Goals for 2013

"Goals s are dreams with deadlines"
Diana Scharf Hunt

This year I will finish my dissertation and by February 2014 I will have my work completed for my Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology. As part of my journey I joined a Facebook group that is, more or less, on the same path, same destination in completing their work so they can receive their Ph.D. in Education. It has been great because they have inspired me to complete my work instead of talking about the work.

My goal is to develop research based curriculum that includes educational technology in order to include students with disabilities in the general education classroom. In addition, I plan on writing articles and developing training courses for teachers in this area as well. Children with language issues and various disabilities need to work with their peers in order to develop social and academic skills.

The word for this year is stewardship. I plan on exploring that word as I complete my goals. This blog and michellewrite.wordpress.com will keep an account as I develop my skills during my journey. The blogs will include book reviews, reflections and research in my area of passion. Please join me!

Goals for 2013

"Goals are dreams with deadlines"
                                   Diana Scharf Hunt

This past year I knew I needed support and accountability in order to complete my Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology.  Initially, I wanted to specialize in Special Education, but this past year I decided my goals would be best served by specializing in Educational Technology.

My goal, once I receive my Ph.D. in education, is develop research based curriculum to illustrate that educational technology will facilitate a student's language development AND facilitate inclusion of student's with disabilities in the general education classroom. Educational technology will help all students with any type of issues to access the general education classroom.  Educational technology will help the teachers differentiate instruction in the classroom.

In order to accomplish this goal, I will complete my dissertation this year.  I will develop and write curriculum for online instruction and to use in in the classroom to facilitate students with disabilities in the general education classroom.  My opinion is the Educational Technology will facilitate and assist the students to access the general education classroom.

As I complete this blog I will post my progress, research I have uncovered, various book reviews and articles that I will read in connection to the development of my career as a educator.  Please stay with me on my journey and post your comments, critiques and support along the way.

Review: No Storm Lasts Forever

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No Storm Lasts Forever

Terry A. Gordon

Empowerment, Inspirational, Spirituality

978-1-4019-3985-4No Storm Lasts Forever: Transforming Suffering Into Insight

by
Dr. Terry A. Gordon

This book concerns a period in Dr. Gordon's son's life. His son had a serious accident and Dr. Gordon discusses his thought, emotions and experiences as his son recovers from his accident.

I though this book was okay.  The book did not have any new thoughts or suggestions about a terrible time during  his son's recuperation.

Michelle

Michelle's Notes: What to Expect?

The expectations of this blog was to provide a place for me to write my response for my Educational Technology classes that I am taking for my graduate work in PhD. As I progressed through the courses, I thought that I could use this for my writing, reading, teaching, etc.  However, I have found this is not acceptable because it is not focused on specific audience.

Consequently, the focus of this blog will be on education and professional development resources for a writer and teacher.  Specifically, research in the area of technology (reference to tools used in writer and teaching), books that specifically assist in marketing, queries, curriculum development and online instruction, classroom (brick and mortar) instruction and questions.

In addition, I welcome requests and questions. There will be link to my book review, writing, and teaching site.  Follow me as I grow in the blog process.

Six Month Check Up

We are all in a period of transition.  I am preparing a new room for my class next year.  While I have more room I don’t have all the technology I want in that room.  My mantra this year isn’t why don’t I? Or why me?  It is how do I get the things that I want   It is time for a six month check up.  I am not settling for anything and it is time to become what God has created me to become in this life. In order to get what I want I need to get up in the morning and get going.

Deut.   I:6:   You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.

It is Sunday and I went to church this morning to greet people as they arrived for worship services.  I saw a lot of old faces and some new faces.  I chit chatted.  I came home shortly afterwards because I had forgotten my medicine.  This was good because I got up and went to church. My habit that I want to develop is get up when the alarm goes off in the morning.  One of the blogs I follow has an article that I think outlines how to do it well.

It is time for a six month check up.  A gentleman in one of my writing groups suggested that we put forth our goals etc. that we want to have accomplished by July 1, 2013.  This is nice because we keep each other on track. This is a recurring theme in many of the blogs that I have been reading. In addition, the teachers I know are reading books and discussing them.  They are doing much the same that I am doing right now. However, instead of doing this in the summer, I have decided that I will get up at the same time each morning 7 days a week, every day in the month, every day in the year.

 I have realized as I go through my goals that I haven’t accomplished all that I want to this year. I want a better relationship with my children, family and friends.  Not just on Facebook either. I want to lose the weight and improve my health.  My dream is to write stories, articles and curriculums.  Teach online and consult with districts.  I want to work with children in practice not in a public school.

I can’t accomplish my goals if I don’t get up in the morning.

Are you living your dream? How can you get the things that you want?

   My white board at my desk has something from each of my goals that will accomplish my dreams.

My first gaol is that I will get up when the alarm clock goes off in the morning.

New beginnings Steps

This is part of my new beginnings.

I read in a section in Flylady this morning about her 50th birthday. Her 50th birthday included new beginnings as well.  Over this year, the question isn’t why me or why not me? , but HOW DO I MAKE THIS POSSIBLE?

The steps:

Faith/Love

Good health

Family connections

PhD

Writing

Online teaching

ONE STEP:

 A Dissertation, according to Encarta Dictionary: English (2012) “is a lengthy formal written treatment of a subject, especially a long paper submitted as a requirement for a degree. “ What the dictionary does not include is the definition of the dissertation process which is almost as lengthy as the paper.  The process included writing a premise, gathering a dissertation committee, writing a prospectus AND waiting for each to be approved before starting the dissertation.  However, as the saying goes if it were easy everyone would be doing it.  I intend to have the three letters PhD behind my name in a year and half. 

At it goes on . . . . .

Keep my Friend Kathy in your prayers as she undergoes surgery and my son as he goes out

The Light of the World: A testimony of Jesus Christ

A Book Review

By

Michelle Martens Dragalin

                A person’s return journey back to Christianity is very personal as Patrick K. Canon illustrated in his book. This book is about a man who finds his rebirth after he has hit rock bottom. The book actually has three parts to it and each section could be expanded into its particular book. The first section is a long poem, the second section a sermon on how America is founded on Christianity and finally the author’s testimony. The follow paragraphs will review each section of the book.

I liked the poem, but the poem was too long and had to many themes inside of one poem. I did like the nuggets in the poem because are based on biblical evidence. However, the poem should be separated into several different poems. Each poem would have its own theme and it would not have been an endurance to test to read them all. The book of Psalms and Proverbs are not all written as one lengthy book.

The next section of the book examined how Christianity should fit into the everyday world of America. Christianity is not part of the everyday world, and I agree with the author and the points he made in this section. However, I received the feeling that he realized he was rambling and ended the section with a quick segue into his testimony.

His testimony was very to the point and clinical. He depicted the events as they unfolded rather quickly and without much detail. Mr. Canon needed, in my opinion, more emotion and less narrative about the events that happened during his story. This would have helped the story would have flowed better. In addition, this section read more along the lines of a man who updated his journal based on events that happened to someone else. I also think that in trying to remain as anonymous as possible, he left out pivotal events (we already know that this about him), but I still do not understand what the turning point was about his testimony.

The book has some really strong points, but it was almost as if he wanted to “get on with the book” and let the reader figure out what he was talking about on their own. While this would be good for a Christian who knows where to go, a new Christian would have a difficult time understanding his book. A little more detail would not have hurt the book.

The Light of the World

Available from: www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com and www.amazon.com

ISBN: 978-1452026367 *  7.8X4.9 * Paperback * 56 page * $10.49