Final Reflection

Throughout the course, we have discovered UDL, DI, technology and how these theories and concepts interrelate. While I have heard of Differentiated Instruction and technology and had some history of utilizing each in the classroom, UDL is a wholly new concept. However, all of these concepts have a fresh, new and more in depth value in my classroom as we have learned how they connect to one another.

In my classroom, there is larger impact each time I open the doors each morning. I have used surveys, and utilized other technology in order to give the students ownership over their education and to make information more accessible to every student. Providing options through technology makes creating this environment for my students very simple.

I have already begun to utilize simple technology like web2.0 tools and technology that is associated with our textbook to create centers for lessons. The students have freedom to move through the information at their own speed and choose their own notes and practices while coming to the same accomplishments. I have found that providing options for all usually helps the students who require certain differentiation according to their IEPs without much additional planning. Conversely, providing different types of options for assessments utilizes every students' strengths to their advantage, especially in regards to their learning styles.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). “Universal Design for Learning” [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Introduction: Knowing Your Students [DVD] Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.

New Project for New Baby

I was able to hold little Sophia in my arms the other weekend. She is the cutest cousin in the world! Even before Jen gave birth to Sophia, I knew she would be an awesome Mom. Jen is a master at crafting and has spent quite a few days with me and my nephews and nieces coming up with fun projects to do. It was only natural that I send her a gift worthy of a fellow crafter. The following pictures are some of the first clothes that Sophia will get to wear in her already blessed life.

I have a wonderful Mamma who helped me with the clasp. Mom's are the best aren't they?

Final Reflection of the GAME Plan

Step 1: Having an organized method to reflect as a teacher is always a useful tool. Using the GAME Plan naturally lent itself to that area of a teacher's regular regime. I have never been truly reflective of my technology use in the classroom, so this was a unique experience and one that has been very enlightening.

Step 2: I have particularly learned through this experience, the need for school cooperation and the inspiration that can come from collaborating with others. At this moment the math department is trying to put together a wiki in order to connect the entire student body in a more unified look at math. It is very exciting to have tried and experimented in this way with my colleagues.

Step 3: I believe the biggest change in instructional practice that will come of the use of the GAME Plan is to always be open to sharing experiences and set failures as valuable as successes in the learning sphere. The GAME Plan allows us as teachers and learners to do this safely and effectively.

Incorporating the GAME plan into STUDENT life

The GAME plan process that we have been using thus far this semester is actually very similar to the problem solving steps we teach our students in our Reading classes. We ask students to use these steps when faced with a social problem. They are asked to stop, think about and label the problem, come up with several possible solutions, choose one, act on it, and then evaluate how it went. This semester we have been asked to create a technology Goal, put it into Action, Monitor how the results are going, and lastly, Evaluate the result and make any changes. It is a wonder I never thought to incorporate these strategies in an academic sense earlier in the year.

As we went through these past couple of weeks, working on our GAME plan, it was clear that using this simple graphic and mental organizer simplified a seemingly complicated problem: utilizing technology effectively in the classroom community. Obviously, this lends itself to problem-based learning. Having students fill out a simple graphic organizer, as we have for our standards will illuminate a new focus to their learning as they move along through a problem-based lesson, just as we have not learned more ways to use technology, but new ways to look at technology. Students will be more aware of what they are learning just as they are ever so clear about the math goals we have. However, when using the GAME plan set up, students are more in charge and motivated when using their own technology goals.

My only concern is overwhelming students with another form to fill out. Would anyone have another suggestion for guiding students through a GAME plan of their own without having them hold on to yet another piece of paper? Perhaps a class blog of some kind?

Great News!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Sophia Elizabeth to the world. You are such a beautiful girl!
Sophia Elizabeth is my lovely cousin.

