It’s been a crazy week with TLT coming up. I’ve tried to take some time to make up for the Saturday sessions. But it’s hard to leave things like revisions, new student interns, and the like. I’m finding myself feeling a bit frustrated about a few things, but I’m hoping they resolve themselves. There were up times when I got content for a revision that needs to be done. There were down times when an author missed a deadline. Hoping to ride a more even line for the next few weeks.

It’s Spring Break 2014, and I was out on vacation 3/10-3/12. It was nice to spend time outside in the nice weather on 3/10 & 3/11. We got the bikes out and broke in Simeon’s ramp. Although he had a scraped up elbow, it was a fun time for he and Noah. We also went to see Sesame Street Live at the BJC which was nice for Micah. We also saw the Lego Movie on rainy Wednesday. All in all, it was a good time and much needed unplugging from work

Coming back in on Thursday was made a bit easier by the drop in temperatures. I had almost 120 emails to get through. I’m finding it more and more tiresome to wade through email.

We had a unit meeting and I was in meetings until 1:15 PM on Thursday. It was good to have some discussions where we had points of disagreement. I’m seeing that healthy disagreement with respect can be a good thing. I must remind myself that having respect from others requires displaying respect myself.

The course that I’m teaching is going well. I’m glad to have the chance to operate in a role that is both familiar and foreign. After spending so much time as a classroom teacher, I miss the opportunity to work and learn with students. Teaching online allows me to revisit what it means to be an effective teacher in a new environment (online). First, I’m so thankful to have materials created in advance. The materials have been so good that I don’t field many questions from students. I thought that online students would be more interested in live sessions than they are. Instead, I spend so much time creating new assessments and providing feedback on homework. It has crossed my mind to redo the problems of the week to fit in more with my assessments. Since I won’t be teaching this summer, I’m considering making some adjustments for Fall ’14.

I have been thinking about a few things this week. It is interesting that I find myself surrounded by people and organizations that are dogmatic and controlling. I bring value to these organizations, but I often find myself going with the flow. I have decided that I will speak up more because my voice is valuable and divergent. I have found that some are open to hearing it, but I’m sure that I’ll be tolerated by others. Hopefully, I’ll come to a place of increased peace. Right now, I find myself a bit upset.

Speaking of one of these organizations, I had a council meeting at church last night. I value and appreciate our church, but I have been asked to join council. This has been a difficult position for me to navigate. The meeting ran from 7:00-8:45. It was a tough meeting to sit through. I’ve decided that I won’t continue to a next term. My opinion can be heard if I interject myself, but my time is precious to me. It seems like that my time isn’t respected. Also, I have divergent views on the mission of our organization from the power brokers. It doesn’t appear that my views are really heard. I wish that I could make an impact, but I don’t think that it is possible for me. At this point, I’d rather be able to participate as a member for the foreseeable future. One thing that bothers me is that I think that we, as a church, will be in transition soon. I fear the one who may be in line to succeed our current priest. If this happens, I fear that this may be a negative experience for me. I don’t want to make premature decisions, but I also need to think about protecting myself. I hope and pray that I can persevere regardless of the future.

Finally, received the feedback from the MOOC proposal. I made notes on the review and plan to talk to others in the unit about what we can learn, how to address the faculty, and how to move forward from here.

It’s Friday, and I’m thinking about my week. I’ve accomplished quite a bit of my goals for the week. Starting last week, I decided to complete the Certificate for Online Teaching. In the past, I have taught OL 2000. But several other courses have been added to form a certificate since then. I have completed OL 1000, OL 1800, OL 1900, and OL 2000. I’m slated to take OL 2700 in June. I have been teaching IST 230 for Fall ’13 and Spring ’14 online. While I wouldn’t say that it is necessary for me to complete the certificate, instructors who don’t have the innner knowledge of World Campus, Accessibility, and use of ANGEL will definitely benefit from the courses in the certificate. I’m taking the certificate so that I can show others what I know. It’s too bad we don’t already have some type of a badge available which would allow me to “test out” of the courses.

Another block that I checked off this week was the IRB training. I did this mostly a module at a time. Glad to have finally taken the time to complete.

I have been feeling much better this week than last, so it always brings a better outlook on life. Now if the weather would cooperate, it would be great.

Another thing of note that happened this week is that I deactivated my facebook account. I don’t like that facebook clutters up my life. I hope to stay away for quite awhile.