ETIDP for SR and FA

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My Web Presence

In 2006 I worked really hard to make a website that I thought would grow with me while I was in the MAET program. What happened was after creating it, I never looked at it again. Although when I applied to my present job, I sent them to my website to get some insight on me. It worked. Within a month, I had gotten a really good offer from them.
I have started 3 different blogs over the years also. This is the only one I really maintain.
I also have a google pages site that ties into my work.
I guess my most active presence on the web would be my wikispaces account. I have 6 different wikis that I use with my students for my various classes.
For me the wikis have been the most fun and rewarding web experience.

iImage

The idea that I want to convey in my iImage is that people should look beyond the surface before judging. As a middle eastern woman who wears a head scarf, people tend to either dismiss me as someone unintelligent or look at me as an extremist. I feel there is need to tell people to look beyond the surface to what's inside. Queen Rania of Jordan once said "Don't judge a woman by what's on her head. Judge her by what's in it." I want that to be the caption that goes with my iImage.

Off to Saudi for 2 weeks

Spring break has finally started!
I'm going to Saudi for 2 weeks to pack up my house there. (I also plan to do a lot of shopping!!)
The final touches on my paper should be up by Monday.
Here is what I'm wondering about:
Many students wanted me to go into the Notes page after they posted the notes to edit or tweak them and make sure all the facts are right!
My issue is that I think notes should be purely a student endeavor and that the collaboration should take care of inaccuracies. (From my observations that is mostly true)
Any thoughts?

Video Finally!!!

Ok.. so here is my multimedia presentation for my TIP.
This is a smaller file than my original and I'm still working on getting the bigger file uploaded and sent to David.
Basically it talks about my results through the voices of my students.
Inshallah (Arabic for God willing) I will get this thing to work!!

Surprise day off..

The weekend in Jordan is Friday Saturday. This Saturday was parents' day here at King's academy so we had a lot of activities and not much rest. Of course there was not much time to work on my TIP either!
Luckily our headmaster, in his wisdom decided that tomorrow will be a headmaster's day off!!
I will use that time so wisely!!
Here is what I noticed about my TIP:

• The research I've done has been a great tool in helping me assess myself and my teaching practices.
• My students have really benefited from this, because the evidence immediately lent itself to real solutions.
• i have more confidence when I convince teachers that technology is the way to go, since I now have evidence to back it up!

Anyway... as the time for this project winds down.. I am learning a lot and hopefully this is reflected in how I approach things.

Now..I will enjoy that day off..

Fatina Film Maker

I am putting together my audio slide show, but it's turning more into a mini documentary. I have interviewed my students and did a video capture of the wiki and how I use it.
I'm worried that it will end up sounding more like a testimonial. The students genuinely love the wiki and have noticed the difference in their grades and in their concentration in class. I don't know if that's the message I want to convey with my research.
O well, Hopefully this will be done by Saturday!
Yeah!

Crunch Time

I have to say that I envy everyone on Spring Break!
Spring Break here starts on April 18. This is because we celebrate the Greek Orthodox Easter in Jordan ( 90% of Jordanian Christians are Greek Orthodox).
That means as we wind down towards spring break, I am also busy writing my TIP paper, and creating my audio slide show.
I feel like I don't have enough time, but I have always worked well with deadlines so hopefully this time will work out too.
I am now at the point where I have everything ready, but I need to organize my thoughts and start writing.
The best part about all of this is that my students have been and remain amazingly supportive. This week as I film them for post interviews, I am delighted by how cooperative and eager to help they are.
My HOD has also been amazingly supportive as have all of the administration at my school.
I have promissed to show the audio slide show at the next faculty meeting and explain what my research has been about.
Things will come together soon! (I hope)

Rip Van Winkle

It feels like I have been asleep for all these weeks but it really has been unbelievably hectic.
Lesson number one:
NEVER try to start a new job in a new school and think you have time for anything extra!

My TIP has been coming along pretty well. I just have not had time to actually write anything. So this weekend (Weekends in Jordan are Friday Saturday) I will finally gather all the information I have gleaned together and put together a formal paper.

My students are amazingly supportive and have taken to calling themselves my guinea pigs (or lab rats)!

I will write more tomorrow!

Back on Track

Well...
I've had a really interesting week..first a blizard..then power outages..then those sharks attack that cable in the Mediterranean...
But now, finally, I can say that things are working.
Tomorrow, Sunday, is the first day of the school week here, so I plan to start interviewing my students.
Not sure if I'll record them with video or with audacity...
Hmmmmm...

Some bumps on the road...

The second semester officially started today! I still don't have a final class list though; students are still adding and dropping courses and even though I have a yearlong course my students have been put through a blender and no one is in the class they were in last semester.
I am ready to send a letter to parents .. I just need to know which parents to send to.
I hope that things will fall into place by Thursday (the last day of the week here).
Meanwhile, I am setting up my wikis:
https://islamicciv1.wikispaces.com/
https://islamicciv2.wikispaces.com/
https://islamicciv5.wikispaces.com/

The official name of my course is Islamic Civilization and the History of the Middle East.

I hope I have a final student list soon

Second Semester

The second semester starts on Tuesday!
Last week was finals for the first semester, and because we had a snow day, the students missed their theology exams. That means that Monday is an exam day not the first day of the semester!
I'm still waiting for a student list for my classes. I have written a letter to the parents to ask their permission for their children's participation in my TIP, but I can't send it until I know who my students are.
Hopefully things will fall into place by the end of next week.

Getting Ready

Hi Everyone!

This week has been very hectic here in Jordan. We have finals going on for the first semester. I just found out that my teaching load will increase in the spring semester so I'm a little worried.
I am also in the process of sending letters to parents to get their permission for doing an inqiry involving their kids.

My TIP involves using a wiki. I realize the plan I submitted is not as well developed as I'd like it to be, but I look upon it as a work in progress.

My students are really happy when I tell them I have homework too!