Evaluating the GAME plan

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

Thus far, in trying to incorporate my GAME plan into my instructional practices I have found that teaching is a lot of getting through the administrative aspects in order to provide these lessons to my students. This is due to the allocation of money in ways that are not necessarily agreed upon by all teachers in the district. Previously I explained my districts current position on ONLY using eChalk as they have spent a lot of money on the program. This fact remains a roadblock in the use of the wikis in my classroom. eChalk is extremely glitchy at the school and although I have tried quite a few times these past few days, the program seems to be too convoluted for my students (and myself at times!)

What goals are you still working toward?

I confess, I am still trying to teach my students how to use this program and also how to maintain a student-professional atmosphere when posting discussions. This means asking students to refrain from smiley faces, extra exclamation points, as well as having the students use proper spelling and grammar.

Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?

I will be continuing the goals I have initially set forth as progress has been quite slow.

If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?

My intention is to start my wiki with the students and expand the communication “To obtain a constant, quality communication system that reaches parents, students, and teachers.” My next extension would be towards the teachers and lastly towards the parents.

What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?

In the future I will definitely try to accomplish a goal that is a more immediate notion rather than something that requires the attention of the entire school district. It is better to go from a classroom experiment to a school wide/district wide initiative than vice versus.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

One Step Forward: Making Progress with the GAMEPlan

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

Upon speaking with the other teachers and showing a sample WIKI to my department, I have met with some great enthusiasts, but also quite a few who are resistant to the idea. I have a great and overwhelming feeling that this WIKI idea will largely be my own, with perhaps a scant few that may chime in from time to time. In my school, we are actually being persuasively asked to use a program called eChalk to do our teacher websites, blogs, and WIKIS. This particular program is proving convoluted and glitchy. One of the main glitches is that the tech department has yet to give the students their required emails. While my students are awaiting this information, I am being asked to be patient and therefore my plans are being put on hold for the moment.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I am currently in the process of trying to figure out a new “wiki-system.” I am trying to understand the logistics, smooth out the glitches, and see how it runs on our computers. In this way, I will be more adept at asking students to complete an assignment in class.

I am also focusing my classroom lessons to revolve around collaborative work using computers in order to get students used to the use of the computers and how they should manipulate them without harming the technology.

What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

My biggest question at this moment is: when will the program be ready?
I am also looking into what kinds of conferences I might be able to get into this year for further technological projects, especially regarding project based learning, as I find myself hopelessly under equipped.

Watching the Game Plan

As I have been working towards my game plan, I have begun to gain information on the topics and logistics involved in wikis and using them as a tool for citizenship and school-wide unity.

While participating in our discussion last week, I had the opportunity to learn about google aps and the ability to give each of my students email accounts. This was the first of my hurdles in the logistics aspect of creating and implementing a wiki in the school and classroom. My students were unable to log in without an email, and the district was having difficulty maintaining them as our transient issues have become large in scale. With this new information I have begun working closer to fulfilling my game plan.

As a school-wide tool, I have begun bringing up the idea in our monthly school meetings and during our technology committee meetings. I have created a basic wiki for the students and have begun showing it to the rest of the teachers in order to inform them of the availability and the options that we can use to bind our school through the web.

I would like to research more on the different ways other teachers have used wikis, as often there are ideas that have been proven effective that can help more with the “how” aspect of this project. Rather than reinvent the wheel I will be asking other teachers in the district, as well as researching school district and college websites to find more information.

In following up with further research, I must be mindful to ask more and more, “how?”

Carrying Out the GAME Plan

In the previous blogpost, my GAME plan was discussed as a way to incorporate the IST Standards for technology. This week, I would like to look into the ACTION aspect of the GAME plan to outline the resources, information, and steps that are required to accomplish these goals. Reincorporating a wiki as a classroom and whole school resource to promote digital citizenship and also to model digital-age work and learning requires more knowledge and cooperation than resources.

The information required incorporating the wiki into my classroom and school would require training from a conference to discover the intricacies and teachable tools that are available through wikis. In order to use a wiki as a citizenship tool, I would be required to advocate the website throughout the school and share the knowledge and tools I have knowledge of not only with students, but with other teachers and staff. These things would have to be the first steps to the ACTION aspect of my game plan.

