Course Reflection

This course was fun to take. I enjoyed learning about all the different tools presented. All of the activities that were planned demonstrated great instructional tools. Each one expanded my horizon and I enjoyed completing them. There were parts that were more difficult than others and some were pretty frustrating. The frustrating parts had more to do with being kicked out - having sites freeze up repeatedly - and problems with accessing sites. Some of my frustrations were from trying to complete parts of the assignment before reading like I should have. Once I read and watched the videos in the resource section most of the time it answered my questions. The assignments were all something I felt was relevant and would be useful in my field to know about. I like how Dr. Yuen has listed multiple resources in the Lecture Notes - this gives me plenty to choose from and different ways to learn it, so it appeals to students who have varying learning styles. I think this is something I will use if I teach. This helped me more thoroughly learn the content seeing the material in more than one way and also seeing it multiple times. I had never heard of Mixxt before so this was a great way to experience it – be forced to be immersed in it! I have liked using Mixxt, but found some of the pages difficult to navigate. The only activity I dislike in this class will be the last one I have left and that is the research paper. I like the discussion forum - I think it is important for the teacher to plan interaction for students. The discussion forum allows students to really be part of a class, ask for help, help other classmates, and exchange ideas. Commenting on other people’s assignments can help the student look at things in a different way. This also helps the student see the value of their work and/or see how maybe they can make some changes to improve. Having this feedback helps the student determine if they are on the right track. The other students in the course really have taught me a lot and have provided some great examples. I have enjoyed looking at others' work and have appreciated the work they have put into their projects. My classmates have great ideas and I can certainly see the value of implementing many things in the classroom.

Reflection #7 Eyejot

I really like Eyejot and would be very interested in seeing the full capabilities. One of the reasons I really like how this is set up is the fact that you do not have to download any software nor do you have to store the videos yourself. This helps in schools when you have to go through quite a lot to download any software on the school computers. This aids in storage issues for the students also. The students and teacher won’t have to worry about forgetting their thumb drive or having large files stored on the school computer. This assignment was very easy to do and I can see this would be a very fun activity for students. Teachers are always looking for fun inexpensive ways to bring learning to students and this has great potential. The types of things you can do with this tool are leaving short video messages for students for lots of things. You could give directions for an assignment using this tool. This helps students who need to learn by viewing a way to learn. This also gives students a chance to use technology. Students can also be taught to create their own video messages. Students could answer discussion questions and send them to the teacher. Students could be assigned a section of a reading for students to read and discuss in a group. The group could then present key facts about the section using Eyejot. I think this tool also helps in the class atmosphere. I thought it was a great idea that we had to upload our video. The discussion board really doesn’t do what seeing a person speak can. This really helps me see our classmates as being more a part of the class and puts us a tiny step toward personal interaction. This assignment is very useful in my current field and could be something easily done throughout the college I work for. For instance, employees could use this as a recruiting tool. Recruiters could create a video talking about how great the college is and what it has to offer and post the video on Facebook and the college WebPages. It is also something I would use if I teach. This activity was a great hands-on assignment. My future learning goals in this area are to continue using this tool and learn what I can about it. Click here to access my Eyejot assignment.

Reflection #6 WebQuest

I had created a WebQuest before, but it was simpler than this one. The WebQuest I created prior to this one also dealt with the same subject area. Any computer course naturally lends itself to using this tool, but so do all other subjects. There are so many uses for this tool. Such as, an English teacher could create a WebQuest to learn about William Shakespeare and evaluate his works. This would give a fresh way for students to explore a difficult subject, while enhancing the technology skills. One subject I think could benefit from using a WebQuest is Personal Finance. Two different times in my student teaching experience I had to teach students about managing a checking account. Creating a WebQuest to take the student through the process could help students really get it. I was surprised at how little the students knew about managing a checking account or using a debit card and they had difficulties with the concept. I really think having a WebQuest take them from the Federal Reserve to reconciling an account could be done through a WebQuest. A WebQuest in college subjects could also work well. For example, in an Archeology course the instructor could create a WebQuest taking students through getting prepared for a dig and take the student through taking the find back to the lab for cleanup and cataloging. An accounting WebQuest could drive home the concept of creating an Income Statement and Balance Sheet along with incorporating reasons these items are used and how. Maybe if students can see the whole picture the concept would be easier to comprehend. I learned I have to pay close attention to detail and really sit back and look at it like the student would. Sometimes it is easy to overlook things since in my mind I know what it should say rather than what it does say. I learned that the assignment was a bit easier after I wrote it out before actually creating it. I think it always helps to jot down ideas, plan out what your end result will be, then, begin to create. I don’t always do this, but I do feel I do a better job when I do. I think this is a really great tool for students. This is something I will use in the future and I hope to learn more about in the future. Click here to access my WebQuest.

Reflection #5 Google Sites

I had used Google Sites before, but this assignment really forced me to look deeper and learn more. In a previous course I learned how to upload documents, PowerPoint presentations, and documents from Google docs. I find this tool is not easy to use with graphics and you don’t have much control like you do in Microsoft Word. This is a good assignment because it has a great use and really is a practical real-world result. This is something I can use and learn from. I know I will be using it in the future. This tool really makes creating a Website in the grasp of those who are technologically challenged. Google Sites makes it much easier to create a Website. All teachers should have a class Website. I believe a class Website is necessary to keep students and parents in the loop, especially if class is missed. Even though this requires some work at the front end for the teacher, this only helps with time management for the teacher later. The teacher could have all documents uploaded for easy access for students. All assignments could be posted for students to access. The Website could also serve as a method for students to upload their own assignments as they complete them. The class Website should enable parents to check on their child’s workload and see what their child is learning. The teacher can also use the Website as a class project to be worked on throughout the course. The Website can be an assignment the students work on together to create. Another great feature about Google Sites is that it is free. With all of the templates and choices on Google Sites there are options for the teacher to assign a group project for students to create a Website for a community service project and a grade. Students could choose an upcoming event, such as, a Community Theatre production, and create a site for it. This helps students to learn how to create a website for someone else and how to work in a group. This assignment is relevant and a real-world activity. The teacher could even have a guest speaker from each organization speak to the class and the students could get a better feel for what the organization is about to incorporate in the site. I hope to learn as much as possible about Google Sites because it is a great tool. Click here to access my Google Sites assignment.

