Month: November 2016

Salute to the Week!!

The week has begun!!!!wpid-wp-1432570750949.jpeg

I have been wrestling with how to do my job at school. I had applied for one job, offered another job, and when school started had to do another job. That makes three full-time jobs!

 

img_0222In the world of special education that is suicide; one of the reasons is that it opens a person up for not meeting service minutes for each s
tudent who has an individual education plan. I just wanted to make sure that I was able to work with the students.

Starting this week: I am back to my leadership role and my teaching role. Matt 28:17-18 reminds me that God is ultimately in charge. I need to begin each day with him and let him guide me and listen when someone is trying to hurt me. I also, need to remember that it isn’t all about me, THIS IS THE MAIN LESSON GOD IS TEACHING ME!

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https://mysterythrillerweek.com/

One of my followers, Benjamin Thomas, led me to this event that will happening in 2017. I have read over all of the information, joined the Facebook group and I really want to be involved. . So far I have seen a number of books that I want to read and review; I have seen a number of authors that I would like to get to know and a lot of information connected to the above picture, mysteries and thrillers, and all of the sub genres associated with these two main genres.

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Book Review: Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross

Synopsis:

This book has three cozy mysteries to read:Eggnog Murder, Death by Eggnog, and Nogged Off. I am not going to go into the other two mysteries, because I want the reaer tos see how closely they relate to one another.  All three are worth reading. 

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Someone is poisoning a good citizen of Tinker’s Cover via eggnog.  The worst part of this is that it puts Sata Claus in a bad light. In addition, there are two other mysteries to read and solve

My opinion:

I did like the story.  I enjoy reading about small towns and their citizens.  As you may guess I am a big fan of the TV show Murder She Wrote.  However, I get concerned in the small towns that are used as a setting in these sotries, that they will eliminate all of their people.  Not only that I lived in a small town in the US and in Germany, believe everyone knew everyone and most skeletons have long been exposed.This particular skeleton was typical of small town gossip fodder.  The outcome in each of the stories will be a surprise.

Happy reading!

I was given this ARC copy by the publisher via the Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of the book.

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Book Review: Dangling by a Thread by Lea Wait

Synopsis

This book was a good read that combined the social issues of species endangerment due to lack of habitat and veteran issues. In addition, it reference the expense of cancer treatment and the toll is takes on the family.  Dave’s friend is found murdered, but who did it?  Why?  Through a variety of twists and turns we discover the ownership of the island that houses an endangered bird species.  The combined social issues provide a mirror on why we need to care about our society and their citizens.

My opinion:

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This was a page turner, I didn’t even want to turn to the end of the story to find out who the murderer was and why.  The undercurrent of sadness for everyone involved weaved throughout the story. It was a sad, so sad, I need to put the book down, but sad in that I needed to find out how they dealt with the characters dealt with their emotional pain.

I was given this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest book review.

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Grateful to Netgalley and Libraries

As I review the books that I am currently reading, I have realizee that I haven’t paid for a book in a very long time.  All of the books that I have enjoyed and read in the last 8 months were given to me by some very nice publishers and public libraries.

It is very nice to to know that I can get wonderful books this way!  However, it has come to a point now where I need to pay the piper sort to speak.  I will be writing several book reviews this week.  It helps that I won’t be teaching this week so I have the time an energy  and time to complete this task.

The book range from well known authors to not so well known authors, in addition I have discovered some new authors.  It has been an exciting time.  johnny-automatic-man-using-binoculars-2

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InnEdCO 2017

Innovative Education Colorado (InnEdCO) formerly TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION COLORADO, INC. (TIE) is a Colorado-based organization founded in 1986 by a group of teachers with a vision of hosting a conference focusing on the increasing role technology plays in education.

I attended this conference in the summer of 2015.  It was my first and only time, but I enjoyed it so much that I tried very hard to go again the next summer.  I even submitted a grant proposal through DonorsChoose.org professional development.  I submitted a proposal, which was rejected.  My school would not fund me as I was not returning the next year.  You guessed it, I did not attend InnEdCo 2016. 




 I was so disappointed!

Espcially since the ISTE (The International Society for Technology in Education is a nonprofit organization that serves educators interested in better use of technology in education.)  would be part of the convention.
WELL NOW!!!  IT IS A NEW YEAR!!
I have applied to be part of the selection committee for the proposals and I will be submitting my own proposals.
The last year I submitted and presented two webinars for Simple K12.com which services educators interested in better use of technology in education.  (See a theme here)  Stay tuned!! It will occur!!
Resources:
Inspiring Digital Age Teaching and Learniing (2017) http://innedco.org/about/ 
ISTE (2017) http://www.bing.com/search?

q=ISTE&pc=cosp&ptag=N0004G1462D010815A316A5D3C6E&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT3210127


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Book Reviews/Mystery Stories

discipline

 

(c) Michelle Dragalin 2016

Writing book reviews on mysteries is a matter of discipline vs. no discipline.  The author decides what the Main Character will do in the story.  The Main Character is the one who the reader reflects and determines whether or not the “criminal” who committs the crime.  The books that provide a Main Character with discipline are usually in the cozy mystery stories and books that provide a Main Character with no discipline is from the olden days.

Actually, Lawrence Block’s recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and Bernie Rhodenbarr remind of this group of individuals.  They have no boundaries or rules that they really followed in their line of work.  Neither were licensed, both operated a bit outside of the law and both weren’t really always the good guys.  They were just people who were operating in their own rules ver similiar to the no discipline emojicon above. While the green emojicon emphasizes the Main Characters in a cozy mysteries.

Are the books better or worse?  No, I like them both in fact I have read the entire series of Matthew Scudder and Bernie Rhodenbarr, as well as, entire series of cozy mysteries where I am certain the population of their towns need an influx of citzens because of the number of murders.

However, I don’t think that the people in real life should follow the red emojicon.  Reality is a little different and influence what we want to read.

 

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