Love of my life

Today I was thinking how lucky I am. I am lucky enough to have the love of my life with me and share in the bast times of our lives! Rickey Don Casper Jr. is such a good guy, shy at first, I mean I was the one that had to ask him to kiss me because he was too shy to do it and he did not want to offend me!?!? He is the first person I turn to, to answer any of lives questions, because I know that his answers will be what is best for us. He is such a selfless guy and wants the best for everyone. I am not sure how I was lucky enough to get him to put up with me, and trust me this he does. I cannot wait for our next venture in life together, because no matter what it may be I know it will be great as long as I am with him! Love ya babe!

I've been tagged!

1- I have never been outside of the United Stated
2- I want to own my own reception center place someday
3- I had 20 + cats when we lived at the Lehi Cabin
4- I love Katherine Heigel
5- I was in a sorority at the U of U
6- I had foster sister and brothers at one time.
7- I did rodeo for 10 + years

Teaching technology

We finally cracked the book open this week. It is about time, I was starting to wonder why I bought the book and if I would ever use it. After opening it and exploring the wonder of the inside of it I really am glad I did. I am so excited to use them in my future classrooms.

There are so many good ideas that help get the students more involved with technology and computers, with out scaring them. There are so many activities that are fun yet informative. Many of the activities you could recreate for any ages and any grade. I really appreciate that they place in the lessons the areas that you will help the students expand on and learn more about. Also that it has the ISTE standards so you can make sure you are covering the proper information for the standards. I also think that these lessons are good for me to do to learn more on power point. I also could use some of the lessons for my children to learn more and projects for school.

The assignments that we choose to do as a group was the "Word Art" and the "Poem Senses." I enjoyed doing these, it reminded me of being in elementary school. I always enjoyed doing the crafty creative things in school, so I am sure that I will have the students in my class do the same things.

I wonder how more evolved the kids will be in my future classroom, if I give them an assignment like one from the book and they think it is an easy assignment. I cannot believe how technology savvy kids are now. Even while doing some of my hours for this semester, kids in the third grade are talking about how they need to add so and so to their Facebook or MySpace account and what is your e-mail address. All of this was not part of my third grade experience, so as an "older"' person to them, I wonder if I will be behind in the technology world compared to them???

5 uses for the digital camera in the classroom

1- Taking pictures to put on blogs. I think that the students and the teachers can use this. I plan on having a blog for that class that the students can share photo's of projects and activities in the classroom with their family and friends. Also I am going to post the assignment plan for the week on there so that parents and students can get on and check what is due. I think that this will help the parents especially because the kids may say that they do not have homework, because they do not want to do it, but they can then get on line and check the blog. Depending on what grade I decide to teach, the kids could also have a blog and want to take pictures and post them on their own blog to share with family and friends. You would have to keep a close monitor of what kods posted on their blogs.

2- Capturing memories to make scrapbook pages. Scrap booking has become very popular with families, so in the class room we can take pictures of the children and let them also take the camera home to take pictures in order to make prints of memories, that they or their family could scrap book together. I think it would be fun to make a scrap book in class with the students for the year, and they all be required to make at least one page to contribute to the book. Kids may not have a family atmosphere to take pictures of, so you would have to help them be creative with memories and ideas.

3- Taking pictures during the school year and making a CD for the kids to take home at the end of the year. I think that this would be a great memory for the students to have. They can help select the photo's of different activities through out the year, like field trips, plays, assemblies and other activities. We could even include personal photos of the kids doing their own activities with their family. The students can help me choose the music to add and make it fun and memorable for them. You would have to make sure that you did not have too many of one child and get a good variety of all the students.

4- Have students take pictures of them and their family to make a family tree book. This will come in as a really good keepsake for later in life. They will be able to take pictures of great grandma and grandpas that they will have forever. It is good to show the students where they come from, generation to generation. With the book they can also do some research to have the students learn their family history and background. The students may not have a large family, or may be adopted so you would have to becareful how you worded and treated the students.

5- Use photos for attendance charts. I like this idea, especially for substitute teachers. You know that when they have a substitute they try to sit with their friends and trick the substitute, with photos on their name tag and on a seating chart, the substitute will know exactly where the students should be at all times. Also I would make it so the pictures on the name tag change, when the student has a new photo to display. I cannot think of any major cons on using this, I think it would be very helpful.

