Off to Newport

  I leave in the morning, but thought I would check in on the Wikis before I left.  Some of you are doing quite well and I would be proud to share the kind of work you are doing with other instructors...others are busily discussing the sexual preferences of the members or discussing underwear styles.  I would ask that you begin to focus more on the former status than the latter.  You have about three more weeks to finish out your project...I'll discuss important topics next Saturday that should be of help, but you have to start picking some of the planning steps up through your reading.  Remember, use the web as a resource to look at real world programs like the one I have asked you to build and then come to me with questions specific to your project.  On Saturday I will be asking you to think through the steps in the planning model we are discussing in reference to your own project and then report that back to the group.  If you have done some of that work ahead of time it will go smoother and we'll get more done.  I will be checking the blog and wikis each day and providing comments through the blog, so it might be helpful to you to stop in during the morning and see what I have shared...as always, it is your call...but I am hoping to be able to provide you some help.  Have a great weekend.

Glad to see you here

   Well, as I write this 13 of you have found your way here as followers and that is a good start.  I realized on the way home that we debated the Saturday class and went back and forth on the date.  I think the best thing, after hearing from everyone, is to stay on October 31st and we'll just be out in plenty of time for the Trick or Treaters.  I will work on our classroom for that day and try to get us away from the mass of retirees who will be in the building.  Now, as for the class last night, I know that we didn't get to the model itself but I was determined to get you started on your blogs and provide some class time if you wanted it to get started.  That meant I curtailed some of what I would normally do on the first night.  We'll start right in with the model on the 20th, but you need to have read through your assigned readings and established at least a modicum of familiarity with Caffarella's model.  It is a very simple model to work with, so I'm not worried about you picking it up.  I will try to focus on discussions on each of the steps so that it relates directly to your case studies...we can use your problem sets as our discussion examples if you just think through the issues and bring them up.
   I'm very glad to see everyone a member of the Wiki...welcome Gerry...and look forward to watching your pages grow.  In order to provide you some assistance, Dr. Collins has allowed me to refer you to the Wiki she has used with her Intro class...you'll be able to view the pages, but will not be able to modify them.  Her Wiki's URL is http://www.AdultEducation.wikispaces.com and the two pages I would like you to take a look at are those on Peter Cooper and Myles Horton.  These provide you good examples of what you can do and the information on Myles Horton will be helpful in your Social Foundations class.  Have a good holiday weekend.