My last year of what we call college.

Well...as all of you can see, i am horrible at keeping up with my blog.  But, the good news, is, is that i am writing right now!  This summer went by so fast, and now the semester is almost at an end too.  I seriously can't believe that this is my last year of college!  I actually have to grow up.  However, I am super excited to get a job teaching and so I can actually get paid to do something that i love.  I am now done with university classes, forever, and i am solely in the classroom teaching!  I am doing my student teaching next semester, It consists of two blocks, one block I will be teaching in Cache County somewhere...and the other block....I am going to be teaching in.......... NEW ZEALAND!!!!!!!!!! I'm just a tad excited about going;)  I finally got my passport, and i have already paid half of the amount that it will cost me to go.  This trip is def going to be  awesome.  I also am going to be staying an extra week down there so i can just tour the place....lord of the rings anyone....? I will be leaving at the end of February, and be getting back the 27th of April!  Woot Woot!!!  I know all of you that are reading this are pretty jealous of me.  And I can't blame you.  It actually all seems pretty surreal to me still. I'm nervous.  But excited!  This will look amazing on my transcript. while in NZ I will try my hardest to keep up  on my blog. But until then.....? Who knows the next time I will post.

beginning of summer 2010

Yes. i am still alive...all of my avid readers were starting to get worried..."is chel alive?...i miss her blogs"  is what everyone is thinking. i'm positive.  So i'll give you all a priceless update of my amazing summer.  I have been working...and working...oh and working.  I work at a small gift shop in a small town, springdale, right before Zion National Park.  I meet a lot of weird peeps.  And a lot of old men flirt with me. possibly cause i got my braces off...or they are trying to get a discount.  and it's usually that. as soon as i say no. that is the price it is...they stop being nice to me. HA!  who woulda thought.  So i decided to try it out...just an extra 5%...and you would have thought I would have announced to a new father he had twins.  Their face lights up and starts telling me about their life and will even make jokes to try and make me laugh...Now...i have to think, is it worth it to lose a couple dollars every now and again to make a conversation go somewhere other than trying to get a discount?  maybe just that once.  Cause I would probably lose my job if I was giving discounts right and left.  So i just stick to my books from the library and call them my friends.
Well i start school again in three weeks...i know right? it blows, but it's worth it to graduate in may 2011. I wish i had some pics to share with you about my awesome summer...but...i don't have any!  Goal. take pics. to share with blog peeps.

Role Plays of Technology

Wale....my blog for today is for my technology class so I receive points for our last class period (woot woot! the semester is almost over!!!)  So.  Me and a couple of my fellow classmates had to read about this scenario where a teacher wanted i-pod touches for her classroom for some of the applications that it has to offer.  We had to record our discussion pretending to be one of the people in our certain scenario. hence. role play.  Personally I thought the teacher was being quite selfish as she just wanted i-pod touches for just her classroom.  however, if the teacher had her own funds, it would be pretty neat if the students had such commodities.   Also today I finished up my inquiry lesson plan.   finally. I've been having troubles uploading it and such.  Well...this will be my last post about this class...so long and farewell. It has indeed been a great ride.

Alright...Alright...

So...due to my recent post (look below) I have been claimed to be boring...me? boring? HA!  So this is to make up to all you little freaks. 

Tonight I had a sneak attack bbq. Sneak attack you may ask? How? Where? When? Why weren't you invited?  Thats just it. you weren't.  I went over to my brothers house to get one of his free coupons for a smoothie so I could go and study for my praxis exam (for all of you non elementary education majors: a HUGE test we have to pass to student teach/teach.  its life or death.)  Anyhow, I was going over to get a free coupon not planning on staying for the bbq...when in fact...I stayed. just to have a burger and then go get my smoothie but then these wreched freshmen came (who knew that the "freshmen" title still applied in college).  So i had to save a couple of my girlfriends and take them with me to go and get smoothies.  Trinity however was stuck grilling the burgers so we just had to bring him back one.  Those freshman were still there.  It amazed me at how high their voices were and how good they looked for a bbq. how did I look you ask?  well I was the prettiest boy there.  that sums it up.  Anyhow, we slurped our smoothies and I called it a night to come back and study...but now I'm blogging. hmm.....anyways, a couple of other events that i feel that are worth the blogging life is that of:  I have been eating at justin's house a lot lately.  I LOVE eating there. because he makes the best food.  seriously.  love the burgers and chicken...even andy got to try some of the delishness i am always raving about. that lucky bass:)  speaking of good ol andy...we got to go to baby animal days with trinity, kendra, justin, tasha, mylah and marek.  the whole lot of everyone.  And...you'll never guess what was there. Baby. Bears.  easy you are wondering if I got to hold one. and the answer is a very sad no.  The only people that could hold them were their trainer people.  HOWEVER we did get these awesome bear masks.  Andy kept saying that I looked exactly like a bear. haha that crazy boy:)

