I have to play now because once the semester really gets rolling, I won’t have time.
We* all know this. Steal my links if you want.

JIGSAW PLANET:
I made a homework reminder using Jigsaw Planet.
And a reminder puzzle about P2.
And yet another one for a final grade check email.

PREZI (campus email/campus email password):
I made one for a campus presentation, but they have a gallery of already-made ones, like this one about the writing process.
A George Carlin prezi. Yay.
A prezi showing the peer review process in publishing.
This prezi explains how to put together a rough draft; I could put it in my online class right now. So useful!
Same goes for this one on proofreading.

ANIMOTO (campus email/iTunes password):
What is an essay? created by me. Hard to hear pieces of video. Boo…
Intro to Online English 120. Should use it next week when I email them!

XTRANORMAL (FB login):
Use reliable sources movie.
Late work movie.

TOONDOO:
Assign for English 120 argument stuff?

WIKIS and GOOGLE DOCS:
Made a video (already in English 120 Online) about using those two things for group projects.

GLOGSTER (yahoo email or teacher47; iTunes password):
I made a few one; one is in use already as a link in the English 120 Online class.
Here’s my old Creative Writing one and my English 110 one as well.

WORDLE:
Used as a cover sheet for my English 120 Online class syllabus!

TIMEGLIDER (teacher47; very basic password):
This could be useful for the Stretch Project (P2) in English 110; I could require it of their topic. Maybe.

*We = teachers, etc.

I’ve burnt myself out.
I organized my office BIG TIME today. I made so much progress, that I think I should reward myself with a nap.
I threw away stuff, I made piles of “Read Me Soon” items, I put things into a folder that the workstudy can scan when she starts up again.
Yeah.
I’m also like 95% done with my tenure portfolio. It’s an awesome feeling.
All I have left is class rosters, but I may even wait to print those until tomorrow morning. Well, I could print 9am’s and then do the others later… true story.
I haven’t double-checked my Delicious Links or lists or watched TED or filtered through my Klondike Bar folder, but I do have Thursday and parts of tomorrow to do that. Heck, it’s the first week; I have a few days to re-check what I want to do LATER in the semester. Yep.

I am up early today. Like, really early. It happens from time to time. I get up, putz around, eat a mini-Snickers bar (woke up to a growling stomach, of course), curl up on my loveseat w/my favorite super huge NDSCS blanket and hope Mick Kjar’s voice (local meteorologist) will numb me into sleep. But I just felt my right calf twitch the whole time, so I got up and finished updating my new iPod.
I sometimes think my body gets me up early so I get crap done early and, therefore, can rest up before “something big” occurs. I don’t get as nervous for the first day of classes as I used to, and I have a good idea of what I’ll do tomorrow. It’s all the SIDE stuff I’d like to wrap up today = those are the things I’m sure my body wants me to be done with. Mainly so that I can focus on class/students for the rest of the week, but also because my sister is due today and once she pops, I’ll get even less done. Not that that’s a bad thing. I’ll take a niece/nephew (first official one at that) to start a semester off right – to ring in my birthday month, too. Yeppers.

So, today, I have that tenure portfolio on my agenda, along with the Incomplete grade thing, and… oh yeah, the class rosters. Beyond those things, I should double-check my Delicious Links (printed off somewhere) and look through my folders (on office computer) for anything more to add. I’d like to watch some TED videos today, too, and check out Google Reader teacher blogs as well. So, with that said or written or whatever, I should throw some clothes on and get coffee somewhere.

p.s. Jenny McCarthy’s book is okay. She’s not as funny as Chelsea Handler, and I kind of feel like the chapters were thrown together like one of my C students. I’m still happy with the purchase, and there have been a few parts that have made me giggle and/or think, but I wish it was … better.

Okay, for my on-campus English 120, I’m going to use Lady Gaga + The How of Happiness = show argument? That’ll start off class before we dive into WHO they are + the SYLLABUS.
My 2 English 110s will see something like this Wednesday: some kind of commentary about how much they write&read everyday (texting, TV, Facebook, etc.) where I have ‘em do math (how many texts have you gotten today blahblahblah) “Rhetorical Math” + intro to SYLLABUS (and maybe George? or save for Friday?) + dive into WHO they are + The Scribble Project (which they can finish at home with the English 110 Pre-Test).
I’ll need to remind both classes that my sister could POP this week; they should update their emails to get notification on that. Yeah.

