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!