I'm back!

Reading some friend and family member blogs, I realized that there is no better way to avoid homework than keeping up with a blog. Hey, maybe someday I'll even look back and read this! Who knows, but either way, here goes.
I had to start this blog for a class assignment last semester (yes, it's true. This major is way different than my undergrad career...nice change!). But I figured that it would be cool to keep friends and family up to date on my life, since I have hardly any time to keep up with phone calls, e-mails, and the like. Sometimes, it feels like the only time I have to myself is the time that I sleep! (and even that is sometimes interrupted by someone else).

A lot has been going on lately. I just returned from Marco Island, Florida, where I spent my Spring Break (not wild, not even close) with Katy. It was absolutely gorgeous, relaxing, warm, sunny, wonderful...the list goes on and on. It was nice to be somewhere where I didn't have to check my e-mail every 5 minutes for the latest assignment or grade posting...somewhere where I was almost inaccessible by phone...what a nice chance to breathe and think about how things have changed since this time last year.

This time last year...my beloved grandma Lou had just passed away, and my papa jer was losing his battle with melanoma. I wouldn't return to that time in my life if I could...I hated seeing the ones I loved in so much pain and with so much heartache. I know they are in a happier place and are no longer in pain, but I miss them so much each and every day.

Graduating from OSU, moving home and starting grad school at Xavier was more of a transition than I had bargained for. Not only is the workload and the pace of the education different, but the philosophy of the programs and the teachers are in utter contrast to one another. Political science: intense, very factual, and very serious. Education: still intense, but more creative and upbeat. I love both programs, but am glad I chose to go into education. Who would have thought that my plan to go to law school would change so drastically- and so quickly- into special education? All thanks to one girl and her family...Sara...my life plan was changed forever. I think about Sara every day and miss her...we developed such a good relationship and I wish her only the best. Speaking of her..I will write her a card right now!

My job now, as a Hamilton County respite provider is a little more challenging than my similar job in Columbus (with Sara). Kristen, my 17 year old (well, not mine, but you get the idea) is very difficult to manage at times. And by "at times," I mean "most of the time." Sometimes she is an absolute joy to be with- funny, witty and very loving. At other times, she is transformed into something that I hardly recognize- screaming, hitting and hateful. I don't think that she genuinely understands the effects her behavior has on her family and everyone around her- I understand that her disabilities prohibit her from developing those kind of understandings and that level of comprehension. However, that is one of the hardest parts of this job- separating emotion from fact. Sometimes I am so angry at her for acting the way she does- it is infuriating and frustrating (and sometimes physically painful), and it is very hard to accept the fact that she cannot always help it. Yes, some of her horrible behavior is learned and she does know what she is doing- some attention seeking behaviors, for example. But some of her behavior and her actions are out of her control- her brain developed differently than mine, so I have no way of understanding why she acts the way she does. That fact makes it no less frustrating, but sometimes easier to accept. I love Kristen, and feel very protective of her...but still grow weary of her very quickly. My empathy for her family and what they must go through 24 hours a day sometimes supercedes my needs- I commit to helping them more often than I am able with homework and my other boy, Will. It is frustrating, but I know their intentions are good and they just want what is best for their daughter. As much as I love this job, it is trying and very difficult at times, and tests my patience to the utmost degree.

I also provide respite for Will, a 6 year old boy who is bright, engaging, funny and very loving. I don't see him as often, as his My Plan only provides for 5 hours a week at the most. However, recently I feel like we have developed a closer relationship and he lights up my day when I see him. When I pick him up from school, he runs out and gives me a hug (a big deal!) and the smile on his face is priceless. He always jokes with me "You try!" because that is "our thing" that we throw at each other when we are working on something together. Now it is a joke and it makes him smile his sweet, sly little smile because he knows he is cuter than a button. I love the rest of his family, although I do not know his father or older sister as well (I am usually there during work and school hours), but I genuinely feel comfortable and at-home with this family. I am so thrilled to meet their newest member, Eli, who was adopted from China just last week! What a beautiful addition and wonderful change to this family! Will's experiences has opened my eyes to the world of ABA, Applied Behavioral Analysis, a scientific teaching method that works very well with children with Autism. I have observed at his school a handful of times, and became fascinated by the experience. I believe there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a child make a step- even a small step- in the right direction in terms of success. That is what I most look forward to as being a teacher =]

I start my job at Cabana on the River in April. A challenging and frustrating job  (as all waitress jobs are, I am sure..) but I make good money and have wonderful friends down there (more like family.) It is only open in the summer, which has worked well in the past with my schedule. But this summer- with class (short summer classes=SO MUCH WORK,) Kristen, Will and Cabana- I don't know when I will have time to breathe! It will work out...I have to keep telling myself that. And my primary responsibility is school...my degree cannot take a backseat (for the sake of my sanity and my wallet!)

