Ced0599: Week Three: THIS IS IT!!!

My project is in! Let the dancing begin!

Not that I'm trying to rub it in, mind you, but the relief is overwhelming and twistingly enough, a bit sad. In the end, I have to admit that I'm very proud of the work I've done for my final proposal, simply because I opted to do something that I will undoubtedly use in September, and I really made the effort of pulling a variety of resources and Web 2.0 tools together to make the project fun and educational. As I noted previously, the more I developed my project, the more the focus became clearer and the direction to take easier. I think I have developed a very teachable unit on Internet Safety for my 5th graders, a unit that is age-appropriate and strongly supports our school's emphasis on differentiation of instruction. Students will watch videos, navigate through our Ning, post their opinions and knowledge in the Forum section and provide feedback to each other. The lesson's activities are also fun, including a computer game I found today on standing up to bullies which will give them some tools to deal with bullying. As 5th graders, many of these students will opt to attend the public school next year, so the more I can instill in them, the better.

Having completed the project, I'm also trying to think of ways that I can share my project with others. I'm also hoping that in doing so, I will see what other schools are doing in teaching Internet Safety skills to middle schoolers so that I can polish mine even more.

And that, really, is the final thought. This project will never end which, for me, is a good thing. I had already completed my 60 hours having not even touched the whole virtual world experience, so I'm fired up at the prospect of developing that aspect as the school year begins. And most of all, I'm excited for my students who will not only have fun but who will have to work very hard and will, hopefully, improve their critical thinking and writing skills.

Cedo599: Week 2 - Pulling the Threads

Okay, wow! What a change is taking place, the more I work on my project! I think for the first time, I'm seeing how the various threads are all coming together.

When I first proposed this project, my main focus was on introducing the students to a virtual environment geared towards their age group. However, the more I have pulled various aspects together, the more my focus has shifted to the whole idea of scaffolding. First, it should be noted that I have 3 kids of my own, two of which are middle school-ish, so I also come at this from a personal perspective and from personal observation. Anyway, as I have quickly observed my 7th grader in particular suddenly move from simply emailing and interacting in worlds like Club Penguin to chatting, texting, and becoming obsessed with Wizard 101, I realized that at my school, I do little to prepare the tween for this new level of online interaction and socialization. I think we expect our kids to "understand" online safety but then restrict them entirely so that by the time they turn 12 or so, they have not transitioned or experienced "virtual puberty." I was mistakingly under the impression that not only did my 12 year old know how to properly behave himself online but that he would never partake in virtual chatting without my permission or that the option wasn't even available without my consent. I didn't realize that for pretty much every interactive adventure site he visits, there is open chat. This was shocking for me.

So, again, getting back to my project, what I really see myself doing now in the fall is providing that bridge for my 5th graders. I need to push my Internet safety discussions from simply avoiding strangers to using common sense tools to create their own safe environment online. This seems a switch in teaching from "don't do that and go there," to "build a strong defense and knowledge." Perhaps this is what teaching internet safety has always been about, but, again, I don't think enough has been done for those 5th and 6th graders.

Thus, I'm excited at not only teaching great lessons on safety but still using my virtual world as a "field study" where we can apply what we've learned to our educational experience.

Cedo599: Week One - Getting it Together

So, we're finally at this moment! Yhee ha! I totally feel overwhelmed, however, to be honest. I have the proposal, but I've had a change of heart after looking more closely at the virtual website I'd like to incorporate into the social studies curriculum. The website, Wiglington and Wenks, is designed for grades 3-6, so I was going to go with it as a way to introduce 3rd grade to virtual worlds. Visually, it's perfect for them, somewhat mimicking a Club Penguin feel and look. When I started thinking about the incoming 3rd grade, however, I quickly had a change of heart. In particular this year, there will be several lower-level readers and students I know who will need much more guidance. This last group of 3rd graders I had were extremely tech savvy and independent and would have thrilled at the prospect of working their way through this virtual maze.

So, after more consideration, I've decided to go to the other extreme and use W&W as a 6th and 7th grade social studies unit. I'm hoping once the students get past the little kid look of the avatars, they'll find the website interesting and challenging. I've already spent a lot of time exploring the various geographical locations, collecting artifacts and historical figures, and I have yet to solve anything, so I'm thinking it'll keep them challenged.

