The Pumpkin Patch? The PUMPKIN PATCH!

Hello everyone,

So, today a couple friends of mine wanted to go to this pumpkin patch located about 30 minutes outside of Brandon.  I decided to tag along, and I'm not going to lie, I was not sure about how much you could possibly do at this pumpkin patch.  SO MUCH FUN!  One of the best ways I can think of to spend a Sunday afternoon with your friends and your family!

The location is not too far out of Brandon, so it is definitely do able for children, parents, and grandparents.  The location is also close to Brandon and the Saskatchewan border, so there are a lot of people from Saskatchewan as well!  There are so many different activities to do for kids and adults!  There were giant (and I mean GIANT) bails of hay that you could climb on!  I mean, who does not like to climb things?  There was also a corn maze, a little zip line (Only for children), little tractor rides and BIG tractor rides, as well as duck races (no real ducks were used in these races) a little zoo and a PETTING ZOO!!  On top of all the activities, there is food you can buy (hot dogs, hamburgers, pumpkin treats) and, of course, you can buy PUMPKINS!!!  You can get white ones, Big, medium and small ones, squash, turk pumpkins ... SO MUCH STUFF!!

It was so great seeing all the children and families there enjoying themselves and having a great time.  It is a place where kids can actually run around and be kids.  You have probably read some of my posts involving technology (more focus on computers).  Well, sometimes technology, especially computers, can take away from this outdoor activity.  Parents playing with their kids, kids breathing in fresh air, kids being able to be KIDS!  Heck, I was able to be a kid again!  I am serious!  Too often we are too stressed out and too focused on our studies, when we don't give ourselves enough focus.  It was nice to do something today where I was not being judged, criticized, or being an adult.  I had a day for me, which I do not do nearly enough.

In the end, I managed to get two medium sized pumpkins, and three tiny little pumpkins for the fall season!  Some to decorate and some to eat!  I encourage everyone to have a day to themselves, whether it be at the pumpkin patch with a couple of friends, grabbing an ice cream at DQ, or just napping all day.  Do YOURSELF a favor.  You owe it to yourself to be happy.  :) :) :)

That is all for now!

BeeLAMS

Your Digital Footprint-Helpful? Or Terrifying?

This past week in ICT class we have been working on how to make a good website to promote ourselves as educators, especially music educators.  Having a professional, well laid out website, is crucial in this generation of technology and employers.  This website that you make, can very well make or break you getting a job as an educator.  You have to be careful what you put on there.  You want to express yourself and define who you are, but you also have to filter what is and is not appropriate in the workplace.  Not everything you do is important to your future employer.  What does this sound like?  YES!  A RESUME!  That is what our digital footprints have become in this generation; A part of our resumes; A gateway into our job.

This leads into my next discussion, which is when I tried looking up my own digital footprint.  How do you do so?  Easy.  Too easy, in fact.  Just google your name.  What can possibly come up when you google your name?  TOO MUCH!  That's what!!  Do you have any idea how many 'Brittany Lamontagne's' are out there in the world?  And, ironically enough, how many of them are also educators in some way!?  It actually made my jaw drop ... and giggle a little bit.  Who knew?  One of the things I learned by doing this was that I am not that known of a person in google search because I do not have many social networks (ie: Twitter, Facebook, etc..).  The names that came up were some how related to one of the social networking sites.  From articles I have been reading, this appears to be not an overly positive thing.

Like I had mentioned earlier, employers and work places are using the internet to learn more about their future employers.  Some almost rely on it completely.  This is not something I approve of completely.  I do not believe that you should be judged based on how many social networking sites you have.  I do agree, however, with the fact that your content should be filtered, and if you do not care enough to clean your content on these social networking sites, then that might reflect on how you might handle your job.  Another issue I have encountered with the use of our digital footprint as a form of resume is the fact that there are so many people with the same name, how do they know 100% if they have the right person?  Unfortunately, I do know of an individual who was "googled" and they looked at the wrong person and cost her a position.

I do believe that social networking can help promote yourself and make finding/getting a job easier and less stressful, but I do not believe that that should be the only aspect of who you are.  I have my reasons and beliefs for not being on Facebook and Twitter, so I do not feel I should be judged based on the fact that my social networking is limited.  This is why creating a website can be a great way to put your name out there into the world, expand your digital footprint, while still keeping your beliefs about social networking intact.  Our digital footprint can be helpful if we nurture it properly.  If not, then it can seriously damage our future professional career and, unfortunately, whether we agree with it or not, a lot of professionals and employers do rely on it as a source of valuable information.

So, google your name.  Research your digital footprint.  You never know what might be out there.

Be careful, be cautious.

BeeLAMS

Canoeing in Whistler

Another quick blog to add to my last post:

While in my Vancouver, my brother managed to get an awesome canoeing-for-two deal on Groupon.  The deal was for a canoe/kayak place in Whistler.  We have done kayaking before at Deep Cove in North Van, which was a lot of fun!  When we got there, the kayaks were out of commission due to the shallow waters this year.  So, we thought we would do a two person canoe adventure.  SO MUCH FUN!  Do it, do it, do it!  I believe it was called 'River of Golden Dreams'.  It was so fun because my brother and I have never really done a team work activity.  There was so much co-ordination required!  He often liked to "accidentally" steer me into the trees.  Not fun.  But, none the less, it was fun!  There were many times where the water was so shallow our canoe would scrape the rocky bottom.  Oh, you know what else was fun?  Stepping in glacier water up to your thighs!  You would not believe how many beaver dams we encountered.  They are also nearly impossible to avoid without getting wet.

