Tuesday July 26
It's 9:00 am, and I'm just getting started in class. Today we have several things on the agenda. We are going to work a little with Google Docs, which I already know a good bit about, but perhaps I will learn something I didn't know. After that, one of the professors is going to give us a lecture on the cultural relevance of pubs in the UK. Then comes the hard part. We are heading into Guilford, splitting up into groups, and going to pubs to "collect data," which I can only imagine means "sample pints." It sounds like a quite difficult assignment, but because I value my education, I will give it my all.
Tonight, Dr. Cordery is planning to give us a lecture on Charles Dickens, so that should be worth listening to. Other than that, I don't know everything that's on tap.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Class Has Begun...
Monday, July 25
We got into our real reason for being here today. Class began. For the most part, it was interesting. We spent the bulk of the day exploring campus and taking pictures to create a Google map of the campus with our images. We had fun doing that. We also wrote a poem about ourselves, which I wasn't terribly excited about.
Now we're hanging out at a pub on campus, getting the last of our classwork done. Then we're going into Guilford to have dinner and see the sights.
Tomorrow, we're back in the classroom. Hopefully we'll have the time to sight see tomorrow night as well. Right now I'm looking forward to this weekend. We're going to Oxford to see the university; then a few of us are taking a train to Scotland. That should be a good experience.
Talk to you tomorrow.
We got into our real reason for being here today. Class began. For the most part, it was interesting. We spent the bulk of the day exploring campus and taking pictures to create a Google map of the campus with our images. We had fun doing that. We also wrote a poem about ourselves, which I wasn't terribly excited about.
Now we're hanging out at a pub on campus, getting the last of our classwork done. Then we're going into Guilford to have dinner and see the sights.
Tomorrow, we're back in the classroom. Hopefully we'll have the time to sight see tomorrow night as well. Right now I'm looking forward to this weekend. We're going to Oxford to see the university; then a few of us are taking a train to Scotland. That should be a good experience.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
I'm Finally Here...
Sunday, July 24--Surrey England
Well, after a long, uncomfortable, and miserable flight, I made it to England. We made it to the dorms and checked in before taking off and exploring for the day. I have seen pretty much everything the University of Surrey has to offer, and I did a walking tour of Guilford. In Guilford, we saw everything from Guilford Castle, dating back to William the Conqueror and 1066, to a jolly well-dressed group playing what looked like serious (possibly professional) lawn bowling. I had my first fish and chips and a couple of local English pints.
Overall, it's been a good day, although it has been tough to force myself to stay awake; I wasn't able to sleep at all on the plane, so I've been up a significant number of hours. I am, however, going straight to bed when I finish this post. When I have more energy, I'll post more specific updates, pictures, etc., but I don't have the energy right now.
Tomorrow, we spend the bulk of the day in class, so I'm looking forward to getting started. This is going to be a great experience.
Well, after a long, uncomfortable, and miserable flight, I made it to England. We made it to the dorms and checked in before taking off and exploring for the day. I have seen pretty much everything the University of Surrey has to offer, and I did a walking tour of Guilford. In Guilford, we saw everything from Guilford Castle, dating back to William the Conqueror and 1066, to a jolly well-dressed group playing what looked like serious (possibly professional) lawn bowling. I had my first fish and chips and a couple of local English pints.
Overall, it's been a good day, although it has been tough to force myself to stay awake; I wasn't able to sleep at all on the plane, so I've been up a significant number of hours. I am, however, going straight to bed when I finish this post. When I have more energy, I'll post more specific updates, pictures, etc., but I don't have the energy right now.
Tomorrow, we spend the bulk of the day in class, so I'm looking forward to getting started. This is going to be a great experience.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I'm Off.....
Saturday, July 23
Today I leave for England, more specifically, Surrey England. I am privileged enough to have the opportunity to take a course on integrating technology and writing at the University of Surrey. The purpose of this blog is to keep those interested updated on my day to day experiences. I couldn't be more excited to take this journey and bring back a wealth of classroom and life knowledge. As an English teacher and doctoral student, this should offer me a brand new perspective on English education, and possibly more important, on writing and what it means to be a writer. As a writer, I look forward to interacting with new tools and technologies to be used in my own writing and in my students' writing. The definition of writing and what it means to be literate have evolved immensely; isn't it time we look at changing with them?
Today's agenda: I should arrive at approximately 6:15 (England time) at Heathrow Airport. By 11:00 am, I should arrive at the University of Surrey to check in before heading out to purchase supplies and lunch. We have the remainder of the day to ourselves to relax and acclimatize our internal clocks. Class begins at 9:30 Monday morning.
I hope you find my blog on learning and travel as interesting as I expect it will be to live. Please feel free to use the comment tool to ask questions, make suggestions, and leave comments.
Cheerio
Today I leave for England, more specifically, Surrey England. I am privileged enough to have the opportunity to take a course on integrating technology and writing at the University of Surrey. The purpose of this blog is to keep those interested updated on my day to day experiences. I couldn't be more excited to take this journey and bring back a wealth of classroom and life knowledge. As an English teacher and doctoral student, this should offer me a brand new perspective on English education, and possibly more important, on writing and what it means to be a writer. As a writer, I look forward to interacting with new tools and technologies to be used in my own writing and in my students' writing. The definition of writing and what it means to be literate have evolved immensely; isn't it time we look at changing with them?
Today's agenda: I should arrive at approximately 6:15 (England time) at Heathrow Airport. By 11:00 am, I should arrive at the University of Surrey to check in before heading out to purchase supplies and lunch. We have the remainder of the day to ourselves to relax and acclimatize our internal clocks. Class begins at 9:30 Monday morning.
I hope you find my blog on learning and travel as interesting as I expect it will be to live. Please feel free to use the comment tool to ask questions, make suggestions, and leave comments.
Cheerio
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