Brittany3eryn’s Weblog

Here is a map of my shopping trip I will be taking the end of April with a couple of my sister’s.  Should be fun!

I was watching the news last night and they had a profile about a school in Calgary where all of its students are elite athletes and Olympic competitors of some kind. The school was set up in 1994 and has turned out many of Canada’s most successful athletes. The school relies heavily on technology since many of there students have off hours due to training and are in competitions throughout the world at numerous times of the year. Many of the classes are online and the teachers are always available to the students. The students at the National Sport School all do very well in there academics and there training alike and they say that the fact that they can access there classes all the time takes a lot of stress out of there academic lives.
This story greatly interested me because of the technological aspect but also because of the students that attend this school are so dedicated both to their sport and their academic success. I am also fascinated at the amount of time and effort the teachers put into making sure there students are successful. They do not only have to make sure that they are available to there students at all times, but they have to make sure they are on top of the technology so there students are getting the best online education they can, something we all know from this class is no easy task. I would really like to learn more about this school and the way that the students balance both such hectic athletic schedules and a high academic standing. I would also be interested to know how the teachers maintain a strong relationship with there students who are very often absent and unable to meet at the same time online. One last question is how did teachers and students work together when the school first opened in 1994 and technology was not as adaptable as it is today?

<object width=”425″ height=”350″> <param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/iezz2AAmPHY”> </param> <embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/iezz2AAmPHY” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”425″ height=”350″> </embed> </object>

I have just listened to a a few different podcasts. I think I have three favorites, the running room, runner’s world, and The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos. I really liked listening to the hour because it is a really good political show that asks different questions then most political shows and gives many different types of people a voice. I also like it because The Hour comes on my TV at eleven at night, usually a time where I am in bed. I like that I can listen to it at any time and its a good talk show because I don’t feel you need a visual to understand what is going on. Another one I subscribed to was the Running Room’s podcast, I really liked to tips it had and it caught my eye because it is from a store that I trust that I feel is run by runners so they can understand and they have the same thought process as other runners. My only complaint about that one is that there is only one, I can’t seem to find any more by The Running Room, maybe they decided podcasting wasn’t for them, which I truly hope is not the case. The other one I subscribed to was Runner’s World. I listened to one about the Boston Marathon. I found it really interesting because I would one day like to run a marathon, and I always knew Boston was famous but I didn’t know why and this informed me as so why it is so important on the marathon circuit. They seem to have many more great ones, I want to listen to one about the New York City Marathon, but haven’t had a chance to yet. So overall for anyone who has a passion for running or needs motivation to get going I would subscribe to Runner’s World and if your interested in contemporary politics, The Hour is very enlightening. I think this may have become my new obsession, downloading different podcasts, just one question do you have to subscribe to it every episode or will they just automatically come onto your itunes as they are updated? Also I wanted to download another one Yoga Today which gives you a new yoga episode everyday but it seems there is a problem with it and it won’t download on my itunes any suggestions as to how to make this work?

If anyone watched the news today, or much less turned on the TV you would know today in the States is what is being referred to as Super Tuesday 2. I am a bit of a common events nerd and have been watching the primaries closely, especially the fight between Obama and Clinton. Officially as of right now Obama has won Vermont but looks like Clinton has won Ohio and Rhode Island. She needed to win two states to keep in the race for Democratic leadership. She was after Texas, and many thought the state was hers due to the large Hispanic vote which she had wrapped up. Texas is a little too close to call right now, as Obama has 51 and Clinton somewhere in the high 30’s or 40’s. It looks like the Democratic’s will have to fight out a little longer when Pennsylvanian goes to the polls next month. It is a tight race full of drama, but keeps me interested. Personally I am stumping for Obama, I appreciate his attitude and his honesty. While if Clinton won, I would not be disappointed to see a women with such a potentially powerful role.

On the Republican side, it is confirmed, John McCain has won and will now be running for president for the Republican’s. Another interesting political story, he is the comeback kid. He has been patient and tireless in his fight for the leadership. I guess the next few months will be filled with more political campaigning, it will be interesting to see who it is McCain will be running against, Clinton or Obama? Any thoughts?

Hey Guys,

I just finished up my mastercard commercial and I want to post it on my blog, but it says file is not secure.  Anyone else having this problem or does anyone know how to fix it?   Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

me-ecmp.ppt

<object width=”800″ height=”600″><param name=”movie” value=”http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=69799″></param><param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”></param><embed src=”http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=69799″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” wmode=”transparent” width=”800″ height=”600″></embed></object>

On Wednesday, we finally met face to face as a class again, something we have not done since January 8th I believe.  I was feeling once again overwhelmed with all that needs to get done not only in this class but in others as well.  February and March seem to be crunch time every year, but after going through the tools we could use and different ideas of how to complete the tech tasks, I was feeling much better and my feeling of overload has really calmed down.  I think for the first time this whole class I feel like I can handle it.  I am excited to complete the tech tasks, and although I have three years left until I receive my degree, I am already thinking of how I can use these tools, like voicethread, in the classroom.  In fact I was so excited by voicethread I went home that night and made my very first one and emailed the link to all my family so they can see what I am learning in school.  I am now in the process of posting it on my blog.  I just hope I can keep up to date with all this technology and keep up talking and sharing with my network so I can maintain my new found love for technology.  Thats what Wednesday’s class finally gave me, a love and appreciation for technology and the ways we can use it to enrich our lives.  I guess now I just have to wait and see what this Wednesday brings when we meet online.