My challenge right now, however, is not so much visualizing the task at hand; rather, it's trying to get all my ducks in a row, and I'm concerned that I've really bitten off more than what is realistic. As a complete unit, this will be fabulous and is certainly something I'll take directly back to my classroom in the fall. But in order to introduce W&W, I first need to review/introduce newer concepts in Internet Safety. W&W includes a great Internet Safety tutorial and is one of the first tasks students must complete in order to obtain a passport to travel. I wanted to branch off on theirs, however, an include several teaching units from Netsmartz.org. Finally, I also want students to reflect on what they're doing, so I have spent a huge amount of time, revising St. Ann's Ning that I created last year. Rather than focus only on Computer class, I have broaden the Ning to include Grades 5-7 in all subject areas and hope that I'll be able to demonstrate to the appropriate teachers how they can upload and use the Ning. But for my purpose, I am using the Ning as the gateway for everything we're doing for this project. So, that's where feeling overwhelmed comes in.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Ced0565: Week Six - Final Thoughts

Now that we have completed Leadership and Planning, I have gained some new perspectives on what it means to be an effective leader in the educational system. Some of the things we learned, as well as the descriptions listed in the textbook, we not necessarily new to me, but it helped to have everything laid out in a way that was easy to understand. Many of the leadership skills I always search for in my co-workers and superiors were very much reinforced in the class; I think all of us want leaders who are assertive, organized, good listeners, insightful, and progressive. In addition, we want leaders who reinforce what we do in our classrooms, and those who are not afraid to "walk the walk" and jump into the trenches along side us. Finally, as the textbook described, we want leaders who value our knowledge and who ask for our insight on important decisions that go on everyday in our classrooms. These skills I have always held to be of the utmost importance, and I was thrilled to see them developed both in our discussions as well as in the textbook.

What I did find most revealing, although not necessarily new, was the whole concept of change within and planning for change. I don't know how other teachers feel, but when it comes to making changes, I have always felt ultimately powerless. I know there are many important things I do to help the school along, but when it comes to implementing changes, the decision always rests with the principal. Therefore, although I found the suggestions and strategies helpful, I'm not sure how effective they would be in my setting, and I wonder how many other teachers had the same gut reaction. Perhaps others find that their administrators are much like our author - someone who really seems to view his teachers as the stakeholders they are. In my rather limited experience, I have really seen a wide spectrum of leadership - those who relish that team feeling and those who see themselves as the wise and powerful Oz who hold all the answers. The hope, of course, is that more and more administrators, teachers, parents, and community members acknowledge their importance as a group.

As for my view of my own leadership potential, I do think I have many of the skills necessary to be an effective leader, but I also know that there are several areas in which I could improve. I think what I can do to help most in my current position is to continue encouraging and motivating others to go outside their comfort zone and get excited about new ways to teach. So far, I think I have been a fairly good resource, but I need to find time to be even more accessible to others when needed. I also clearly see that I need to start saying no to some of the bigger projects and focus on my students more. Right now I have my hands in just about every facet of the school and church building, from programming the A/C to updating the software for our heart machine, to reviewing security tape, that I am beginning to run out of steam when teachers are looking to me to spearhead classroom projects. I desperately need to refocus my attention and remind myself of what my first priority at my school should be.

Cedo565: Week Five

Okay, after last week's disasterous game playing, I'm happy to report that we finally got the hang of it this week. It's always interesting how one can go from completing lost to catching on. Normally, I'm very slow to catch on, at least when I'm working alone. Example; I purchased this very appealing app from my Droid that has me trapped in a very creepy room, and my goal, apparently, is to get out of that room. I have spend hours on this app, but I have yet to find a way to get out of the creepy room. It seems everytime I try to pick something up or gather a clue, I'm told that I cannot proceed. I totally don't get it, and I'm like that rat in the maze that has cornered itself and cannot move any farther. Last week, I was feeling the same way, in terms of our role playing game. It seemed everytime we made a move, we discovered that we had taken a step back instead of forward. It was very frustrating, and I was not seeing clearly the point.

This week, however, we all took a breather and spent several minutes really talking about what we maybe did wrong and what new direction we needed to take. With Jenny leading the way, we shared the notion that in order for a change to take place, the first steps really have to involve communication, communication, and more communication. You have to make sure everyone has at least knowledge of the change you'd like to take place before you can start creating the team and working toward implementing the change. Clearly, we weren't doing that before. Once we met and talked and talked again to various members of the community, we started to see progress. We also learned quickly that there are always going to be people who are not on board, no matter how many times you talk to them and listen to their concerns. Once we started making progress, everything else just seemed to fall into place, and the game became very enjoyable.

Honestly, at first, I wasn't sure of the significance of this role playing game, and I wondered why we were spending two class periods on a "pretend" activity. At the conclusion, however, I really was glad we had invested the time, and I found the game incredibly significant. In fact, I'm saving all the handouts. I know in the next year, there will be numerous changes taking place, and I think the handouts will be a good reminder for me to include the important people and take the right steps. In addition, the game was a perfect reminder of how one can stumble indefinitely if one does not take the appropriate actions before implementing change.

