The monster stared at me with its’ one eye, its’ face shone with a glow unlike anything I had ever seen.   Its’ teeth were white as snow and it barely made a sound as I sat in fear only a few inches away.  Its’ tail was long and thin, disappearing into the hole it must have slithered out of.    I dared not move…fear gripped me, my palms dripping with sweat and my mind racing like a thoroughbred at the Kentucky Derby.  I sat fixated as in a trance, not able to move or even speak.     Time seemed to stand still as if the world stopped rotating.    Questions flashed across my mind.   How much more can I tolerate?   If I loose this battle, what then.   Will help arrive before I am consumed by this monster?   What if my friends come to my rescue and are not able to help me?     Will I forever be its prisoner, not able to see the light of day.   What if I muster up the courage to take on this monster, what then?   I decided to take my chances with this monster.  I will not go down without a fight.   If I lose the fight, I want my friends to recall  the valiant effort I gave to take on this beast.   I decided the best defense was to go on the offensive.  Attack first and catch the beast off guard may be my only chance for survival.   I had to move fast, trying not to draw attention to myself.   Now is the time to act..now is the time to put my plans into action…it is now or never!!

First, I opened my new blog, 8th Social Studies, and began to maneuver through the various tasks before me.  I wanted my class to be different, I wanted to challenge my students, realizing this new challenge would not only challenge them but me  as well.   After spending several hours with our Technology Specialist, Scott Floyd and Donna Bogue,  the Coordinator of the SUPERNet Consortium, I decided to go full throttle.  What they said made sense, however did I have enough sense to make sense of what they shared with me.    (boy, was that a confusing twist of words)   Scott helped me with my blog and Donna shared with me the workings of  Moodle.    I see both as being a valuable tool in my classroom.   I moved slow but deliberate making sure I covered my bases.  The more I worked with my blog the more comfortable I felt.  This “monster” was not as horrible as I thought.  The “beast” can be conquered.   I am taking the old saying to heart, “How do you eat an elephant?   One bite at a time.”  I have finished my first bite.   It was hard to swallow at first and the taste was bitter-sweet, however as in the old saying, I am determined to take one bite at a time.  George S. Patton once said, “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”  I accept this challenge!