The scenery we were able to witness was incredible.  It was the most beautiful thing I have been able to experience.  Even the feeling of the ice cold glacier water against your skin was magnificent.  We saw quite a bit of wildlife, as well as lots of plants and foliage.  More fun was being able to have some brother sister time with my eldest brother ( There are two. :)).  Next time we will be bringing my other brother.  The journey was about 2 hours, but time went by so fast.  I almost did not want it to end.

Another fun fact, the guides fail to inform you about how wet you might actually get.  SO, if you are planning on trying this out, bring water shows and wicking clothes!  But I guarantee you will enjoy it!

Try it out.  Get cozy with mother nature!  This is the way to do it!

On another note, is there anything like this in Brandon?  I'll have to do some research on that.

Another blog, another day,

BeeLAMS

PS- Link to the River of Golden Dreams page.  (http://www.backroadswhistler.com/rogd.asp)

My Physical Fitness Kick!

Lately I have been trying to be more physically healthy and fit while being at school this year.  This summer I went to Vancouver, BC with my boyfriend, and every time I go there I climb (usually with my brother) Grouse Mountain.  It is an amazing journey, but holy crap, if you're not physically fit at all, you could possibly die.  I've done it before, and every time I go back to Vancouver I tell myself, "Hey, I've done this before... it wasn't that bad.  I CAN DO IT AGAIN!!".  Bad idea Brittany.  Bad idea.

Okay, so I climb this mountain with my boyfriend and my brother.  They are both super fit, and I thought ( THOUGHT) I was relatively fit.  Well, after about five steps I thought my heart was going to explode.  KABOOM!  And these are not just ordinary steps.  Lunges are required to climb these steps.  AND ... just when you think you've gotta be half way ... you climb up a few more steps and find out that you're only 1/4 the way there.  SERIOUSLY!?  I always tell myself that I will never do it again ... but man ... when you get to the top of the mountain, it just feels so good.  You climbed that mountain.  You went through pain and suffering, to the point where you tasted blood, to climb that magnificent piece of beauty.  

I would definitely recommend this climb to anyone who seeks a challenge.  I have often watched personal trainers take clients up there.  A good example would be Tommy Europe from 'Bulging Brides' and 'Last Ten Pounds Boot camp'.  You can also ski there AND they have a grizzly bear habitat.  So cool.  Here is the link to Grouse Mountain Website (http://www.grousemountain.com/).

So because of Grouse Grinds awesome-ness and it showing me how unfit I was, it was my biggest motivator to get in better shape and be a healthier individual.

Let me know if you check it out and what YOU think of it!!!

BeeLams

Thinking about ICT

Hi all,

This past week in ICT class we looked at a lot of ways that we (educators) can better organize our technological lives, as well as discussing how we, the students, feel about technology in our classrooms.  Well, in schools in general!

First off, I want to discuss the different organizational tools we discussed in class.  There were many different sites that helped organize your bookmarks, sites that you can find creative ideas and posts on.  Something that struck me while learning about these sites was that I do not utilize the internet and technology on my computer as much as I had thought I did.  I have a macbook from 2008 AND I STILL DON'T KNOW HALF THE STUFF IT CAN DO!!  Bookmarks?  I know what those are ... but I definitely do not use them.  Bad?  Am I trying too hard to do everything on my own?  Is there a simple answer staring me in the face, as we speak, RIGHT NOW?!  Yes.  I am a terrible person when it comes to trying something new, especially when it involves technology.  I think that is the procrastinator in me. *sigh*

On a similar note, if I am not as in tune with this technology, how do we know if our students are/will be?  A lot of kids do not know how to properly utilize the internet to help themselves.  Okay, for example, I worked in a Sports store this summer and I worked a lot with shoes.  My boss always encourages us to try on the shoes.  Why?  So we can tell our customers what we thought of the product and we can determine what will better benefit the customer based on personal experience.  Experience proceeds theory?  In this case, I believe so.  How can we sell them a product without having tried it for ourselves?  Why should I tell me students to buy this app, if I have not tried it for myself?  It is very important to learn about these resources and try to use them, or else how can we advocate technology in the classrooms if we are inexperienced in using it?

I am going to think really hard on that last sentence.  How can I, as a music educator, advocate for technology in the classrooms?  Suggestions?  Thoughts?  Do not be afraid to let me know.  All comments are welcome!

That was my ICT Blab for the weekend.

BeeLAMS











 

First Blog Ever!

Hi everyone,

Today I am entering, for the first time, into the blog world.  A little terrified and a little unsure of what to talk about!  I'm really looking forward to exploring this blogging world and seeing how it can help myself as an educator use technology in the classroom and how I can gain ideas and bring them INTO the classroom.  Also excited to talk about other things as well of course!!!  I'm also looking forward to discovering what I like, or rather, love, to talk about most.  I have observed lots of other bloggers and blogs; I am amazed with how well a lot of people in the world can talk about what they love EVERYDAY!  I envy these people, whether they are teachers and educators sharing ideas, girls talking about beauty products, shopping and other things they love, or men discussing video games, sports, or colognes.  What do most of them have in common?  They are willing to share the things the learned with other people.  Some even share with the world!  I hope I can live up to those blog expectations!

I think this will be all for me today.  I hope to come up with some good topics to talk about in upcoming days.

Talk again soon!

BeeLAMS