Cedo565: Week 4 - Lessons in Leadership

Wow! What a disaster! This week taught me so much in leadership it's mind boggling. In teams, we played a leadership game,selecting from a wide variety of scenerios that mimic much of what we do in school. The object, I think, was to choose the correct path toward making our school into an ongoing learning community. I really thought this was going to be a breeze, especially when I discovered that we didn't actually have to create the tasks, just get them in the right order. I couldn't have been more wrong, and now I have no idea what I'm doing for the continuation of the game this next week.

Overall, there were really two paths of leadership we were following. The first was the game itself which asked us to decide what steps we need to make to initiate change and keep it ongoing in a positive direction. As stated above, I was a flop. The second path, however, was just as meaningful and in some ways taught me even more, and that was the dynamics happening in our team. Of the five or so, I would say three for sure were outspoken, myself included (no surprise there). The other two were very helpful but were more on the quiet side and had difficulty getting their ideas out there for the rest of us. And of course as it turns out, one of those people, in particular, is extremely knowledgable. We should have listened to her much more, but the more talkative ones were too anxious to make decisions and attempt to get the game moving forward. We were definitely Scurry and Sniff, but unlike these two rats, we never made it to the golden pot of cheese. The others were more Hem and Haw, but Jenny in particular was Haw, conservative, reflective, and questionning. Too bad the rest of us didn't pay more attention to her. We'll know better next week.

So, again, I'm thrilled that we participated in this activity because it taught me a ton. I used to think I would want a bunch of Sniff and Scurrys on my team, but now I see there is a real need for Hems and Haws to question the paths and to articulate the correct order of things. I hope this week's game-playing goes better, and my goal is to try to listen to my "Haw" a little more.

Ced0565: Week Three

I liked this week's focus in particular because rather than center around the skills needed to be a leader, much of the material focused on various qualities of leadership and how all are important in some way. I used to think that on my team I would only want those who are "go-getters" and leaders themselves, but now thinking about it, I think I would need people whose qualities complimented mine, and I have to be honest and admit that being somewhat of an alpha, I would probably have a difficult time working with another alpha. I don't mind people who have great ideas and are assertive, but I have worked with those whose opinions only matter - people who tend to have the I-know-what's-best attitude, and it makes me crazy, to say the least. Thinking about the "Who Moved My Cheese" story, it's the Haw type of personality who makes me crazy. After awhile I get fed up with trying to convince someone that change is important. In fact, I've quit committees before because of these types of personalities. Contrary, I think I would rather work with enthusiastic people who aren't afraid of change. Of course, there's a downside to these types of people as well particularly those who are all mouth about change but then don't actually DO anything. Instead, they just blurt out all these tasks that should be done but then expect everyone else to do the actual labor. Those types make me equally crazy. In the end, we have no choice. Unfortunately, most of us don't get to pick our team and are stuck with all types of personalities. The key is to continue looking for ways to work with everyone ... or find better ways to avoid them. Hmmmm, I've done that as well.

Ced0565: Week Two - Data

This week brought together the two things that I had always assumed I hated most - data and data analysis. Typically when anyone places a page full of stats in front of my face, my eyes glaze over and I begin dreaming of happier, peaceful places where numbers don't matter and the beer is always cold. And then when I realized that I had to look at data from my school, I really thought I was going to suffer, but, once again, I was pleasantly disappointed.

Rather than study the stats from my small school - we really don't have much data to report, I decided to find out what I could about the Diocese in which I teach. Lately, there has been some changes made and those changes are trickling down to my level. On occasion I have been scratching my head, wondering what the heck is going on and why we're making these changes. After study some of the data, however, things are beginning to make sense.

Anyone who attends a Catholic parish which houses a school understands how vital the parish/school relationship is. In most cases the parish helps to support the finances of the school, alleviating a portion of the tuition cost in order to encourage families to send their children. There has been a decrease in enrollment, however, in our Diocese, and so we're beginning to feel the effects of this change. Having never looked at the actual numbers, I never realized just how drastic the changes were. Not only is enrollment declining, but the monies that support the schools are dwindling as well. There is a greater expectation of both teachers and administrators to pitch in and volunteer their time on major projects, such as curriculum development and standards. Until I looked at the data, I didn't understand why people weren't being hired for these tasks. Now I get it, although I don't necessarily agree with the method of enforcing the changes.

Now that I understand the data, I really want to find out how, as a mere teacher, I can use the models of leadership to do something? I'm not easily envisioning how the two items will mesh. I think I am trying to do my part by becoming a team member of the tech group that has been organized to develop new standards, beginning this summer. I also have been in constant communication with certain people at the Diocesan office and have collaborated numerous times with my principal to help develop our technology plan at school. But at what point do these leadership qualities we're supposed to strive for get in the way of other, equally important things, like my family? Where-o-where is the balance???