Reflection #4 Diigo

I had never even heard of Diigo before, much less used it, so I learned a lot about it. I like being able to bookmark sites. Diigo has a search feature that could be neat. I searched for online learning, but came up with no useful information. However, you do have the option to search your site and the bookmarkings of others by name, email, tags, site, and URL. I like the message option, which also allows you to add it to a blog (Easyblog). Diigo allows you to import your bookmarks from Delicious, Simpy, Blinklist, Connotea, and Furl. Another thing I learned is that you can highlight and use sticky notes to make notes on web pages. You can also make notes, upload pictures, files, and videos. It states that even after a time it remains as it would if you had highlighted it in a printed book. According to Diigo, when you bookmark a page you can “upload the page and capture a snapshot”. The web pages are stored in your Diigo account, so you can access them from any Internet access. You can share your bookmarkings or keep them private. You can use Diigo to collaborate with your team or group by sharing with each other your findings. This gives each member time to check out the sites prior to group meetings. This would be a great tool for an assignment for students to collaborate for a class project. The students could upload their portion of the project in a Word document, upload their resources, make notes and share them, bookmark web sites they find that may help each other, and leave sticky notes for their teammates. You can also send all of your stuff to your blog, Twitter, Facebook and others. This allows you to “archive multiple versions of the same URL”. Diigo could really help when a student has multiple classes and has to do a lot of Internet research. Diigo could really help keep things straight and organized. I do like how you can get updates whenever someone in your group adds a bookmark. This helps me stay on top of things. This assignment was great to show me a great tool I could include in my future classes in my school and also if I get to teach. I plan to learn more about Diigo and use it now and in the future. Click here to access my Diigo assignment.

Reflection #3 Twitter

I had never used Twitter before, so every part of the process of this assignment was a learning experience. I really so little value in using Twitter. I guess it is neat to “follow” people or interests, but I can access the Internet and look a lot of things up that I am interested in using a search engine and not have to check my Twitter account and get partial short messages. I can look it up and read all about it. At this time this tool is not important to me at all, but since a lot of people seem to use and like it I think it is important to know what I can about it. I do not find it fun or entertaining. I just see it as something else I would have to spend my time on and it isn’t worth it to me. I professionally do not see the value in Twitter. I do not really see the value of using Twitter in class, so I cannot see myself as using it at all in an educational environment. There is too much in a high school curriculum to spend much time on excess or nonessential things. However, I could see the value of teaching about Twitter in college classes for media and journalism. I think since so many people use Twitter it should be taught and practiced in courses dealing with newscasting, sports broadcasting, broadcasting, media, and journalism. According to my husband it is important when trying to keep up with athletes, training camps, injuries, etc. My children tell me their friends find Twitter important to keep up with their favorite celebrities - what they are up to, where they are, and what they are thinking. I did see that Lindsey Lohan tweeted after her court appearance about how she was feeling about her impending term to spend some time in jail – come on – are we that bored with our own lives? I think it would be ok to touch on Twitter in business and computer courses. Spending a lot of time on Twitter would be very unnecessary, since it is simple to sign up and use and I am sure plenty of students Twitter. I think texting and emailing make more sense than adding Twitter to the list of things to do. My future learning goals include not a whole lot to do with Twitter at this time. To access my Twitter assignment click here.

Reflection #2 Blog

I learned more about creating a blog this time I created my blog. I like creating blogs and hope that when I am done with my master’s degree I will have a bit more time to create a blog just for fun. The more I do it – the more comfortable I become with it. I plan to continue to practice with blogging and utilizing this tool. This assignment is important to my field because I hope to teach online one day soon and this is a great assignment for my future students. I do believe blogs are perfect places for students to showcase their work. This gives students a way to publish their work right away. This gives students a sense of pride and accomplishment. Students can also get MUCH needed practice writing – and all without it seemingly like writing. This is a great way for students to create a blogfolio and upload all of their assignments. With all of the student’s work within the blog, teachers, students, and parents can also see the progression of work. You can read older blogs and compare them to newer blogs and see progress. This is a good way for students to assess each other’s work and make comments. This is a good way for students to start looking at what they think is good or bad and learning from each other. I think this can make them a better writer. This tool could be used in any course at almost any level. Students in 3rd grade and up could participate in blogging in some way. Third graders could create a simple blog using a template and write short stories from week to week adding a paragraph each week. Eight grade students could create a blog about possible jobs, showcasing and discussing one new job a week. Students could then post on their peer’s blog what they know or have experienced about that job. Twelfth graders could create a blog for a blogfolio uploading key assignments and then loading them on a CD to take to potential employers and/ or schools to showcase their talent. College students can use blogging as a blogfolio, to journal, or any number of things – journal their personal journey through college, use the blog as a team project to collect parts of the assignment through the semester to culminate at the end of the semester by linking the final project with a reflection. To access my blog (you are on it) click here.