Anyways, we had a really fun time there, and we even got a chance to ride a train...granted it was for little kids. but...we pretended we were taking mylah and then let her go with her mom so tasha could have an excuse to get on the train.  now...here is a confession...this next pic is actually really hard for my to put up. cause of my sweet grill...but it's the only pic of us on the train. so...just make your eyes fuzzy if you want to see the pic but not the brace face;)

Alright...so it's not the braces you were expecting...i actually did put it up but it honestly was just a bad pic all together. so this is a sweet pic of a peacock at our logan zoo.  haha it was pretty neat cause I had never seen one before with all of it's feathers like that. it was cool.

So...just to save my pride now, because i didn't put up a bad pic...here is even a better pic.

Well...now I'm going to study and get ready to register for my classes at midnight. 

Visit to Edith Bowen and Web Site Evaluations

Well, today in class we had the opportunity to go next door to an elementary school.  This elementary school is very well funded by the university because it is indeed a "laboratory school" hence the name "Edith Bowen Laboratory Elementary School".  Here, each classroom has at least 13 computers (Macs) and the exact classroom we went into had an ipod for every student in his classroom. Shocked? yes. I was too.  I think that it is pretty neat that he can find all of these crazy grants for his class to get all of these modern commodities.  He uses the ipods as a reading tool.  Remember all of those read-along tapes we used to listen to in elementary school? well  not anymore.  We are no longer in the tape or even the cd mode. We are upgrading to ipods....wow.  He had us go one on one with one of his students and his students showed us the ropes of learning in his classroom by showing us the computers...etc.  Those little guys know a lot. More than I do...which is kinda embarrassing.  but, I think that it was a great experience to go over to the school and see first hand how he is incorporating technology into today's classroom

On to blogging about the web site evaluations.  We had to look up four different web sites and use four different types of evaluations. All of the sites that I used to evaluate happened to all be very credential, which was pretty lucky for me.  The web evaluation sheets that I used were just fine...I don't really have a preference to which one I use.  They all got the job done.  However, as I get farther in my profession, I am sure that I will be able to form an opinion on what evaluations I like/dislike.  I thought that it was interesting, some of the forms brought to my attention some characteristics that web sites should definitely have.  It was crazy insane at how a web site can seem to be great and awesome, when in fact it may by giving you false info (hello Wikipedia).  There are times where I would and would not use an evaluation sheet.  Times that I would:  When it involves other teachers, students or parents, or school districts.  Times that I would not:  When I was just checking out the web site just for myself.  Well...there you have it. A couple of hours on Monday in the life of Chelsea.

INST 4010

This week, we got the opportunity to make an inquiry lesson plan. Granted....we didn't really "make" the lesson plan, but we learned how to make our own account on theis site, and design our page and get our link to look pretty awesome.  I decided to do a lesson towards third grade math.  It is a pretty cute game with lots of colors and some animation.  You have a multiplication problem and as the fish swim by, you chose the number on the fish for correct answer to the problem.....if that makes sense....needless to say, it was awesome.  I really liked learning how to do this becaue when I am actually a teacher (graduating in one year!!!) then this will be nice so that my class will be able to log onto my page and do the exact game/review of what I want them to do.  Super. Awesome.

growing up to be a big boy.