565: Week One - Leadership Assessment

The timing of this class was really interesting. I have been starting to take a closer look of what my role at my school should be. Originally, five years ago, I was hired to teach computer classes and be the librarian. Since then, however, my role has changed drastically and I find myself taking more of a leadership role as the technology specialist. Hence, I found taking the assessment as a principal helpful. Obviously I'm not a principal but the questions asked helped me define some of the areas where leadership is important.

Currently, my leadership role is rather undefined; yet, I'm constantly looked to for advice and to in-service other teachers as well as make financial decisions for our technology at school. Since my principal has limited technology knowledge, including trends and practices, I'm the one expected to direct us. In some respects this role is empowering and in many ways I feel fortunate that I don't have to deal with all the red tape others do. At the same time, I feel a huge responsibility and pressure to make the right choices when sometimes I'm not sure what the best direction is. Fortunately, each year I'm feeling more comfortable with my role, as I really work to define exactly what my position is.

This weeks lesson was also eye-opening after something that happened at school. At the beginning of the school year, the first and second grade teachers met and decided to modify the grade descriptions they give to their students. Since I help with our grading program, I had spoken to them and was aware of some of the changes. What we all discovered later, however, was that they had also drastically changed the grading scale, which affected all of us who teach specials. What was once an A was now a B or C. The change was that big. So at our last staff meeting I, once again, was going on and on about how frustrated I was with the change to the point that the first and second grade teachers were becoming frustrated with me. After I got home, I tried to carefully think through the reason behind my angst, and thanks to our lesson this week, I think I figured it out. Because the two teachers had made the decision without anyone else's input, they had ignored each of the four frames we talked about. They failed to get everyone on board with their decision. In the end, it's not that I necessarily disagree with the decision they made. In fact, in retrospect it makes sense, but they failed to explain the philosophy behind their decision in the first place. Also, they didn't take into account how many others are affected by their decision. I had no idea the scale had changed so when it came time for me to do my grades at the semester (specials only give grades at the semester), the grades were very different from what they were in the past because I was not aware of the change in the scale. In the end I apologized to the teachers and spoke to the principal about it. I explained to her why I was frustrated, and I think she understood. It has all been a great lesson in how leadership works - or doesn't.

Ced0555: Week Four - From the Trenches

So, I'm up to my eyeballs in work. There's the portfolio and now this week the culminating experience. I'm excited about my project, but, as usual, I'm not sure if I've bitten off more than I can chew. This experience is reminding me a bit of my studies in college. Since I was the only english teaching major at my school (the others that year were elementary ed teachers), I was given the option of taking my english methods class as an independent study. The head of the department, a man with many credentials and little time, sent me merrily on my way with the textbook. I had no clue what I was doing, but I was to make a set of two week lesson plans, incorporating a variety of materials. The result was an extremely ambitious set of lesson plans that literally had students reading a novel one day and a play the next and a series of poems the following. It wasn't until I actually got into the classroom that I realized just how silly and naive I was. I'm hoping the same won't hold true in this situation. So far, I have really three different things that I want to have happen with my third graders; I want them to have an age-appropriate introduction to Internet safety; I then want them to learn about blogs and start blogging themselves; and finally, I want them to apply what they're doing already with virtual worlds like Club Penguin and Webkinz to an educational virtual world, Wiglington and Wenks. From my observation of my current third grade students, I think I will be able to accomplish my project, but I'm concerned that the one area I haven't focused enough on might be special needs. Unlike this year's group, next year's has several students who have issues but who have not been officially labeled. There are several low-level readers and others who have attention issues. I'm wondering if they'll be able to handle my rather ambitious plan. My other concern is with the classroom teacher. I think she'll be very open to my project proposal which involves her social studies curriculum, but I'd like to her to be a collaborator, and I'm concerned that she won't take the role I'd like her to. I'm wondering how I can get her more involved without making her feel overwhelmed at what I'm doing. I plan on setting aside plenty of in-servicing for her, so I am hoping she'll feel comfortable. Perhaps I just need to assure her that I'll be doing the majority of the work and that all she'll need to do is be a supportive member of our project community. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

