Personal Technology Project Proposal

I would like to explore more deeply the possibilities of a class wiki either on pbworks or through google. I watched a couple training videos on lynda.com and it seems to me that this could be an excellent way to house research or personal writings. It also seems like a great place for students to benefit from each others writing instead of it being a solely teacher to student interaction.

My Class Website

I am loving the idea of having a class website so that the parents of my students can be filled in on what is happening in my day to day routine.

Check it out!

https://sites.google.com/site/mrschristensensclasssite/

Personal Learning Network

1.English Companion Ning. This is a discussion forum where fellow English teachers get together and talk about ideas that worked or didn't work for their classrooms.
2.National Council of Teachers of English. Keeping up to date with the NCTE unites teachers across the United States with good books, essays, etc.
3.Free Technology for teachers
4.NPR I have found that keeping up with this news station helps inspire many of my lesson plans. Just the other day I heard a story about three-word memoirs and I thought about how my students could write their own memoirs.
5. And of course, Teaching with Technology. A blog by a BYU professor who has lots of resources about teaching with technology

Stuff White People Like- Multicultural Aid in the Classroom

While we address multicultural topics in our classroom it seems rather helpful to have examples of culture and ethnicity. I was introduced to this website; stuffwhitepeoplelike.com in another one of my classes and I thought that you would appreciate this blog as teachers. It brings in an added amount of humor to the idea of racial identity and it can help to bring forth a topic in the classroom that is very touchy. Also, it has helped me to laugh a bit at my own race and use it as a way to present myself as a white teacher to the students that I have. Obviously this website should be used with an added amount of judgment and not be any sort of way to make superior or inferior judgments about race. It is merely a way to point out differences or similarities.

चेक आउट थे ट्रन्स्लतिओन

I bet you had no idea that blogger could translate everything that you write into another language, well this here post goes out to all of my friends who speak hindi. That way you are in on this little secret that all other readers don't know.

All About Me!

Born and raised in Menlo Park, California I didn't really know what it meant to have seasons. We had rain for winter and temperate weather the rest of the year. Now that I live in Utah I am more than aware how terribly cold and invigoratingly beautiful the seasons can be. I am a nature addict who can never seem to be outside hiking, biking, rollerblading, or running enough. To help you get a feel for the type of nature lover that I am, I included a slide show at the bottom of this page with some inspirational pictures that might make you feel like you are outside when in actuality you are sitting in front of a computer. I am newly married and loving every minute of it! Yesterday I even tried my hand at baking homemade bread (honey white and it was delicious). Who knew that becoming a wife turns on the domestic button in my brain. I am now a devoted follower of the Barefoot Contessa who inspires my culinary side. Check out her recipes at her website http://www.barefootcontessa.com/