Today as I was straightening my hair (as i rarely do)  I started having these crazy realizations come to me.  These are a few. 
one. I turn twenty one in one week-ish.
two. I am going to be a senior in college after this semester
three. I could technically go on a mission
four. the whole mission thing freaks me out.
five. In approx. a year I will be graduating college.
six.  Now as I am SUPER stoked about graduating...kinda freaks me out. because. that means that I, chelsea, am actually going to be at the stage of when all of our teachers and friends asked us "what do you want to be when you grow up?" yes, i have always answered "a teacher." And now I am actually going to be fufilling my dream and will be a elementary teacher. weird.
seven. I turn twenty one next week--yes i realized that i mentioned this already... but it is still very odd to me.
eight. If I don't get these cute braces off I will be having a new drivers licence pic with this sweet grill of mine.
nine. as I am typing this, I have realized that i rarely use the "Shift" key. ha! I rely on good ol Microsoft Word to do it for me.
ten.  my only friends oh wait friend that i really keep in touch with from high school is good ol rash bal. haha not like I sincerely care, but it's just weird how once you graduate and move to different towns you really do drift apart.  but the good news is I have an awesome family and loads of roommates that get to see my face everyday:) 
eleven. I feel that what I have written is quite sufficient.

I would love to go back to being a kid where whatever I wore was considered adorable and cute. and I didn't have to pay any bills!  However I totally love my life:)

Now that is a sweet outfit!

Avatars and Comic Strips.

Today in my class we learned about how to make our own "Avatar"  No...No...they weren't the blue creatures you are immediately thinking of.  They were just pretend people in a pretend world on a computer screen...I would say my computer screen, but...alas...it is the schools computer I am on.  The making of the avatar account was actually quite easy, but as the thirty-something people in my class pushed enter, all of the computers slowed down.   It was as if we were trying to shove a pumped up basketball through a straw.  impossible.  So as me and my two fellow classmates were waiting for our avatars to load, we made a comic strip.  We had a sub today (substitute for all of you illiterate kids out there that aren't up with the cool lingo.) and so me and my fellow classmates were wondering where she went. I wish I could say that we actually drew these...but alas you wouldn't believe me.  So here it goes.

Yanghee Kim, Stuck in Science Sim

Where is Yanghee Kim?

Where did she go?!

Yes. we will find her.

AHHH!!!! She is in the computer!!!

Lets Save HER!!!

Will this work?

Pull her out of the computer!!!!

Uh....did it work?

To be continued.....

Intermission....

Hmm....

Yes. it did. it worked.

We are indeed angels.

THE END

for all of you who are going to want  to copy these photos and call them your own...the are ours. aka copyright.

Surveys Shmurveys

In my class today we learned out how to make surveys! This is a neat way to maybe make pop quizzes for my future students (who will be thrilled to have me as a teacher). it was pretty easy to make the quiz and it was just all in all worth it to learn how to make surveys and how to send them to people via email! pretty neat. I have made a survey and here i will post it...to all of my avid readers out there...you are more than welcome to take my survey. (for i will get points of you take it!)

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFZ5dWtEc3drdmNhdE04bVBXR1lJclE6MA

Please copy and past url into your browser:) because I can't figure out how to just put it as a link...



now i don't really like cats...but i think kittens are pretty neat...so here is one for your entertainment.

Another Day in INST 4010

Well in class today we learned how to use Excel. Pretty awesome i must say. However at first i was quite illiterate. My friend and I cursed Excel as we began to use it. However we conquered and finished our assignment with just enough time to write on our personal blogs about our day in the classroom. I actually have once learned to use Excel as I had to pass several computer tests to get into my program. (kinda ridiculous...but whatev.) I think that Excel is a great thing for businesses and teachers. HEY! grading made easy. so. awesome.
And for your entertainment here is a pic to help ease you into march.

Google Docs

Today we got the opportunity to learn how Google docs work. And let me just say that they are quite amazing. Who knew such things were possible. The way that it works, is that first you have to have a google account, and then you can write a document, save it and then share it with anyone you want, and those that you share it with can edit the document and send it back. The pros to this is that you won't have a thousand attatchments. It will just continually update the document! Whoa. During class we partnered up with someone across the room and wrote a short story about a certain animal. I got to partner with the awesome Kallie. We wrote about Killer Whales. Following is our report about them:

