Ok. Leave tomorrow, and first classes on Friday. I'm excited! What's more, I think I've finished all the required reading and some of the recommended. I'll comment more on some of this when I've had time to digest it, 
but I've just got to mention two short readings assigned for "Positive Interventions" -- a passage from Benajamin Franklin's Autobiography and the first five cahpters of Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter. How did I get through 20 previous years of formal education without somebody getting me to read these books??!! I mean, it's not as if I were a non-reader. Even in junior high, I'd read nearly anything. I'll admit I'd run across Franklin's virtues passage, or at least part of it, before. But I'm also going to admit total ignorance on Pollyanna! And I've used the reference in a post! I don't know where I thought it came from, but now I know, and I mean to finish that book!
Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying these were the best readings. That would be a tough call. I've 
posted the books, and some of the articles we've been asked to read have really been worthwhile. Heck, the book on research methods is even outstanding. Can you imagine a decent read on that topic? Well, it is. (And, no, I'm NOT sucking up!) It's also shows real evidence of an attempt to improve the learning experience. Key points at the beginning of each chapter and a summary at the end.
One last point: all this reading has brought home to me just how linear text is. I find myself mapping things out in my mind as I read, and I'm certainly using MindManager for my notes. In fact, my MAPP map has grown and now includes links to all the pdf and Word files we've received for reading, links to web sites, notes on the readings, and ideas for further study and research. I've even put all the assignments in as activities so I can run ResultsManager to see them listed by course or by type of activity or by due date or whatever. This is helping me learn ResultsManager and that's going to be a good thing as it is a solid tool that I really could use if I knew it better.
Well, gotta pack ...
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