I have a very hectic summer ahead of me. I have vowed not to slow down just because summer has arrived. If you’re bored and have nothing to do this summer, think of me and all that I will be doing —
1. Conferences: One of my goals for this summer is to attend as many conferences as possible for my own professional development purposes. The ones that I’ve registered for so far are:
- MAA Conference, May 6 – 7, Kalamazoo, MI
- ACMS Conference, June 1 – 4, Santa Barbara, CA
- MCC Math and Technology Conference, August 8 – 12, Muskegon, MI
2. Teaching: Another one of my goals for the summer is to improve the courses that I am teaching. The summer is an opportune time for me to do so because I encounter issues that I wouldn’t otherwise encounter since the classes are accelerated and I actually have time to deal with them since I don’t have as much other ‘stuff’ to deal with. My teaching schedule so far is:
- Preparation for Algebra (May – August)
- Statistics (July – August)
- Introduction to Math Systems (Online)
- Beginning Algebra (July – August)
- Intermediate Algebra (July – August)
3. Local Events and Community Involvement: Yes, I really want to get involved in my own community, and here are a few of the ways that I plan to do so this summer:
- Volunteer with Friends of the Library to update membership database
- Attend local Green Living Festival
- Support Friends of the Library summer used book sale
- Attend Rochester Heritage Days, Rochester River Days, Rochester Music in the Park, and Rochester Movies in the Moonlight
4. Celebrate the Summer Holidays with Family: Do I even need to remind you about all of the upcoming holidays? Maybe I should in the event that you need to pick up something that you might have forgotten:
- Mother’s Day (possible trip to African Safari Wildlife Park in Ohio)
- Memorial Day
- Father’s Day
- Independence Day
- My Birthday (and my mom’s the day after mine)
5. Ohhh… and I did I forget to mention that I’m taking a class, too? The class I’m taking is called ‘Perspectives on Instructional Technology’ and over the course of the next 7 weeks, I have to write 7 short essays on the following topics, all of which I will share with you along the way as well:
- Is the goal of educational research to produce generalizable findings?
- Is effective use of technology primarily a matter of technical skills?
- Should teachers be required to use online learning and teaching technologies?
- What is the biggest problem in using the Web as a resource in K-12 education?
- Do digital technologies represent a decisive break with past educational technologies?
- What does research tell us are the best practices in online learning and teaching?
- What is the most important challenge we face reinventing schools for a digital future?
And in a nutshell, that’s my summer.