CEd0555 - #2 Reflection

This past week, for my culminating project, I decided to kick it into gear and get working. I think I've come up with a topic that, one, I can write about, and, two, really has my attention. Several courses ago, and I can't remember which class now, we were introduced to Second Life as a resource. I had never heard of it and had no idea of how cool and complex this free application is. As I explored topics for my project, I thought I would look into Second Life more to see just how it was being used. I was amazed by the number of educational and professional worlds that exist in Second Life and how many corporations are utilizing Second Life as a tool for employees to hold meetings, brainstorm, and watch uploaded content, such as Powerpoint presentations. Seeing all this got me wondering if any schools were integrating Second Life into their curriculums. Afterall, what better age to target than the teens, most of whom have already immersed themselves in the gaming environment and who would have no problem understanding the concept of Second Life? After further investigation, I was pleased to see that the creators of Second Life have also established Teen Second Life, a world dedicated to teens, ages 13-17. In this world adults are strictly forbidden, but there are several educational institutions that have created worlds in order to conduct lessons. I was immediately fascinated with TSL and wanted to jump in right away, but it's not that easy. In order to be approved, I have to submit my information and pay $40 for a background check. Once I've been approved, I have to invest heavily if I want to create my own space in TSL. Well, that alone killed it for me, not to mention that my students' ages fall into the 7-12 category. So, now that I was hooked on the idea of using virtual worlds in education, what could I possibly find for my target age group? After literally several hours of exploration, I came upon Wiglington and Wenka, a virtual website, much like Club Penguin, only educational in nature. What's great about this website is that it's fun enough for younger students but also challenging enough to keep them interested. The emphasis of W&W is geography and history. Players travel the world, learn about historical places, and collect famous people who have, unfortunately, lost their memories. In order to regain them, players must collect relics. I'm excited to examine this site closer and discover practical ways to incorporate it next year into the curriculum. The challenge will be convincing my principal that it's not just a game for wasting time. That's where the careful planning of my proposal comes into play. I'm hoping I'll be able to present it to her so that she will understand how this site, as well as others I may find in the future, can benefit our students and are not just time killers.

Ced0555: Week One

This week we investigated professional portfolios. Quite honestly prior to my research, I had never understood what an eportfolio was all about. Now that I've started looking, I'm finding it interesting the various types of portfolios in existence and I'm starting to think how I will want mine to look. So in addition to looking at samples, I'm trying to find information and recommendations for creating my own. One such site is 5x5 Model for Electronic Portfolios contains a rubric structure for the various types of portfolios as well as graphics and multimedia that can be added as well. This is a great resource when in the brainstorming stages of designing the portfolio. In addition, How to Create Your Own Electronic Portfolio takes the 5x5 model and breaks it down even further. What I like about this site is that each section contains a "you will know you're ready for the next stage when" bullet summary that acts as a sort of checklist for that section. In this age it makes such perfect sense to establish an online portfolio. When I see examples that date back to the early 2000's, I also get that feeling of being in the dark. I had no idea that this was a happenin' thing for so long, and I wonder how many employers look to the eportfolio when considering candidates. There's talk all over the news these days about getting one's resume together and tricks to applying for jobs, but I have yet to see one discussion focus on the eportfolio. Do we have a bunch of employers out there who are not aware that these exist and are still glued to the ol' hard copy? Seems that way, doesn't it?

Like anything else, I guess my big question is how much is enough? Some of the sample portfolios I viewed were real sketchy while others were what I'd call over-kill. I can't imagine an employer, for example, trying to link through pages and pages of sites. So I guess one has to think about the purpose of the eportfolio. Is it a living record of my work, or is it something I plan to send to employers? I have also observed how several of the sample portfolios have favorite educational links, transforming the portfolio into a PLN (Personal Learning Network). One person even included a link to Delicious which contained more links, making the portfolio endless. I'm thinking down the road I may want my portfolio to evolve into a PLN, but for now the task seems daunting.

Ced0550: Week Six - Summary

So, now that I've come to the end and have gained the necessary information for taming the world of online learning, I'm left to figure out how I will use the information I have gained over the next thirty days as well as over the next year.

I have to be honest and say that doing ANYTHING over the next 30 days other than the homework for the next class will be a challenge. My initial thought, however, is that I'd like to start building my curriculum for next year. My school is adding a 7th grade, and I am hoping to be able to teach them a few of the Web 2.0 tools that are popular as well as give them a glimpse into what their future learning might be like. Thus, teaching the class about online learning is going to have to be an integral part of my curriculum. It's really this generation of learners who are going to be greatly affected by online learning in the future. Almost just as crucial is teaching their parents about online learning and all it has to offer. For most parents, online learning consists of a conference call and maybe something to look at on a giant screen, along with emails of homework sent. They have no idea the options open to them and their children. I have mentioned before, but I wish I had known of all the great courses kids can take online, especially the AP high school classes. My daughter very much wanted to take AP Psych this year, but her schedule wouldn't allow for it. Little did I know that she could have taken this online instead. And even though I knew online classes existed, I did not realize just how great the curriculum is. So over the next 30 days as I begin contemplating next year's curriculum, I will need to figure out how to include both the student and parent. For example, perhaps I can set up an online night for both students and parents just to give them a brief intro to our class in the fall. That might be kind of fun.

So beyond the next 30 days of integrating the advantages of online learning into my curriculum, I will also be taking what I've learned well into the next year or two. I am in the process of forming a technology committee to look into our school's five year technology plan. Working closely with the public school, I want to make sure that we are also examining online learning as a possibility for our school. That means examining our hardware, our curriculum, and inservicing our staff. Maybe for our school it's not so much a matter of what core classes they could take, but what classes we could offer as a compliment to what we're doing already. One of our frustrations is trying to accomodate the variety of learners we have. Since we're a small school, we don't have the resources that the public school has for our special needs students. Online classes may be a perfect fit for many of our students, especially for those who are falling behind in some of the subject areas.

