Communication and Collaboration

I used the web 2.0 tool Pinterest. I absolutely love this tool.You can probably tell my love for Pinterest, because I talk about it on almost every blog I post.   It has so many great categories to choose from when creating your board.  Maybe you want to create your dream wedding, find some yummy recipes, look at the latest Fall trends, or get some exercise tips....well if so, you have come to the right place!!! For teachers it is great, because you can see other boards that teachers have posted and get some great ideas. Take a look at the commercial that was created and geared towards teachers.

All Fired Up

I love to lose myself in something creative and get lost in the moment. You know that feeling where you are solely focused on the thing you are working on. It's when everything else takes a backseat while you are experiencing this therapeutic experience of making something creative. I am the happiest when I am doing something creative  because for me it brings fulfillment.

I've gone several times to this place called,All Fired Up.  I love this place!!! It's this neat pottery place in Decatur, Ga. The vibe is very urban and chill. I find myself channeling my inner creativity while listening to some jams,  enjoying a beverage of choice from a local coffee shop right around the corner, and painting some unique pottery.

You first pick out the piece of pottery you wish to paint. Then, you select all of the paints you wish to use. They also have stencils, and other helpful utensils that help in making your work of art. Everyone who knows me knows that I LOVE coffee and zebra print patterns. So what did I do? I combined the two and made a zebra print coffee cup.

Learning and Leading~ Creativity

*The four dimensions that J.P. Guilford uses to describe creativity are:

~fluency,  the ability to generate lots of ideas
~flexibility,  the ability to look at a question or a topic from a different angle
~originality, the quality that generates unique or unusual products  ~elaboration, a way of adding details, filling in the gaps, embellishing, and completing a creative idea.

* I probably struggle the most with flexibility. I often have trouble looking at things from a different angle and point of view. This is really evident in my studies. For example, when it comes to studying for a math test I just want to know  the easiest way to calculate the problem. I don't want to know the 3 other ways to figure out the answer.I really like structure and do better following a schedule, so being flexible in my daily life can deffinitely use some tweaking.

*I really like the tool wallwisher, this tool would be great for the dimension of flexibility. In response to to something the teacher has presented in wallwisher, the students simply post notes responding to  different ideas,views on topics, and ways to solve problems. It's a great tool to help students think outside of the box and brainstorm different ideas. Wallwisher could also be used for the dimension of elaboration. This could be helpful in letting students review what they have posted previously on the wall and build on their ideas.

* Scrapblog is a fantastic multimedia scrapbook that features photos, videos, audio, and many other creative elements. I deffinitely will use this tool when I am teaching my FACS classes. What a great way to publish pictures of the yummy recipes that we will be cooking!!

 

 

Sprinkles and Surprises!!

In my family we have a birthday tradition, as we've gotten older it's gotten a little harder to maintain, but when we were younger we would always get breakfast in bed for our birthdays. I always looked forward to having my family come in to my room, serve me a yummy breakfast in bed , and sing happy birthday. Seriously, what is better than being served a home-cooked breakfast in bed? I can't think of too many things, can you? Mmm mmm.... bacon, eggs, panakes, muffins, and coffee...soooo yummy!

Well, to carry on this birthday tradition, i'm going to make a special birthday breakfast for my sister. Monday, my sister will be turning the big 30!!!!!! So to celebrate her special day i'm going to make something yummy.....well, a few yummy things!!! Everyone who knows my sister knows that she LOVES cupcakes....I mean really LOVES cupcakes. So instead of our typical "breakfast  in bed" ,she will be getting dessert in bed!!!!! I think thats a fabulous way to start your birthday.

                  fun-fetti cupcake. I think these will be perfect for a birthday celebration!!!

 

Then I found this recipe I might have to try!!!

 

Cake batter doughnuts

 

 

What?!!!! Red Velvet Pancakes?!!!!! Gotta try these too!!!!

 

Looks like i'm going to be busy baking Monday morning and taste testing!!!! =)

 

Yummy To My Tummy

Deep Dish Cookie Pie

So I absolutely LOVE to find yummy recipes and cook. I recently came across the blog, Chocolate Covered Katie,  and it is sooooo amazing!! For a chocolate lover like myself, but one who likes to be healthy, this blog is fabulous!!! I get a little overwhelmed at all the delectable creations and have to keep myself from drooling while looking at my computer screen. I thought I would share some yummy recipes with you. Then you too can be one happy chocolate lover as you satisfy your sweet tooth craving with one of these recipes.

Triple Chocolate Nutella Fudge
 

Horizon Report

One facet that I really loved in the Horizon Report was the idea of "game based learning." What a great concept to really engage the students in learning. The report mentions the many innovative ways in which we can use games to teach our students, which I find genius. The report describes the games as being , "goal oriented; social game environments; non digital games that are easy to construct and play; games developed expressly for education; and commercial games that lend themselves to refining team and group skills." This idea of game based learning highlights so many important skills such as; role playing,  collaborative problem solving, communication, critical thinking ,and digital literacy. I think researchers are definitely on to something here by integrating games into the curriculum. This idea incorporates these skills, but in a unique fashion. Education is always evolving and changing. As educators I feel we must learn how to interweave these new concepts into our classroom. I used to love when we played review games for test in school. What a nice break from the humdrum of busy bookwork. This allowed us to have fun, but we were also learning at the same time ,and developing many beneficial skills.