Gaining information that is needed beforehand will require experts in the field, computer training, and colleague cooperation. While incorporating wikis into the classroom, I will need student emails, laptops for students, video/voice recording and transferring equipment in order to allow students to use the wiki to its’ potential. I would like to show students how to share videos, discuss math topics, and participate fully in the wiki using this equipment. Students will be shown one feature at a time in order to master the knowledge required. Discussion posts will be discussed and used first as a means to communicate important information.

Walk for Evan

This is for Evan...

Hello Everyone!

I'm writing to you to ask for your support in a very special cause.This year, I'll be taking part in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk to Cure Diabetes along with a half-million other walkers across the country. Our goal: To raise $90 million to help fund research for a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes, is a devastating, often deadly disease that affects millions of people--a large and growing percentage of them children.

Many people think type 1 diabetes can be controlled by insulin. While insulin does keep people with type 1 diabetes alive, it is NOT a cure. Aside from the daily challenges of living with type 1 diabetes, there are many severe, often fatal, complications caused by the disease.That's the bad news... and yes, it's pretty bad.The good news, though, is that JDRF is making steady progress toward a cure. In fact, JDRF funding and leadership is associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research to date. And JDRF funds more type 1 research than any other charity worldwide.I'm writing to ask for your support because now more than ever, EACH of us can be a part of bringing about a cure. Each of us can make a real difference

Won't you please give to JDRF as generously as you're able?

Together, we can make the cure a reality.

Thank you,
Jacqueline Ellis

Please visit my Walk Web page if you would like to donate online or see how close I am to reaching my personal goal:http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87733422

GAME Plan

The NETS-T developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) provides standard indicators for teachers who are working towards effectively integrating technology within their content areas and classrooms (2008). The following two indicators are areas of weakness within my own classroom. I have included a chart to map out my GAME plan (Cennamo, 2009) for improving my use of technology in the classroom.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

Teachers:
c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats


Goal

To obtain a constant, quality communication system that reaches parents, students, and teachers. Communication will be frequent, relevant, and varied in substance. Communication will also cross several formats for those individuals with different abilities and resources.

Action

It is important to inject ourselves into our student’s lives in as many ways as possible, as our students are learning information (whether it be quality information or not) at every turn, due to the internet Prensky states, “It’s their after-school education, not their school education, that’s preparing our kids for their 21st-century lives,” (Prensky, 2008) With this idea in mind, I will develop and regularly update a classroom weblog and wiki that includes news updates about the classroom as well as showcases of student’s work that will be available for parental viewing. Because blogs and wikis can include picture, video and links, it may also be used as a study source and homework helper as it is also a discussion area. These resources can be utilized by other teachers in the school, as well as students during study halls. If there are ever any questions regarding what should be done in my class by other adults, the information will be available even when I am not.

Monitor

The very idea of wikis and blogs is to digitally express ongoing projects. Thusly, teachers and students will make ongoing modifications to both as they modify their learning strategies. (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009) In this way, monitoring will occur as a community, while I mediate the progress and keep discussions on track.

Evaluate

At the end of each chapter or unit, students will be asked to utilize the digital resources in class as a review session. At this time, I will be able to see if my goal has been met as far as the students are concerned. Are they able to understand and use the resources independently?

I will also monitor the resources availability to parents and it’s effectiveness as conferences are formed with parents. Did they see the website? Were they able to understand it and how helpful was it? These comments will help form any final modifications.

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.

Teachers:
c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information

Goal

To teach and model responsibility and etiquette within the confines of a digital community, specifically within a wikispace and blogging atmosphere. To enable students to interact with one another without resorting to digital bullying, or other inappropriate social behaviors.

Action

I will introduce the classroom wiki and blog slowly with “getting to know you” activities in order to practice communication skills without the stress of also having to accomplish an academic goal. In doing this, “they develop a deeper understanding of the perspectives of others.” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009) The students will also begin to understand the necessity of communicating effectively as they are asked to collaborate on a digital scale when more and more academic collaborations are added throughout the year in the form of group discussions as well as individual posts and responses.