Ced0550: Week Five

This was a big week for me. I had to prepare/finalize my lesson to be taught online. The major challenge was trying to master Elluminate to the point that I could manipulate it for class. I found Elluminate to be extremely user friendly, and I thought the video tutorials were particularly helpful. This week also had us working in groups again. I'm not sure what has happened, but collaborating has become more and more challenging as time has gone on. Seems earlier in the program my groups had very little trouble finding a time to gather online and complete our projects. The last two classes, however, have been a different story. I'm not sure if it's the time of year, or if our lives have gotten even busier, or if we're less motivated to work, yet again, in groups. This collaboration in particular has given me a new attitude about groups in online learning. Not too long ago, a friend of mine was talking about her daughter, a sophomore, struggling with a group project. She was very frustrated that one or two people refused to pull their weight, and so she was doing everything and of course getting extremely frustrated. When asked why she wouldn't just let the others suffer, she said she couldn't because one group was being given, and she didn't want to have a lower grade because of the two knuckleheads. Well, after hearing of some of the same frustration with other groups in our online learning environment, I've evaluated how I would lead collaborative assignments. First, as difficult as it may be to assess, I think it's only fair that each group member receive a separate grade. I understand the one grade is supposed to perhaps motivate the group to do well, but it only works to frustrate the driven members. The slackers, on the other hand, end up benefiting and learn basically nothing. Second, in my opinion in order for group work to actually work, time during class has to be given, at least initially, for the group to get together and get organized. Half our battle was trying to find a time to even meet initially. We ended up sharing a Google doc with everyone getting on and doing what they could when they could. Perhaps 3 were available at a given time. It just seems that when it comes to online learning, people's schedules aren't as flexible. That's the reason why they typically are online in the first place - so that they can learn at their own time and place. Also, as is the case with this cohort, we're all full-timers during the day, so that automatically leaves us with less time to meet. Overall, I think we were able to complete a great presentation, but if the same attempts at collaborating were done with high schoolers, it would be a whole different story.

CeD0550: Week Four - Assessments

Okay, more confessions from a marginal teacher...
This week we've been examining teacher-centered versus student-centered lessons and authentic assessments. I've quickly come to see that much of my classroom teaching time has been about me. Now normally that wouldn't surprise me since much of my life is about me and discovering ways that others can make me happy, lol. Actually, that's a big, fat lie - My life is centered around my kids with the goal of getting them places and involving them in activities that will ultimately have me praying to Jesus for peace. Anyway, that's a whole different blog. Back to the classroom. I used to assume that because my classroom was a classroom full of little bodies that logically everything I did was about them. My role in the classroom was to teach them. I've now come to realize that my thinking is faulty and a bit reversed. It's not so much my role to teach as it is their role to learn. It almost sounds like the same thing except by simply rewording my thinking, my focus shifts quickly as do my lessons. I remember when I used to teach high school english that my lesson writing consisted of pages of notes. My daily goal was to get as much stuff from my notes onto the students' papers. I really didn't give a rat's behind if they understood, nor did I necessarily provide them adequate means of sucking my information from my papers onto theirs. I simply spoke, and they wrote. Now, in all fairness, I didn't do this everyday. THAT would make me the worst possible teacher around. But when it came to disseminating information, that was my primary method.

After what we've done this week, however, I'm doing what I can to shift that focus. In some ways, a huge burden is lifted from my shoulders. It's okay if my students don't know EVERYTHING I do about computers. That's not my purpose. What is my purpose is to teach them skills so that their brains will know how to explore and fend for themselves. Does this make any sense??? How to put it? Rather than spend an entire school year teaching them how to use Word, for example, I want them to investigate for themselves and in doing so, become proficient in problem-solving. I also want them to be able to think creatively so that they will want to branch out and discover and play. Finally, I want them to be able to communicate and collaborate with each other. In order to do these things, obviously I cannot just stand in front of them and talk at them all day long. They have to do for themselves.

I have had so many parents comment and question how it is that I went from a high school english teacher to a computer teacher. After all, I went to college in the 80's, so, for me, technology was the dinner roll to my meat and potatoes education. What I tell people is that somewhere along the line I discovered that I was mechanical and enjoyed playing and problem-solving. I honestly can't remember how I evolved, but I know it had everything to do with exploring and satisfying my curiosity. No one taught me computers. I taught myself. I want that same experience for my students, so this is why I need to shift from my leading all discussions to guiding them to discover for themselves. This, however, is no easy task, and the time it will take to plan these lessons and assessments will be enormous. But for once, I think I'll feel completely satisfied that I've truly done my job as an educator.

