the two of them. The only problem was that Daisy (Dad's dog) ate one of his hearing aids. He was constantly interrupting people because he didn't realize that they were talking.

James and I share a Costco card and our annual check came in. We have to spend it at Costco--now we have to decide what we want. He told me that he wanted a movie set and I could have the rest. Of course, they didn't have the movie set. Now we have to look for something else. Of well, it is hard to shop--ha, ha!

Doin' Great!

Had my semi-annual checkup with Dr. Jew today. She said that I am doing great. Just 9 months more and I will be "cured". I am so happy. It has been a long 5 years. I plan to get my hair cut on my anniversary and donate it to Locks of Love. I've been bald, I know what it feels like. As I tell my students, "been there, done that". My tri-annual oncologist visit was last Wednesday--he said everything was great. Of course, he had to add "If we could only get a little weight off you, you would feel so much better."

Georgia (dog) and Thomas (cat) are helping me write my blog. Thomas is sitting right next to the keyboard while Georgia is taking up most of my chair space. Pretty soon, I will be on the floor as she is snoring in the chair.

I hooked up my camera yesterday. I am all ready to "skype" now. I sent a video of Georgia and me to my family. It was a lot of fun. I was surprised to see that my Uncle David had a Skype account. I am thinking about getting a camera for Dad so that he can skype with his brother and granddaughters. It will be easier for him and more fun for all. They can do a video call. That will prevent him from playing cards while they are trying to talk to him.

I am going in to school early today and work on DreamWeaver. I have decided on a WebQuest topic. It feels so much better when I know what I am going to do.

Rainy Days and Mondays

You can tell it is a rainy Monday morning. My classroom was almost bare until about 10. I guess they are afraid that they will melt in the rain.

I am so excited. I got my podcast to embed on my work portal. Then I learned how to make it fit into the screen. I need to learn how to talk without breathing. You can really hear that. I guess that

Practicing Podcasts

I am so excited. I purchased a microphone today so that I could start doing podcasts. I have downloaded JingProject, so I was ready to start practicing. I think that this will be a fantastic tool to use with my students. Since I have been teaching Word, I used it to do a short demonstration of mail merge.

The podcasts are limited to 5 minutes since I have the free version, but that was great. After I found out how to get it to acknowledge my microphone, I was ready to made some "noise". I realize that I now that I will need a script before I start recording, but it was great to see what I can do with the software and the microphone.

One of the perks of going back to school has been that I have started looking for new things to do in class and new ways to present it. I have always made sure my students understood the topics that we were discussing, but I am afraid that I have fallen back on the "tried and true". One of my students told me that she like the fact that I was in school--I was coming up with fun things to do. I need to keep up the momentum and keep looking for new ways to present the information. It will certainly help that I have to prepare for new classes, but I will find new techniques and procedures to use.....

I think I've Got It

I finally figured out how to put a title onto my post. I can't believe how much work we sometimes have to put into simple situations. As I tell my students, since I found it myself, I will remember it a lot longer.

Long week

It's been a couple of days--this has been a long week. I did have good news on Wednesday. I went to see my oncologist for a check up and everything looks good. Of course, he said that if I could get some of my weight off, I would feel better.

I took my two youngest nieces out for lunch today. I called and asked if they wanted to go out. The 9 year old misunderstood me when I started listing places we could go. I said "pasta" and she thought "Costco" so that is where she chose to go. However, it was extremely easy to get her to agree to go to IHOP. It is her favorite.

Emily and I shared a meal--it was two pancakes, cheesecake and strawberries, plus the eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. I was so glad that we shared. It was way too much for me.

We have been pretty lucky this summer--such nice mild weather. Then I decide to go camping and the normal weather hits. Unfortunately, on Sunday, as we were putting up our camper, I didn't drink any water--just a lot of diet coke.

Today, I am paying the price. I think that I ended up with heat stroke. I tried to go to work, but as I was trying to grade papers, I just couldn't keep awake. So I got one of the other teachers to look after my class and I went home. I slept nearly four hours. Had a little something to eat and then went back to sleep. The dog and cat were sleeping with me--one in the crook of each arm.

So I have avoided diet coke and ice tea and tried to drink a lot of water. I feel so bad. Oh well, it can only get better.

The weekend is over. I can't believe it went that fast. I enjoyed the camping, but didn't like the heat. It is supposed to be hot today again. The kids went on a treasure hunt last night. They really enjoyed themselves. I think that the adults enjoyed it just as much.