Monitor

Each blog or wiki discussion post will be graded for participation (and then later on for content. A rubric will be used that includes an etiquette and appropriate participation section. This rubric will be discussed before the students are graded on it. If needed, students will have a conference, or teacher will discuss any inappropriate responses class-wide depending on the situation.

Evaluate

At the end of each marking period, students will receive a final grade on their participation on the wikis and blogs. As students have had opportunities to conference with the teacher as well as whole-class discussions on appropriate participation, the final grade will assess how well the student understands the impact of digital and global etiquette.


National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40-45.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach.(Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Mia's Birthday

Mia, my niece who also happens to be a princess, had her birthday this month. I consider wrapping presents to be an artform at times. I was singing that sound of music song the whole time..."brown paper packages tied up with strings...these are a few of my favorite things!" I had to...

And it turns out that if you buy brown wrapping paper, you can decorate it for any occassion, very inexpensive in comparison to other wrapping solutions. Of course the comics is another classic choice, but I don't get the newspaper outside of work!

Summer is over :(

These were some projects from August that I have yet to post...and of course I have a list of things about 12 long just for this next month that I am aspiring to do... here we go!

I wanted to show pictures of the blanket I made...Jen's baby is coming in October and she is starting to look it! I can't wait to see if it's a girl or a boy, and what he/she will look like because Jen and Marc just look SO different. Jen is very short and very Irish, freckles galore. Marc looks like the jolly green giant in a nice crispy brown color and really dark hair. You can imagine I'm sure...

Anyways, here is the blanket that Marc loving said looked like ramen noodles...

This was a bunch of yarn I had no idea what I should use for. Solution: 2Knit rows 2Purl rows (which give the ramen noodle effect apparently) until it looks like a little bean can be wrapped up in it and look super cute. Good luck Jen!

More pictures...

Here are some more pictures of the bracelet I made. First I knitted the wrist band. Easy-Peasy. Then I threaded in some buttons...it took a couple tries, but I finally got it...

Here are all of the materials...

Those darn snaps are tricky, I had help from mom gettin them all lined up so we could hammer them together...

At first I just wanted them to dangle off of the wrist band, but it wasn't looking quite the way I wanted it...

Eventually I tied them all down so they wouldn't get caught on everything.

TA DA!

New Projects on the way...

I did a massive cleanup of my house last week and decided to make a list of all the things I had to do...

My house is spotless and there are 12 other items on the list for me to do...all crafts. I need to stop going to A.C. Moore and visiting etsy.com. I ALWAYS get cool new ideas when I go to these places. I am in the middle of testing a bunch of ideas, and I have finished one. I fun little bracelet I decided to whip up quick on cleaning day.

Take a looksy!

I loved these old buttons...and you can't see it, but the bigger one has a heart scribbled on it. It's just so cute!


More pictures to come...I finished the blanket and I can finally post about it because I gave it as a gift to my cousin Jen.

And I am on my way to making all of those hats for Heather Ryan Photography. Here we go!

Final Reflection-Walden

There is always excitement in finding new ways to establish learning and literacy skills with our students. I realize now that personally, I take a lot of energy to instill skills and techniques in my classroom. I know now that many of the things I establish in the classroom can and should be established by the children, thereby taking ownership of their own education. I have seen other ways of completing this task without technology and it seems a little lackluster. Now that I have seen some techniques using technology I see that this can be accomplished in a medium that appeals to students, while doubly preparing them for a business/technology based life and work style.

I continually try to build a technology foundation for my students, however, I also would like to give ownership to my students. Thusly, I must prepare my students with knowledge of quality technology and information as well as proper usage. I will take extra care to incorporate this aspect of technology in my lessons.

I plan to utilize website recording tools to show students how to think critically regarding websites. I will also use more technology based projects to assess as well as the more traditional tests used in math classes.

