A night out in Providence

This week's assignment was to create a collage from our digital photos. My plan was to take photos of my first grade students showcasing their prized classwork. This would double as a powerpoint presentation for parents at an upcoming Literacy Night. Due to privacy issues concerning publishing student photos, I had to take an alternate route.

Saturday was another picture perfect day in Rhode Island. So, with my friend Karen's husband in Italy on business, I decided to take her to Water Fire in Providence... A little taste of Venice, complete with gondolas, right here in Rhode Island. After an early dinner at Ri-Ra, a quaint Irish bar in the downtown hub, we meandered over to the park to take in a sidewalk chalk-art show presented by local schools, community centers and various independent artists. This was an unplanned event, but like so many impromptu happenings, we were pleasantly surprised by what we saw. Hope you enjoy the etchings. These are only a few of the amazing works, but I used some of the best to create the collage.

The photos of Water Fire were of lesser quality due to the low lighting, but it is an impressive sight to behold. Plan on joining me on your next fair weather visit to Rhode Island.

Hope this helps us keep in touch despite the miles between us. Watch for more news from me in the Ocean State.

First photos for you

What a beautiful day in Jamestown, Rhode Island. These are the first photos I took with my new digital camera; a Canon Power Shot. I spent a few hours on Sunday, September 21st relaxing on this local island, a five minute drive from my home in Narragansett. My first stop was to Spinakers, a local sandwich shop where Sarah is working. She made me a fabulous turkey sandwich on ciabatta bread and served it to me on the deck overlooking the harbor. I took several photos and we chatted for a bit before she got off duty. On the way home I stopped to take a photo of the historic windmill. This is my 38th year living in Rhode Island and thanks to Sarah I spent my very first afternoon enjoying the scenic beauty in my own backyard. What a charming little island. Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Check out my blog for regular weekly updates from Rhode Island and the latest in INST516: Integrating Technology Into Instruction.

Technology Goals

This weeks assignment in Inst 516 was to post one goal for the class. At first the thought overwhelmed me because there is so much for me to learn to catch up. But eventually I realized that keeping in touch with my grown children was the most meaningful reason to learn about technology. I would like to send and receive current photos to my two daughters who live in Virginia and stay closer to my youngest daughter who lives in Rhode Island. My goal will be to share something new with them every week by posting photos and updates about what I am learning in class. I have already started the process by buying a digital camera and taking photos of my youngest daughter at work in Jamestown. It's almost a roll reversal of sorts. This is an opportunity for them to watch me grow and learn about technology like I watched them grow and learn in school during their childhood. I hope to make them as proud of me as I was of them.

What seems to be the biggest hurdle, however, is remembering all my account names and passwords. (I have enough trouble remembering my ATM account # at the bank.) Already this evening I was unable to post a comment to another classmates blog because my password was inaccurate. Once again my enthusiasm is dampened by my inability to remeber the codes and passwords of technology. I will probably face the same problem when I try to post this.

Tonights technology class

Hi everyone,

Tonight was an exciting and educational class. My classmate Jen and I took photos of each other, then enhanced and cropped them using Microsoft Picture Manager and posted them on our blog. So here I am out in front of Horace Mann Hall at Rhode Island College. Classes meet every Wednesday from 4-7 pm. I will be buying a digital camera this weekend, so hopefully I will soon be catching up with you all.

Watch my blog for more fascinating news on my emergence into the world of technology...Didn't we see that at Epcot???

Central Park Swing

Introduction

Just a little about me. I've been teaching elementary school for 7 years starting in fifth, then third, second and now, first grade. This is my fifth school and I'm glad I work out at the gym regulary so I am strong enough to move boxes of teaching supplies to and from my home every June and August.

This should be a challenging course for a nontechnical person like me. Wishing us all luck!