Today, before I leave my cozy office:
+Check Gradebook in English 120 Online.
+Put in a “Welcome” announcement in English 120 Online.
+Add in Paper Checklist PPT wherever that is… [Ask why I can't put a PPT Slideshow in eCollege. Errrg.]

Other things that can be done later this week, etc.:
+Those Clipnabbed videos… make them into another “feedback” video?
+I have a list of things from this blog that I still want to implement; I also printed off my Delicious links that I could use for 110/120 as well as general Web2.0 ones to consider.
+Watch videos about online teaching (I think this item is on my list already).

Here are a few prompts I’ve been spooning with, of an evening [click on it for the source, yo.]…

What if…

…you did exactly what you said you would? Every. Single. Time?

What if…

…you under-promised, over-performed, and acted like it was normal?

What if…

…you got your best friend to write your bio? Your first crush? Your mortal enemy?

What if…

…you could transform jealousy into renewed motivation?

What if…

…you used the “good china,” wore your “nice clothes” and bought the “fancy beverage”…every day?

What if…

…you let someone lavish you with care and attention, without protest?

 
+I’m switched my eCollege content to Tahoma on Friday.
+I got two videos created and placed on eCollege.
+English 120 Online syllabus has been uploaded (and, yes, revised once already).

Today, in between laundry and cleaning (already did dishes!), I should get these things completed;
the Distance Ed people are going to split my online course into two shells tomorrow, so I’d like to update the heck out of the one I have before they copy it:
+Double-check the links in the online class.
+Create new images – I have some Creative Commons ones saved on a USB; now I have to add text with Pixlr or Picnik. (I’m making a bunch of assignment fairies… )
+Put deadlines on all the quizzes.
+Check Gradebook.
+Put in a “Welcome” announcement?
+Add in Paper Checklist PPT wherever that is…
Other things that can be done later this week, etc.:
+Those Clipnabbed videos… make them into another “feedback” video?
+I have a list of things from this blog that I still want to implement; I also printed off my Delicious links that I could use for 110/120 as well as general Web2.0 ones to consider.
+Watch videos about online teaching (I think this item is on my list already).

+I’m switching my eCollege content to a different font. It’s such tedious work, but I got to the end of Unit 4 tonight. I have Units 5-7 and the Final Unit left for tomorrow.
+I got two videos created and placed on eCollege today; I may shoot to have another one completed tomorrow before the Boot Camp lunch. I don’t know though… I’m pooped out. I jumped right into SCHOOL stuff and I should’ve done it a wee bit more slowly. Oh well. I’ll try to rest this weekend in between doing laundry and straightening up the place. Yeah.
+Oh, and I started on the syllabus for the online English 120. It’s uploaded to eCollege where it’s supposed to go (with a printable version in Doc Sharing), but I feel like I may revise it. Who knows.
+I have a list of things from this blog that I still want to implement; I also printed off my Delicious links that I could use for 110/120 as well as general Web2.0 ones to consider.

 And here are some writing prompts to find that true life, in 750words?

The Syllabus Quiz (especially on-campus) should not be multiple choice, but short answer-based. I’m thinking specifically of the question: “How long will it take the instructor to grade major projects and papers?” Instead of multiple choice answers ranging from 2 weeks (correct answer) to 5 seconds (yeah, right), I would ask them WHY they think that is placed in the syllabus and WHY it would take 2 weeks. I think that takes them beyond just memorizing a piece of the syllabus; it makes them think of why that’s there and maybe they’ll be more likely to remember and less likely to ask me when a paper will be graded. I’m not superwoman, and they aren’t my only class. It’s not a bitchy move on my part; it’s critical thinking, isn’t it?

Oh, and another radical thought… I’d like to use the “Dear Me At ___” Letter idea. In fact, maybe I should use it on the second day or third day of classes. Like, write a letter to yourself at the completion of this course. What will you want to have accomplished in the class and outside of the class. It doesn’t have to focus on our course, but the time span of a semester – how much will you change? How much will happen?

p.s. Eating the Dinosaur is at Leach Public Library (Wahpeton’s library; our campus library is called Mildred Johnson Library); I need to finish I’m Down first… then maybe I could put aside Jenny McCarthy’s until I tackle Eating the Dinosaur and David Sedaris’ new one?