Week 2 Effective Programs and Practices

Well, here we are in our third class.
Each class format is so different from the previous one that it is like attending three different universities. When I went to college in undergrad I transferred in sophomore year. It was two different schools in two different states, but it was still college. everything was the same.
At Walden each course has a different format with different requirements, so no matter what you did in the previous class it is going to be different in the next.
It would be better if it was one prescribed format, but oh well.
I find myself particularly exhausted for this new class. Two jobs, family, and grad school. I do find time to sleep, but I hope I am getting a healthy amount of sleep.
This week we have been reading about family partnerships. I am glad we are focusing on families because that is probably my biggest hurdle. Our families can be downright mean spirited and selfish. I would love to find a way to get them to connect better to the program, rather than trying to figure out how to "fix what ain't broke".
I came in at 6 a.m. today and I have back to back meetings from 10-4:30. The first face I saw was a happy teacher enthusiastically going through portfolios and organizing documentation.
Around eight o'clock I visited one of the classrooms and was greeted by hugs, kisses, and smiles.
Today will be just fine!

Can you see this?

I'm looking at my blog on both a Dell and my Mac. Oh, no! It looks a little differently on the Dell than my Mac. I had no idea it would not be the same for those on PC's.
Some of the tabs are vertical rather than neatly lined horizontally. I'm unsure as to why this is so and I'm glad I found this out.
I don't think I can fix this, but now I will try to post on both computers and see how the design looks.
Sorry, if you are viewing on a PC and it looks strange.
I'm working on it.

Week 2 Blues

Well, I am really not liking this second class. I realize that not every class is going to meet my needs, but I was not expecting it to be the second class!
There is so much I could say, but won't publicly.
I continue to enjoy my classmates, however and believe the strength of our relationships is what will actually get us through this program. Those interactions are proving to be the most valuable.
I can't wait for week 8.

Second Class!

Well, I have just completed the first week of my second class at Walden. I have gone from having ten classes to get through to eight. At the end of the year I will only be seven away from my degree. Wow, this is really happening.
So far I have mixed feelings about this new class. I was a little frustrated this week because the discussion board did not have any posts until Thursday. I must have been spoiled by my Foundations class because many people posted on Tuesday and early Wednesday. I was afraid no one was going to post at all.
Then, we were supposed to upload our links to our blogs on Saturday. I shut my computer off around 7 p.m. Saturday and no one had posted anything. I was disappointed because I wanted to get my comments in and complete my assignment.
I guess everyone is extremely busy in this group so I will have to be a little more patient in future weeks.
I am also not "loving" the textbooks. I do like the Berger text, but something feels off with the Smidt text. Perhaps it is the font or too many words on the page looking jumbled or it feels old. I don't know. I just know I didn't like the first chapter.
I liked the video from PBS very much. I didn't realize it was as long as it was and I had to set aside a chunk of my night to watch it, but it was interesting.
Because I don't work with infants I had not thought much about babies. It is very interesting to start this course from the beginning of life. It's like being pregnant again. Only now I'm studying for different reasons.
I have found one blog that has gotten me fired up. Christina Persons is living and working in a natural environment and that is something I am extremely interested in.
All in all, I look forward to this next step on my journey.

Week 8!

My reflection and thank you note are on the Exhale page.

Week 7! Wow!!

I cannot believe we are at the end of week 7.
I am glad to have classes in these "chunks" of time.  I feel like I can see the end without stressing about all of the bumps along the way.
This has been an interesting endeavor.  Online learning so far has been good for me.
Yes, I would have preferred to have not taken my first vacation in two years and have all of this studying to do at the same time.  It wasn't much of a vacation at all because every day I had to take a block of time and focus on ECE.  I also made the dreadful mistake of staying in constant communication with my job.  Big mistake.
As I begin to reflect on my study habits and my approach to online learning, I have already made a few changes changes:

• Turn the mail off and keep it off.  Checking for email while working is a terrible distraction.
• Stay out of any room with a t.v. (no need for explanation)
• Use my home office.  Hello. That's what it's there for.  Nice desk, nice chair, quiet environment. (Ok, it is a little cold and I will have to work on that)
• STOP GETTING DISTRACTED BY SURFING THE WEB.
• I have to stop checking the discussion board while I'm supposed to be writing my application. It's another distraction.

I do have to laugh at myself.  I am now in "writer's mode" which means that at work they are now stuck with me writing out elaborate reports and requiring them to write with more substance as well.  I do need to work on shorter emails, though. (LOL).

Week Seven!

Well, we've made it to week seven!!! This has been a very good first start to graduate school.  Even though there is very little interaction with a teacher/instructor/professor, I feel as if I have learned quite a bit.  I also feel that because of all the reading there has been much more opportunity for introspection.  I have a good foundation to start with and I can't wait to see what the end result of this journey will be.  What changes will I have made?
I am still mentally trying to get used to having to work on papers and readings every day, I would much rather have one paper due a month, however, it has been a good opportunity to write and think about the work that I do and why I do it.