EDOL 533 Week Six

Yikes! Let's look back and see what I have done or learned this week. This week was horrendous!! The sheep and llamas needed to be shorn--we do it with hand clippers instead of electric. We also do it ourselves instead of hiring a pro. Last year I tried the "hiring route" and couldn't believe how roughly they were handled. We only let the "pro" do two before stopping him and asking him to leave. The horses are shedding out and are also needing their hooves trimmed. Planked fencing is needing painted. The fields are doing fine, but the lawn is needing mowed a couple times a week already! All the flowers, trees, and bushes are in bloom with the promise of fruit later this summer. One daughter is waiting to hear results of her Governor's School for the Arts scholarship audition, and the other is getting ready to head out to the research forest in NH for a field study this summer.

Over the weekend, I checked out a theatre north of here that was for sale, but decided not to over-extend myself! We've put so much of ourselves into the theatre in this town, I'm not sure I have the finances nor the energy to do it all again!

This week I have daughters test driving vehicles; I have a Festival and 5K that I am in charge of this weekend---people come from all over our country to attend/collect any thing that has to do with Raggedy Ann. Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce sounds like a fancy title.....but it really is just a fancy way to say it's entirely your problem and program! Chamber Director and Tourism.....just one person....yup! Doesn't make sense, but that's the way it works.

Well, now to the assignments and WebQuests. I enjoyed looking at the different ones that the others from EDOL 533 had found and recommended; but I also enjoyed looking at different ones trying to figure out what was out there, and what to try to do one on. My sister-in-law is a teacher in MD, and her nephew from her sister's side is a 5th grade student in NJ. They talk frequently about webquests they are doing. My sister-in-law had some great sites and recommendations for me to try.

I had finally decided to do a WebQuest called "Survival!" Explanation--- War has stopped all forms of transportation. Food, etc are not to be shipped in to places. People are going to need to be self-sustaining. They are going to need to know how to purify water-if they can even get access to it. They will need to learn to cook, grow a garden, spin, weave, etc. I want children to understand that we have gotten so far away from being self-sustaining. If there is no power/electricity/heat, etc., people need to know how to take care of themselves. Americans have become spoiled and extremely lazy when it comes to working for the basics needs. After living overseas for 35 years, I was shocked by my neighbors lack of survival skills when I finally returned home and had to endure an icestorm. This was in Virginia in 1994 and young people (early 20s-40s)didn't know how to cope; older ones could
(50s-70s), but younger ones went crazy! My kids grew up overseas. When they were little, they knew--- when the electricity went out which was daily---to stay in one spot and I'd bring light to them. Once, in VA, when we were at a friend's house for supper and the electricity went out, their family started to panic and children to scream. We all remained calm and I went to go find their candles. I knew then that I wanted my kids to never get so caught up with luxury, that they as human beings didn't know how to cope.

Trying to put the WebQuest together was a challenge. First, I couldn't get access to the free trial period page. The main QuestGarden page would pull up, but when I clicked on Free Trial, it would say "page unavailable/expired". I think on Saturday, I was finally able to register for the 30 day trial period. Second, I needed to update to Internet Explorer 7. I did this at my office's computer after first checking with the technology person on my Board of Directors to see if they minded. I had heard/read so much on the negative faults with Explorer 8 that I decided to stick with 7. I liked that the templates were provided...that helped. However, I am still in the process of doing it. I WILL complete it!! I wanted to do it, because I want to see it through and know HOW to do it. With my crazy week, it has just taken longer than I had wanted.