Currently for 2015

2015. Remember when Y2K was a big deal? Recently I saw an add for Skype where it will translate what's being said to allow anyone to speak to anybody else regardless of their language. The person talking about it referred to some kind of automatic translator from the Star Trek shows (I've never watched then so I don't know exactly what it is...). It just made me think of how much that used to be science fiction is reality in 2014, almost 2015. Just amazing, isn't it?

Yesterday my husband and I took a drive to get out of the house, go out to lunch, and shop. We stopped at a barbecue restaurant we'd never tried before and it was fabulous! We were in the mood for hamburgers and they didn't disappoint. I had a Barnes & Noble gift certificate to spend so we went there and I got this

Thank you for the gc, Sherri! I'm about halfway through it and can't wait to get it implemented in my classroom! After that we stopped at a local farm that sells all kinds of fruits, veggies, and wonderful jams, pies, and fresh apple cider. In the fall they have huge piles of pumpkins outside, in December they're replaced by Christmas trees. But after Christmas apparently this is what's left

Today we're at home taking it easy. I just discovered that Farley has her Currently up today and thought I'd join in quickly since I missed it in December.

Listening- Recently on my way home from school I turned on the radio and heard an amazing song! I grabbed my iPad (luckily I was stopped at a light) opened the Shazam app and discovered I was listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn's Pride and Joy. How I've missed out on his music all these years is beyond me!
Loving- This relaxing time off is just what I needed. It's also the first time this fall / winter that it's been cold enough (50 degrees today) to wear some of my warm sweaters. I was actually tired of t-shirt weather.
Thinking- about things I should do, and that Wanting to stay right here on the couch and read is going to win out for now.
Needing- I don't know. For now I'm pretty content.
Yes- I really want to get to southern California to see a good friend and her sweet kids, and to northern California to see another friend. We've been friends since college and don't get to see each very often. She's a flight attendant and I'd love to take a trip with her sometime this year.
Maybe and My Wish go together- my husband started a new career in real estate. He's got a few listings and has come very close to selling 2 or 3 properties but things have fallen through due to circumstances out of his control. One person was ready to buy a property- all cash- and the day they were to write up the deal (they even had a scheduled appointment), the man had to cancel because his wife got laid off. It's been things like that that have kept much from going through for him in the last couple months. His reward for both of us when he sells his first house is a trip to Disneyland. Here's hoping it happens soon.

Thanks for sticking with me through all that! I'm going to recharge my computer then check out the other Currently's. Have a wonderful, safe, fun New Year's Eve!

Until 2015... when I'll be back with Technology Tuesday and some freebies for ya!

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone from my family to yours!

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"Dear Santa..." Christmas Nerd Libs Linky

I just stumbled on this fun linky party and had to join in. I'm a few days late, but hopefully that's alright. I loved Mad Libs as a kid! and they're so much fun to use with my class too. So this was a no-brainer for me. And it's super easy to join in the fun!

If you want to participate, here are the blanks to fill in. Just like before Christmas... don't peek ahead!

Now that you've done that, take a peek at the Christmas nerd lib.

Grab it, fill in the answers, and enjoy reading your letter to Santa.

 Here's how mine turned out

That was fun! Hope you'll join in too!

Thanks to Mel and Gerdy for hosting!

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Tech Tuesday- I'm loving Code.org!

I love Code.org and so do my students! Have you tried it? This week they are sponsoring the event An Hour of Code, hoping to get more students involved in learning to code. When I started my blog I took an online course that included some basics of coding- how to center text, change color, things like that. When I started hearing about code.org I thought "really? even for little kids? hmmmm..." I'll admit I was skeptical that it was something my 2nd graders or k-1 kids could do. Boy was I wrong!

Code.org has courses kids can work their way through. Mine class started with course 1 designed for kids who can't read yet. It seemed like a good place to start to get the basics. It's really simple at first, but it gets more complicated and they can work through it at their own pace. Some of my kiddos do it at home too.

I'm hoping it will make a big difference in my students problem solving and critical thinking abilities. So far it's made a difference in a few students willingness to try to solve a problem by themselves. Code.org is also super easy to use. You can sign up your class to allow students to keep track of what they've done, or just have them go to code.org and give it a try. 

Here are a few videos about coding in case you're thinking of giving it a try. Happy watching! 

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