It's Time to Walk!

This is for Evan...

Hello Everyone!

I'm writing to you to ask for your support in a very special cause.
This year, I'll be taking part in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk to Cure Diabetes along with a half-million other walkers across the country. Our goal: To raise $90 million to help fund research for a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.

Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes, is a devastating, often deadly disease that affects millions of people--a large and growing percentage of them children.

Many people think type 1 diabetes can be controlled by insulin. While insulin does keep people with type 1 diabetes alive, it is NOT a cure. Aside from the daily challenges of living with type 1 diabetes, there are many severe, often fatal, complications caused by the disease.

That's the bad news... and yes, it's pretty bad.

The good news, though, is that JDRF is making steady progress toward a cure. In fact, JDRF funding and leadership is associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research to date. And JDRF funds more type 1 research than any other charity worldwide.

I'm writing to ask for your support because now more than ever, EACH of us can be a part of bringing about a cure. Each of us can make a real difference

Won't you please give to JDRF as generously as you're able?

Together, we can make the cure a reality.

Thank you,
Jacqueline Ellis
Please visit my Walk Web page if you would like to donate online or see how close I am to reaching my personal goal:
http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87733422

A Remembrance

This week my sister's dog, Mandy died. We actually found out recently that she was older than we had initially realized. We took Mandy (a siberian husky) in because someone we knew could no longer take care of her. So, we never really knew much about her birth until our mother asked about it this year when we were able to see our friend again. Mandy was almost 13 years when she died this week.

We found out last week she had cancer. The following week it took her.

On Tuesday when my mom returned from her walk in the morning they found Mandy expiring (with a typical Mandy rowl) and it was only moments until she died.

My little sister was distraught at the event for obvious reasons. I decided to make her a little talisman in remembrance of Mandy. So I scrounged up some things around the house quick before I saw her (45 minutes later?). I used some of my favorite (you guessed it...ORANGE) beads and a little sheee shell I found in the OBX that I brought home. I don't usually like to bring sheee shells home : ) because I don't do anything with them, but I took this one. I suppose that shell knew it needed to hang around Suzy (literally).

This was the final product.

Cheers Mandy!

I swear I AM creating!

It did actually occur to me that it seems like I have been doing absolutely NO crafting whatsoever due to vacationing bliss. I would like to dispel that myth by giving updates on unfinished projects.

Knitting takes serious time and squinting that requires an individual to devote all energy and attention to the task at hand. This is extremely difficult to someone like myself who would split herself in order to go in different directions (if you haven't seen "Multiplicity" with Michael Keaton, go see it and you'll get the image I have!). You can't read a book and knit at the same time! This has been my real conundrum as I started reading "Eat, Pray, Love" for a bookclub (which incidentally is on my List: Book Club). It is really good and I whole-heartedly recommend reading this book even though I am only 2/3 of the way through it. Its a book you can read lightly or put emotion and energy into it if you wish. I am doing the former, which also takes away from the knitting. Golly!

Anyways, I have two knitting projects going on. My fearlessly tough, yet extremely sensitive nephew asked me to make him a blanket (he also asked my mom, and she already finished...arrgh). I told him, "I'll make you a blanket, but it is going to take FOREVER to make, and I mean FOREVER!" He said "That's okay, I asked Mumma too."

"Well, what kind of colors do you want me to use?"

"I like ARMY colors, Aunt Jax...and RED."

"Alright, don't forget....FOREVER."

SO...I'm not even close to finished and he asked me before Christmas, I think. I'm knitting up squares. Then, I am stitching them all together. This, I thought would be easiest...very tedious though.

This is how much I have done since Christmas...

Which is actually this much...

And this is how much yarn I still have to use...

You should be thinking what I am thinking right now...Oh dear!

And I fully anticipate not liking the color black after this particular blanket!

