EDLD 5370 Web Conference #3

We held our third web conference tonight at 7:30 pm.  Our weather conditions have prevented some students from Internet, and from participating tonight.  Of course, as in the other conferences, our professors record them for those exact reasons.  The group was small and there were not as many questions, which makes me think many are getting down the pattern for our papers and reflections.  There were quite a few questions on the  Summary and Validation form.  This was one of the forms that was added that we did not know about at the start.  She gave students the opportunity to share their links to their Google site, and only one (Salvador) did.  Thanks Salvador, but I am guessing others were not sharing yet because they did not feel it was complete yet.  I know that I have quite a bit of 'designing' to do and most of my focus right now is on my writing.  From the comments, it looks like most students have gone with a Google site for their ePortfolio.  I know that wikispaces can be very frustrating when copying and pasting from a word document. I wonder if anyone is using Wikispaces now.

EDLD 5370 Web Conference #2

This web conference was held at 7:30 pm on Wednesday.  I leave for church at 6:40 pm and do not return until 8:20 pm.  It is a relief that our professors at Lamar take the time to record the web conference for those of us who cannot attend because of work or church activities.  I for one am very happy that the points awarded for this reflection, is only 1 point.  I know that there are many who will not bother, but I like to receive every point possible. 

I was able to read all the interactions on the web conference and most of my colleagues were wondering the same thing I was...how were we going to accept changes on the paper and how would we see our mistakes.  I was able to download my paper and see one correction to make on an in-text citing.  It was a direct quote that I needed to supply the page number.  I also failed to reflect properly on the three requirements: Self-Assesment; Learn as a Learner, and Lifelong Learning Skills.  You can bet, I will correct this next time!

Many colleagues were also questioning about the Horizon Report whether or not the 2011 one had been released.  I had begun my paper and referenced the 2010 Report, reading the entire thing and highlighting some important sections.  I was became frustrated when I discovered that I should have been reading the 2011 Report.  Knowledge is knowledge...and I'm sure that I gained something from that report, but I really did not have that time to waste. 

The web conference always gives me a relief just knowing that my frustrations and challenges are in fact felt by many of other students as well.  It just helps to know others are having the same struggles as I am.  In the end, we will all be successful.

EDLD 5370 Internship-Web Conference

How exciting it was to reach the very last part of my coursework in Educational Technology Leadership. I enjoyed my two week break after completing Teaching with Technology. I was determined to enjoy the break since I heard horror stories about the intense workload in the Internship. 

My excitement soon disappeared as I opened the course and saw the first week's assignment.  It only had six parts and was 17 pages long! 

I was able to participate in the first web conference for the class.  It was held on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.  When I logged in, I was happy to see Debbie Anderson's names. I had worked with her on two separate group projects.  The other names I had not seen before...then Deann Thompson entered sometime later. I also worked with Deann on the same two group projects.

The web conference went smoothly as students posted question after question to Dr. Mason.  I had a rough start with this course, but am determined to complete it in 5 weeks. We just received the name of our Instructor Associate, Sarah LaPuma.  I had her for one other course, and then she had a baby. I bet it is nearly two years old now. 

This web conference was filled with valuable information.  I did get the fact that if I went on the courseware and download the checklist...it will all become much clearer.  Students rightfully complained about the different versions of the handbook and how confusing it was to fumble through all of them. 

I think that after I complete this week...and get some needed rest, I'll have a new outlook for Week 2.

My next Web Conference will be on Tuesday, April 26, 2011; I won't be making the Wednesday night conferences, since we have church.

Universal Design for Learning Reflection

Participating in the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) during this course has transformed my ideas and the knowledge will be valuable in my career as an educator.  The CAST site steps you conveniently through the design of your own lesson, clarifying each activity in detail.  As you interact with the activities on the website, you will notice that they use their own methodology by giving users choices to learn the program.  The site helps you apply the three primary brain networks that are UDL’s principles in teaching.  Using the three principles a allow you to reach and engage students with different talents, abilities, strengths, disabilities and special needs.  By tapping in on the diverse learning needs and strengths of your students, you can create the most success in reaching learning goals. The UDL curriculum reveals that all students process information differently and knowing your students’ needs and interests is important in meeting these goals for the best retention in learning.  Although the coursework assignments were lengthy and demanding, I know that the knowledge gained during the course will help me develop instructional practices that will impact learning for all students.

EDLD 5364

This course is called Teaching with Technology and I am excited to learn new instructional practices to share with teachers in my district. We will be learning Marzano's nine instructional research-based strategies and will work in a group to create a unit.  On Saturday morning, I was able to listen in on our web conference which had 45 or more participants.  I do not consider myself proficient on using the tools in the web conference. My three year old granddaughter had spent the night, so I was not able to login early and set up my camera in time.  There were quite a few who were already sharing and had their equipment set up. Not many chose to use the camera. I think part of the advantage of a web conference is choosing to learn without having to get dressed and putting on makeup.  This conference went smoothly and Dr. Mason was able to keep the meeting on task and answered questions as they were posted.  I think it is hard to follow the many different chats that come in so quickly.  All in all, the experience proved to be informative and I came away with some new information.  Next time I want to log in early and use my web cam and have it display for others to view.

EDLD 5366: Reflection

       In the midst of the stressful holidays, this course was the perfect one to take.  It was fun, motivating, and engaging throughout the entire five weeks.  The content was less intense and stressful than other courses. First, I created a birth announcement using the four principles of design.  I never considered myself a creative person, but was able to gain positive feedback from colleagues on their evaluation of my product.  Most of my learning came from the discussion board where we had to comment on others’ designs and see the different teaching tools.  I collected ideas and was able to apply my new knowledge in the evaluation of my colleagues’ products.  In the second week, I created a logo on an open source site called logomaker.com.  The most difficult part of that assignment was learning how to save and copy it to my wiki and blog.  I plan to experiment on other sites that were provided when I have time.  I always wanted to learn how to work with photos and graphics, and realized how much skill is involved in using such programs.  I watched videos on YouTube that took you through a transformation from start to finish on photo editing.  I think the course was well planned my new skills will give me a boost to branch out and try other products.  I did not care for my animation to be placed in my newsletter.  I created my newsletter for teachers on different applications that are provided in my district and included some technology tips.  The animation did not integrate easily into the newsletter.  I did go back and change the color scheme on my logo, so that it matched my color theme on the newsletter.  Overall the course was engaging and fun during the most hectic season of the year, Christmas!

Animation: Week 3 EDLD 5366

Learn more about this project     CLICK THE BEAR

We were able to choose a program to use for creating an animation  for our assignment in Week 3.  I used the program called Scratch. It was fairly easy, but took quite a bit of time for me to view the tutorials, and then play around on it. I can see where students can get carried away with the different options.  It is fun and addicting. To view my animation you have to CLICK THE BEAR!