Killer Whales will hunt anything from fish to seals, penguins, or other whales. Whales work in groups as they hunt. When killer whales slap their tails on the water it can force fish off the ice and into the water so they can eat it. Orcas have 45 teeth and each tooth is almost three inches long! That is quite the scary thought to digest! A popular whale that most children know, is from the movie Free Willy. In this movie we learn that "killer" doesn't mean that they'll kill people. They can be our friends! If we were to see one in the wild, however, I wouldn't just jump in and try to swim with them. Another whale friend that we are all fond of, and that I have seen in person is SHAMU!!!! That hunk of love is more than I can take. Shamu was rescued from the wild and trained by professional marine biologists. Killer Whales also have a keen ear and eye. They have incredible vision under the water and out of the water! Which means, those penguins are toast! There is no fooling these animals. They are the ones fooling their prey. The way their bodies are colored help them sneak up on their prey. If seals are under them, the orca's dark back can blend in with the water. Did you know that Killer Whales eat up to 5% of their body weight each day? That averages out to be about 500 pounds of food per whale. Crazy. To learn more about these beautiful animals, visit the world wide web:)

Yes i realize that you are impressed with all of our knowledge. Maybe someday you will be able to reach the heights that we have reached.

The YETC

Some of you who are great followers of my blog (hey rachelle!) may be wondering what the YETC is. well...because we are supposed to post what we learned in my inst 4010 class...you will find out! the yetc is just a computer lab inside of the education building...however i do forget what the yetc stands for (even though we did just learn about it). But this center is pretty awesome. Number one, i don't have to travel anywhere on campus seeing how i am always in this building due to my major and also they have a wide variety of computers and it seems like i can always find a computer in a quiet secluded area. because...lets be honest. No one want to be in a loud computer area. We had a kind man present to us today and he showed us some websites that are actually pretty neat. The one that I liked the best is called storylineonline.net this is a site with over 40 stories that can be read to a individual, small group or a class. There was also another program that was just on his computer that was pretty neat. It designed worksheets with a click of a mouse!!! worksheets made easy. awesome. The YETC also has copy machines that we can use, we can print off anything and even make it color! (it costs 25 cents tho.) And, the best part that I like, is that it prints double sided papers! it is slightly cheaper than printing two papers. so in the long run...i'll save a lot of money:) I really like this class because it shows me so many options to work with when I finally become a teacher. My only hope is, that when I do get a teaching job, i hope that the technology resources will be readily available, because some schools just don't have enough funds because they are using those funds on other things in the school that is probably more important that having a couple extra computers. Well...that is about all I have to say, and type because this darn keyboard that i am using is sticking pretty bad! (note to self: don't use this comp again.).

realizations I never thought would happen.

So, I have realized that I really like this whole blog thing. weird. I never thought that this day would actually happen. I was like the rachelle ballard who refuses to get a facebook and be like the rest of us facebook stalkers. Truth is, she wants one, and she just won't get one because of her dang pride. I wasn't going to get a blog, when infact, I did get one. And I enjoy it! so shout out to rachelle! I gave in, you can too;) I have also had a strange realization. My apartment recieved an invitaion for a date to never occur. for it was not in the past, nor the future...no. This event that we were all invited to happened to be Feb. 30. hmm... I at first thought that this must have been a weird typo and then meant to put january 30. But then I realized, no one makes mistakes, not with our technology this day and age! So I had to finally admit to myself that I was invited to a party, (mind you it was even for our lds church a 'linger longer') a party that would never take place in this year or the years to come. I have accepted that fact. that whomever sent this note did not want us attending. I understand.

small steps for technology, great big steps for chelsea

Well, this is officially my first blog. You may ask, what? Chelsea Stout doesn't already have a blog? And the answer is, no. I didn't have a blog. This is actually my first. absolutely absurd. I had to make this blog for school, for Instructional Technology for Elementary Teachers. Our class is pretty self explanitory. We learn how to incorporate technology into the classroom. Some really believe that technology needs to be involved more in the classroom and some believe that students shouldn't have loads of tech in the class. However, the majority believe "INCORPORATE YOUR TECHNOLOGY!" (sorry to all you old timers out there who still believe you should save the toilet paper if you got your house 'papered'). But this is the thing. Even if students are going to have their phones banned in the classroom, they will still use them. No doubt. I know I still do. (i know you didn't think i was a rebel...but i am.) So why not have them use their phones for pop quizzes and such?! You could have them clock in everyday with their cellphone...some might think that it is absurd to use texting for learning and that our young people are addicted to texting...well this is the truth, we are! And we might as well take advantage of our addiction.