Now, if my fingers weren't getting enough exercise, I decided to use this pretty multicolored yarn to make another blanket...why? I was bored (heaven knows why?) and it kept staring at me saying, "You bought me! Why aren't you making me into something awesome!?" Total guilt trip=another project! 2 projects @ one time = slow movin'.

But check out this yarn...it IS pretty and soft and lovely:

This is how far I have gotten on project number two:

Definitely not blanket status yet! Oh how do people attain all this patience?

So, in conclusion, I am catching up on my discovery channel documentaries when I am not reading my book and trying desperately to knit away the summer. Thusly, my house has not been cleaned since medieval times, my living room resembles a chinese sweatshop,and Bert keeps staring at me like a Discovery Channel camera man poised to capture some amazing natural phenomenon with no hope of actualization. Sorry Bert.

Vacation...Oh how I love thee!

I've just returned from a marathon of vacationing. I miss it! I have now added "Spending an entire Summer at the shore" to my LIST. Maybe next year I will rent a shore house with my doggy, Bert.

Bert couldn't make it this time. I did miss him, and he tackled me Flinstones style when I got back. BUT, I did get to enjoy some quality time with my non-related families this month. I have been blessed with many families that I actually do care and adore. I spent some time in Boston with my work family. I really love where I work and who I work with. I couldn't imagine teaching without my support group of teachers.

Just strolling the streets with these people and discussing anything that is on our minds (and I mean ANYTHING!) is such a relief from the pressures of teaching.

Of course, it wouldn't be fun if we didn't see the sights! South Market was wonderful and SO full of life. It reminded me so much of my favorite town, Annapolis. It was definitely MUCH bigger, but no less "towny!" I was able to get a drink at the first tavern in the U.S., the "Bell in Hand" (which I was extremely excited about!) and then walked across the cobble stones to the Green Dragon, where the Revolutionary War was planned. I had a drink in the very same walls as Sam Adams, John Hancock and a host of other incredible Americans!

I spent approximately 7 hours in the car from Boston to Reading only to throw all my dirty clothes on the floor and pack my BEACH clothes! An hour later, I jumped back in the car for 3 more hours to meet up with my Maryland family. My greatest friends who I latched onto unwittingly in high school.

The next morning we spent 9 hours in the car, almost became certifiable, and finally saw that ocean that just seems to bring life to everything, including the sea breeze. This was probably the greatest vacation I have ever experienced. It was so relaxing it took me 2 days to wake up out of the trance I experienced and actually go out and DO something (i.e. write on a blog, send out the mail, do some knitting)

I was able to wake up at 5:30 one morning and experience the sunrise out of the water and watch the pelicans fish (who were in such abundance no one else seemed to notice them!). While we were there we saw dolphins, sand crabs, we even swam with little Moondogs (which are basically jellyfish). A little deer even walked through the shrubberies outside of our porch while we were indulging in some vacation libations! It was lovely in every way. I miss my Maryland family!

I hope everyone is enjoying the sun and letting life inspire you at every turn. I certainly am inspired this summer! New projects on the way!

Fun in the Sun...and Sky.

To celebrate month #2 of vacation I did what any normal teacher would do. I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. Here are some pictures to represent what students can drive teachers to do : )

I took a reliable and certifiable friend along with me. Angela is the greatest! We were suited up and ready to get started...we thought!

When they opened the door to the teeny tiny plane this is what we saw! No worries : )

Here...WE...GOOOOOOOOO!

It was SUCH a rush for the FreeFall...

Yet so peaceful floating to the ground like a leaf on a calm fall day...

Happy Summer Everyone! Hope you are enjoying yours as much as I am enjoying mine!

Mosaic

I was at the Philadelphia Zoo a couple times this year. At the Children's Zoo area there is the most beautiful mosaic display. I absolutely fell in love with mosaics from that particular spot.



So I thought I'd give it a try. Very small scale at first, of course, but I am planning to eventually make some little bistro tables for my back porch and front porch. Maybe even something for my living room. This is something I created for my front door:




I like to think it's not a bad start.