Enough blabbing for today...going on a walk down at Fernbank with Amy to take a study break and to see the flooding. Can't believe the river is up so high! Prayers and thoughts to those affected by the weather around the world...Japan, California, Hawaii, and the entire Pacific Coast.

More later! Happy Selection Sunday! (GO BUCKS!)

End of the semester

As the semester comes to an end, I am so happy I took this class as one of my first graduate courses at Xavier. Not only do I feel like I gained an invaluable amount of information regarding different technologies that are useful for teachers, but I also feel like much of this information will help me in my next 3 years as I finish up my Master's degree at Xavier. Although I grew up in the age of technology, and was introduced to Web 2.0 as an undergraduate student, I realized that there are still so many untapped resources available online to students and teachers that I have never even heard of.

One thing I wish we could have learned about would be editing music and using music files in more presentations and with more technologies. In special education, music is often used to help students commit different types of information to memory, and I feel like learning more about music technologies available would be helpful to myself and other special education teachers.
Thanks for a great semester, Mr. Becksfort!

Online education

Today, we had a class online through join.me, which I actually thought was kind of cool! It was a lot harder than I expected, though, to pay attention to the chat at all times. Sometimes I would find myself backtracking through the conversations when I got distracted by tv, facebook, etc...
Online schooling: I am not sure how I feel about it entirely, but I have taken one on-line class in college. Personally, it wasn't the best option for ME because I had a really hard time keeping up with the work because I didn't have the constant reminders of what I needed to do by going to class once or twice a week.
Advantages: I think the biggest advantages of online education is the accessibility of it. Anyone with internet access could "attend" class, especially those who couldn't easily make a weekly- scheduled class meeting. Secondly, online education provides information in a different format than traditional education. This format may be better for some types of learners, especially children and adults with disabilities. A third advantage of online learning is that it is taken at the student's pace- they can work ahead if they choose, or plan their work around their schedule, rather than the set-in-stone schedule from the professor.

But I think there are also quite a few disadvantages to this. On one note, many students might find it hard to keep up with the work if they are not being held "accountable" to the course by attending class. Also, I think that sometimes students who learn online exclusively miss a valuable opportunity to have face to face contact and communication with the teacher and with other students. Online communication just isn't as personal...And lastly, online courses give students huge potential to work ahead....and HUGE potential to fall waaaay behind. I know so many friends who took online classes at Ohio State...and come the end of the quarter, they were in the library for days on end, making up the assignments that they "forgot" to do. You would have to be an extremely organized student to learn online!

I think a mixture of online learning and classroom learning would be the best option for most students. It would give them different opportunities and formats to learn new information and collaborate with the teacher and other students. For me, I think I'll just stick to dragging myself to class...

glog!

http://lnieberding.glogster.com/Edwards v. aguillard/

Edwards v. Aguillard

http://lnieberding.glogster.com/

Online Presentation Tools

Even though I just graduated from college, I feel aged when I learn about all the new presentation tools that are online now. I could have used those and gotten some higher presentation grades, now that I think of it..Oh well. I think it really cool that these new websites are so user-friendly. I grew up in the personal computer era, so one would think I'm technologically-savvy. They are wrong...totally wrong. I can do the basics- internet, type a paper, Facebook. But when it comes to websites, new technologies, and the like, I am totally behind. That's why I am so excited to try out these new sites. I started a GlogPoster for the legal brief project in class, and after a few minutes of looking around the site, I realized it was easy AND interesting. We'll see how the rest of the project goes, though, after I am home and can't ask my neighbors a question every 5 seconds.

I have heard of Prezi before, when a classmate of mine at Ohio State used it for a project. We all sat there watching her present, absolutely fascinated by the presentation she put together. I was convinced she was some computer genius. Little did I know- Prezi is actually easy to use for almost anyone!

I think it is great that so many tools are becoming available to teachers and students. I believe these technologies will be of great benefit to the future of education!

First blog post!

My name is Lindsey Nieberding, and I created this blog in class on Thursday night. We had to do it, so I might as well make use of it =]