New Design

Tonight finds me changing the design of my blogger page. Thanks go out to my classmate Juli for posting the link on Twitter. Did I say in a previous post that I didn't see the usefulness of Twitter? I retract that statement. Shame on me for making a swift judgement. :) I have also found that I am checking out everyone's tweets a bit more often than I thought I would; although I don't tweet myself. Does that make me a stalker? I'm hoping to pick up a smart phone soon so perhaps that will change. I made it through class #3 and I am still managing to keep that coveted 4.0 GPA. Sometimes I amaze myself. Class #4 is going strong and I have just been introduced to "Articulate". What an awesome, although somewhat expensive, software program. Articulate allows you to turn those dull, boring, PowerPoint presentations into a Flash presentation. It is so easy to navigate that I was successfully adding narratives and animated annotations to a slide on my first try. I only have 30 days for the free trial so I want to really spend some time with it and put this freebie to good use. I'm hoping to create some interactive presentations while I have the opportunity. The rest of this class is going along fairly smoothly and not quite as hectic as the last. I am truly thankful for that because I was needing a breather. I'm happy that I am not struggling as much with the coursework so I can spend more time on my Bible studies and enjoying the season with my family. I am still in awe of how quickly the time is passing; before I know it my next class will be starting and I'll need to update to a winter scene...eek.
Till next time...let the learning continue

So much to learn, so little time....

It's hard for me to believe just how much I have learned in so little time. It's the end of week 2 of my third class in the MATLT program. Time is flying. The course started out with an introduction using the Jing application. It was so cool that I am totally hooked. I can't wait to try it out again.
This week I am back to blogging and I have opened up a twitter account. Blogging is a bit intimidating for me because I know that what I write is open for public viewing. It's a bit scary, but at the same time it allows me to keep an ongoing account of my progress in the program. As of now, updating my blog is an assignment, but I hope to make it a habit.
The newly opened Twitter account has yet to prove it's usefulness to me. I'm one of those people that can have the same status on Facebook for three days. It's not that I haven't had some incredible adventures, it's just that I don't always take the time to send out the newsflash. I'll see how the Twitter thing goes...who knows, I might end up a twittin, tweetin fool.
The latest and greatest, and perhaps most intimidating project is the wiki. I understand it's usefulness and hope to become proficient at it. I think that it is the most promising application as far as relevance to the workplace for me. The potential is mind boggling. My organization is in a constant state of change. There are always projects to manage and procedures to revise or develop. Using the wiki would save countless man hours with these projects. Our document development team would be able to collaborate on content and design in one venue. The project management team could use a wiki to assign roles, monitor progress and provide updates. This application could save so much time by eliminating the e-mail strings that clog up everyone's mailboxes. The use of wikis for training purposes is my main focus at present. The next couple of weeks will have me developing a collaborative wiki project that I wish to use in the training environment. I have a great deal to learn about framing the project and ensuring that it is built to encourage learner participation. More to follow as the learning continues........

Another day, another story

Ok...so the shouting match with the television continued on Friday night as my beloved Red Wings handed a Stanley Cup victory over to the Pittsburgh Penguins. I have to admit, the Penguins really did deserve the win. Oh well; there's always next year.
GO TIGERS :)
Now it's time to turn my attention over to my latest assignment...a web page. I am going to be one techno-savvy grannie by the end of the weekend. Wish me luck.

Hockey Night

Blogging is something new for me. I can see where it can have it's benefits, but to be honest, I'm more of a reader than a writer. I took tonight off from the usual homework and decided to have a beer and a shouting match with my television set. It looks like my Wings will be playing game seven at home. It's gonna be a wild time in Detroit.
I titled my blog Marika's Journey because it seems as though I am always on one. I'm on the Grandma journey, college mom journey, college student journey, full time instructor journey, and most importantly, my journey with God. I'm sure that if time allowed, I would have plenty of material to write a book in addition to a blog. I'll try this out for a bit and see if I can keep it up on my crazy schedule. It will be fun to look back on. Even at my age, I can still learn from the growing pains I experience along my various journeys.