I still haven't decided what to do my webquest on. I am thinking about marketing---finding a new product to introduce.

I need to get breakfast made--have a great day!

Good Morning! I am really enjoying my new netbook. Right now, I am downloading Jingproject so that I can screencast. It is so exciting to learn these new possibilities with the internet. I can see how easy it would be for me to use podcasts and screencasts in my classroom--if a student is absent, all they have to do is listen to parts of my lecture. Maybe, I'll be obsolete. Nah, they would miss my glorious personality (just kidding!).

I slept pretty good last night--even though I had the melodious noise of Hwy 70 ringing in my ears. We are right on I-70--you should hear the trucks go by. One lost a tire last night. Boy, did one of the guys jump when it went off.

Well, I shouldn't stay in the camper too long--they will think I'm a snob. Have a great day!

Okay, so I am hooked. I am camping this weekend, but I still have to write on my blog. I bought a netbook today. I justifiy it because of classes, but I truly think it is because I can't stand to be away from the internet. Has going back to school made me an internet junky?

A group of us "old folks" have been going camping for awhile now. This weekend is for the kids--which means that kids and grandkids are welcome. It also means that some people have to watch what they talk about around the campfire. I don't know that we will be having a campfire--it is 85 degrees at 10:30. My brother and I went into town to go to my niece's show from bible school. For the most part it was really cool. If her last part had been sooner, I think that we would have left sooner--but they had them sign the glori partri (I don't know how to spell it.) so that took us all home.

Thursday--I stayed home today--I don't know if I am sick or just plain exhausted. I don't miss very often. My students are really working hard on their Word, and I want to be there to help them, but I just didn't feel good.

I also have to be careful that I don't take anything into the classroom. I don't want to get my students sick. They can't afford to miss.

I woke up this morning to Georgia jumping up on me. She was trying to lick my face and bite me at the same time. I will be so glad when she is done teething. I pushed her off the bed and she came back to apologize. That meant that I had to wash my face after she did.

I worked on the chapter assignment. I was so excited to learn about screencasting. I wish that I had known about it when I was doing my assignment for last time. It is really neat. After I practice with it for awhile, I will be able to use it in class and have it available for the students to use when I am not there. How cool is that!

So, I think that I am all that--a blog no less--trouble is, I couldn't get into my blog. Too many e-mail addresses.

We are going camping this weekend. No place special--just a nearby campground. I am looking forward to it. There are 5 families that get together. If they bring their families, we have a huge group. They are a lot of fun.

I am trying to be patient with my brother's dog--Georgia--or as I call her--Satan's daughter. She is into everything. She is teething. Unfortunately for my cat, Thomas, he is her favorite chew toy. I can't wait until she grows out of this stage. She is cute--but she is a handful.

Here it is Tuesday--and RAIN! I am so tired right now. I just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep this morning--but that stupid alarm clock said "NO" in a most insistent manner so I got up.

There are a lot of empty chairs in my classroom. I guess they were able to ignore their alarm clocks.

I guess that I won't have to water my tomatoes today. I put in several tomato plants--funny thing is that I don't like them. I really put them in for Mom--she kept telling me--"don't forget tomatoes. I love tomatoes." So I put them in--in fact, I put a whole lot in. My roma tomatoes are really pathetic. But the cherry tomatoes and the "big boys" are doing well.

I just wish Mom was here to enjoy them. She would have eaten them for every meal. I was able to give several away this weekend. My students enjoy them as well. I do like a BLT now and then.

Okay, so I have to admit. The picture is a few "decades" old. I haven't had a picture taken since then. And, since I love to take the pictures, I don't have many pictures of myself. So this one will ahve to do.

I loved the area at college where it was taken. I went to school at The School of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, MO. Of course, they call it "The College of the Ozarks" now. The grist mill is still there. It is a working mill where they grind corn, wheat, etc. They use a water wheel to turn the huge grinders.

Whenever I got homesick or sick of homework or roommates, I would go down to the grist mill on campus. The water running over the wheel always made me feel so much better. It had a calming affect on me. I would sit there and watch the water cascade down the rocks at the spillway. It is amazing how the water tosses and turns and seems to find its way home in the end--just like us if we keep our head.

Monday--the bane of all workers. I am so tired. It was hard to get up this morning after having class all weekend. I finished one assignment--only two more to go.

What makes Monday so hard? I don't want to wish my life away--but I am always wishing for Monday to be over.

This is the first time I have ever done anything like this--I am excited about learning something new.

Here I am on the web--yeah me.

I wonder what I will learn this year.