Ced0550: Week Three - Facilitating

I'm starting to feel a bit like some of my students feel when I introduce new material. Sometimes I think I expect my students to catch on too quickly, or I forget that just because I have taught something for five years doesn't mean that my students have heard it for five years. To them, it's new. A version of this is happening to me in our class. The challenge these next few weeks is to use Elluminate to prepare a 15 minute lesson on a topic of choice. I like my topic and think it applies to many teachers. I want to share/explore policies that allow all students, regardless of age, to take advantaged of some of the great Web 2.0 tools. My topic stems from the challenges I've faced with some websites requiring an age limitation in order to register. The best example I've come across is Bibme.org, a free bibliography-creating website. It's perfect for my students - very useful and easy to learn. In order to register, however, students are supposed to be 13 years old. That's a problem for my 5th and 6th graders. So I want to discuss some ideas of getting around this dilemma. Thus, the choice and creation of a lesson won't be too difficult. Actually presenting it, however, could be the real challenge. I've messed around a bit with Elluminate, but I have to be honest in admitting that I'm not quite ready to take charge. I'm feeling a bit confused by the whole process. Perhaps once I watch someone's example, I'll be able to get mine together. I think it's just interesting how much of a hands on thing technology is. One really has to be willing to jump in and wade through the unknown. Thank goodness I've come a long way in this and now am not so frightened by things I haven't tried before. I'm also thankful that by now I've created enough connection with others to bounce ideas off off them and have some of my doubts and questions answered.

Ced0550: Week Two - Facilitating Format

This week's lesson had us focusing on the recommended tools for facilitating an online class, from prompting discussions to responding to students to following-up in a timely manner. I found the tools very straightforward and easy to understand. In many ways, they are the same tools we use in a traditional classroom setting, and all teachers could really benefit from incorporating them into whatever classroom environment they teach.

What I am discovering quickly, however, is that it is one thing to study the tools and another thing to actually get good at using them. Our class activity had each of us taking a turn at facilitating, participating, and recording a discussion. Now anyone can tell you that I have NO problem chattering away non-stop, but what I discovered is how much I rely on my students' non-verbals to teach. In my current classroom I watch for confused looks or flat out boredom to signal me to either explain more or toss in a funny joke or story to pull them back. Obviously online I have no idea how my audience is reacting. That's really tough. What I found is that I quickly became self-conscious when I suddenly felt myself talking for too long of a period. It felt like I was suddenly alone. I could just picture my students rolling their eyes or walking away from their computer to get a drink or playing a game while my droning voice humms in the background. Yikes! Another difficulty was multi-tasking. While talking, I had to keep my eyes constantly flying on the screen to watch for a hand up or a message in the chat area. I can only imagine how challenging it must be for our instructors when so many of us students use the chat feature for idle dribble and sarcasm. No wonder they have to take a minute to scroll back and look for real questions. Wow! I'm surprised we haven't been told to knock it off.

In this class, I can really see how the instructors are working hard to keep us tuned in and on task. Rather than sitting back and watching or listening, we are constantly asked to do something and participate. I like how a variety of communication tools are used. We write in the chat area; we speak using our mics; we post our thoughts using text tools directly on the whiteboard. I can honestly say that I am much more focused during class because of our active involvement. In fact, I'm afraid to walk away at all for fear of what I'll miss or be asked to do. That's probably a good thing!

Cedo550: Week One - Online Learning

Enrolling in this program is the first time that I've taken online classes, so my impressions have been formed from my experiences here. Overall, the experience has been wonderful, and although it took a bit of time to understand all the technical issues, once I got rolling, everything fell into place. So, with this in mind, I at first assumed that the articles and sites that we were asked to examine this first week would mimic what we've been doing in class as online learners. Little did I know how extensive the whole online learning environment is and how far it's going. Much of the classes we've been taking have been more or less a lecture type of format with some interactive activities taking place. Thus, I thought that this was the typical format for high school and middle school students when they take online classes. How surprised I was to discover just how interactive and how large the online learning community is. Classes offered take the form of games, discussions, group work, and so much more. In addition, I was impressed at how complex the course were in terms of objectives and design. Clearly a ton of planning has gone into many of the courses, and each one seemed to address everything from learning style to communication to instructor involvement. In addition, each class addresses skills aimed at getting students to develop their critical thinking. As I perused to wide variety of courses, I kept thinking how much my own kids, one of whom is a high schooler, would enjoy some of these classes. So many classes in the traditional setting, especially high school classes, spend much of their time lecturing with students taking notes. Even though many teachers work hard to include some variety, many are still unfamiliar with technology and/or afraid to do something different. Thus, the students are bored and not engaged.