I am so glad that I have to write all these ideas down on the blog, so that when I am a teacher I will remember first where I put them and remember them period, because they are written out. I know that there are so many ideas that cross my head about what I want to use and teach in my classroom, and I need to start putting my ideas on here so that I will always have them.

Rock On!

On Friday we went to Kelly Clarkson and Reba with PJ and Kelly they had two extra tickets and were super nice and invited us along. Rickey was oh so "excited" and all the guys at the fire station gave him crap about having to go to the concert, but he was a good hubby and went. He said he had fun, he likes hanging out with our couple, the Casper's. We had super good tickets, we were on the first row on the lower bowl. It was really loud, and we all felt stupid and old admitting that a country concert was too loud! The opening act was so freaking funny, it was the girl from Reba, Barbra Jean. She was so good she even had Rickey laughing his head off! I have always loved Reba, she has been one of my favorites ever since I was young and I was so happy that she sang Fancy! I also become a fan of Kelly Clarkson, she was really good and appreciate her music more now than before.
Thank you PJ and Kelly for a hot date!

Paparazzi in the classroom

Today, it is usually unheard of if you use wind up camera and do not own a Digital Camera. They are now made in so many price levels that most people can afford them. I have seen them for less that $50.00 given they will not turn out the best pics, but for an elementary student this would be the perfect camera. This would allow them to take pics to capture memories to have for life.

I love my digital camera that I got for Christmas last year. It has a chargeable battery pack that lasts forever, that I love because my last camera ate batteries like no other. Even though I have used it a million times, I am guilty of not using the different features. I really should experiment and learn to use them.

In the articles that I read I found some really good ideas that I would use in my class room. If the kids went on a field trip you could tell the kids to pick out an item that they saw and wanted to write a report or poem on and take a picture of it. They could be part of the memory book that we would add to through out the year.

I also saw a an idea for taking pictures of the lunch food for the week and posting it in the classroom so that if the kids normally brought sacked lunch and wanted pizza on pizza day they would know the day. Because I am sure that most kids do not take the time to read the lunch menu.

In my classroom I would like to have a child star bulletin that you would post a child's picture and have them add pictures of family, camping trips, hobbies, and anything that they wanted to display by themselves.

I really liked the idea of taking pictures of class activities and memories throughout the year and have the students help me put them into a slide show that has music and fun pictures, and I can make copies for the students to take home at the end of the year as a type of yearbook.
The idea of a digital camera in the class room is a good idea for so many reasons, I think even if you had to purchase a cheap one with your own money, until you could afford a nicer one it would be well worth it.

Too much free time at work 2

This is a random picture that I had of my kitty Bella, so I decided to add her to the website Lolcats 'n' Funny pics.

Too much free time at work

So my "brother" at work Brandon and I found a totally awesome website today True Swords . We are a little frightened by the things listed on there and the people that might buy them. It is a good laugh, here are a few of the items that are now on our Christmas list! I mean who can live without a cane sword?

Winston my little bird dog

Most of you know my "little boy" Winston, I just had to post this picture of him, because it is so Winston. I don't think that many people believe me that he poses for his pictures, but he totally does! He loves for it to be all about him, so when I pull out the camera it is pose time! I love this little monkey so much, I do not know what I would do with out him! This is Winston at Otter Creek, he wanted to go in the boat, so Jeff put him on the steps and guess what he did, he posed! What a little bird dog!

Point to the Power!

I LOVE Power Point!!! I think that it is so fun. especially on the new Word Programs! It has so many more options than the old power point that I have on my computer. I really think it will come in handy when I am a teacher, because I will be able to create fun and entertaining teaching activities for the class. I can use music, pictures etc. so they are not too bored with just learning from the book. I am excited to learn the 50 Power Point activities. I have always looked at power point as "work" but now that we have "played" with it it is fun.

Finishing up the UEN was nice to get over with, for now. I was getting very worn out and sick of playing the UEN website game. I am glad that we got to discuss some of the main points in class. I know that the site will be a good resource when teaching. I know how time consuming and difficult the assignment was for me to finish and I am a pretty computer savvy person, so I can only imagine how hard this assignment was for some of the people in the class. I know that some really struggled, because I hear the troubles that I have. To me they seem simple, but I feel bad because they are really struggling. I think that this class is good for all of us because of all the helpful tools and information we are learning, and I know that we will all survive this semester!