Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Waka Waka This Time for Africa

Waka Waka This Time for Africa is my favourite motivational video. Odd as I've never played a contact sport in my life. My dad wouldn't even let my brothers' play sports. He needed their work on the farm too much to risk unnecessary injuries. We took the bus to high school. It waited long enough for us to participate in afternoon clubs but definitely not athletics.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Adult Children

I used to write about my children on this blog. Now the majority of them are married and parents, I'm not comfortable doing that. I've made the transition from considering them my family to recognizing them as their own families. If they choose to tell their stories, they'll have to write to their own blog. I'm now the observer rather than the creator of a child's universe.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

New Granddaughter

I'm going from no grandchildren to lots of grandchildren. The first grandbaby was born in May 2010. The second grandbaby arrived in the spring of 2011. The third grandbaby is coming in the summer of 2011. The first 3 are all girls which thrills me as I had mainly boys. The 4th grandbaby is due at the end of 2011. We have to wait until that baby arrives to discover the sex. Grandparenting still feels very new to us. Haven't figured out what we consider the role of grandparents. I'm thinking along the terms of "My Grandfather's Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Blessings" by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.

Household Organization

I'm busy editing posts. I started a series on organizing one's house but changed my mind. I read once that if you delete a post, it affects the ability of people to find your blog in a search. Since then, I've hit deleted and changed the title and content of the blog post. Thought everyone else would get as bored reading as I was getting saying what I was tossing each day

Friday, April 1, 2011

MOOCS

I'm a big fan of MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses. I started taking them in 2008 and haven't stopped. What makes them so amazing is that they never end. By the end of a MOOC, you've created a personal learning network of people contributing knowledge and having a particular interest in whatever the course might be. Whenever a new MOOC is going to start, word spreads quickly. In every MOOC, I've been introduced to new apps and course delivery methods. Anyone can enroll in a MOOC. There's a charge if you need University Credit but otherwise it's free. The trend is to have many guest speakers who are prominent in a newly emerging field. Easiest way I've discovered to stay current. Most of the MOOCs so far have been designed for those interested in e-teaching and social networking in education.