The other thing that struck me from a teacher's standpoint is how available the instructors are and how much time they must put into their online curriculum. Not only does the instructor have to search to include all the technologies, but then he/she has to be available almost 24/7 to help students. It all makes me wonder what the salary is for online instructors and how proportional that is to the time they put in. And as someone stated in their discussion, I wonder how instructors will be effected as the enrollment continues to rise. Will class size become an issue?

Ced0540: Week Five

This week had us looking at various data resources as well as Google Trends. What I have discovered, more than anything, is that I need A LOT more time to explore these sites. Whereas some websites pull me in and have me playing immediately, data websites take an enormous amount of time to figure them out. I think it would have helped greatly to actually have a purpose in exploring these sites. For example, the National Archives site might have been more of an attraction to me if I was actually searching for data on my relatives. As it is, I know very little about my ancestors so didn't even know where to begin. The CDC websites, on the other hand, were more interesting in that I was able to find some topics that caught my attention. I've also come to the conclusion that many of these data sites don't do enough in designing a website that is visually appealing and more user friendly. Perhaps these institutions assume that those looking for data are all number geeks who don't need pretty visuals. Clearly, I'm not one of those. This is one reason I did actually like the DPI's website which used large pencils to link to the reports.

The next assignment had us looking at Google Trends. The more we play with Google and its apps, the more I fall in love with this amazing application. Google Trends is an interesting app, but I'm not sure how best to use it with my students. I think taking a look at what people are Googling is interesting, but how does this help me in education? While researching Google Trends I did discover some interesting blogs that talked about Google Trend's usage. A couple struck me. For those who are interested in getting their blogs read, Google Trends gives bloggers the topics to incorporate into their postings to raise the liklihood of their blogs being searched. Another blog described how the hot topics in Google Trends could be used to raise interesting questions about any culture around the world. I'd like to find out more practicle ways like these to make use of this application.

Ced0540: Week Four Reflection

This week's tasks had us researching Bill Tancer and his Hitwise company of collecting and analyzing data from Internet users. I am always amazed at the inventors of the world, and I would easily put Tancer in that category. I wish I had that thing in my brain that enabled me to think creatively and use my talents to create a niche for others. I have always considered myself more mechanical and so generating new ideas is difficult for me. I'm great at "borrowing" the ideas of others and then tweaking them to my needs. Perhaps that's one reason of many why I'll never make my millions in the world.

Bill Tancer's company provides an excellent service for those industries who rely heavily on the Internet to generate revenue. What a great population to monitor, and as I've mentioned in our Week Four assignments, the data is already there. It just needs to be organized. I never before thought about how the search habits of consumers tell so much about them and how predictable they are based on their search habits. It's also a bit scary that our search habits are being that closely followed and monitored. Perhaps we all have to just get used to this notion. For example, whenever I run to Pick n Save and purchase something, I'm automatically given coupons based upon my purchases. On the one hand it's convenient, but on the other, it makes me wonder what kind of data is being collected on my Pick n Save card. I have those same feelings when it comes to my Internet usage. If enough data on me is collected, how will that effect me down the road? It sounds rather paranoid, but if the government someday started watching as well, what decisions might it make based upon this data? I hate to even think about that without drawing obvious comparisons to Huxley's 1932 novel, Brave New World .

Ced0540: Week 3 - Creating the Survey

Although I had heard of Survey Monkey before, it was very interesting actually getting into it and creating a survey. I have really never thought about the thought process that goes into creating a good survey. Doing so reminds me of other tasks that from the outside look like no-brainers but when actually done prove to be enexpectedly laborious. Even when Ann and I started thinking about our "problem" for the group project, creating questions that accurately reflected the problem was difficult. I found I had to ask myself "Why are we asking this question? What do we want to know as a result of this question?" The questions themselves might be really good, but often times I thought they didn't really reflect what we were searching for. In addition, once people took our survey, I found that the things we discovered revealed more than what our objective was. I am interested in conducting more surveys at school, but I wonder what kind of training "professionals" go through to qualify. Seems to me you can't just slap down a bunch of stuff, and as I have stated in previous blogs, it's easy to tell when a group is trying to get you to answer a certain way. As with countless other softwares we have learned in this program, I took Survey Monkey back to my 5th graders, and they are completely loving it as well. I created a school account, and I like the fact that Survey Monkey allows for unlimited surveys. Now I'm trying to talk to them about creating surveys so that we can collect info and analyze the data. Again, I'm always so amazed at how their enthusiasm soars whenever something technical is introduced. They can't wait to start creating questions, not only because doing so is fun, but they really love the idea of creating something "real" and having real people respond to them. So suddenly an activity that started as just a little classroom experiment is blossoming into a much larger project. I hope to have them get their surveys out to the St. Ann public, students and parents. This means they'll have to think more carefully about their questions.