This was my
second web conference and there were fewer participants than in the first. It is nice that I recognize names and can now
put faces with the names. I am get
frustrated with this course because it seems like the assignments are broken
down into several parts but yet at the same time are repetitive. I am still
unclear as to why we have multiple assignments to turn in through epic when it
seems like it could all be put on one page.
This is what I mean by repetitive.
I feel like I copy and paste the same thing over for several
assignments. When I asked a question in
the web conference for some clarification the response I received was “read
your assignment it is right there”. That
really frustrated me because I had read the assignment and still had a question
and my question was not answered. I
wonder if it was expected that another class participant might answer the
question for me. I’m not sure, but I
left this conference frustrated and feeling like it was not a valuable use of
my time. I have had a lot of
communication with one of my group members and the two of us have figured
things out and answered each other’s questions.
I know this is practice for being a leader facilitating learning. I am finding classmates to be more than
willing to help and answer questions as we figure things out together. The assignments have not been too difficult
and I enjoy them. The directions in the
assignments in this class seem to be not as clear as in other classes and it is
frustrating when you cannot get a direct answer for clarification.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
EDLD 5363 : Week 1 Reflection
Coming up with a subject was the easiest thing for me. I chose something I was passionate about…my family. Family is very important to me and stand beside each other no matter the circumstance. This was a passionate subject however pulled at many emotions that I had not visited in several years. My daughter was born with congenital heart disease and has four open heart surgeries. I’ve always known she is my “miracle child” and when I emotionally travel back in time to her birth I have a flood of emotions remembering the roller coaster ride. I never overlook my son who is also amazing. He is a complete opposite of me and can make me laugh when I am furious with him about something. I was not taught how to follow my own dreams and that is something I want my children to do.
I used Photo Story 3 to create my digital story. This is a program that I had used before but it had been many years ago. I use animoto quite often and as suggested used something I was less familiar with. The planning was not difficult for me because I help teachers use similar programs in the classroom. As well, I help students do a storyboard and write scripts. However writing the script and keeping it short enough was my greatest challenge. I realized every single word had to count. I still feel like I did not give my children all the praise that I would have enjoyed sharing with the world but this is just a snapshot of how special they are to me.
I used Photo Story 3 to create my digital story. This is a program that I had used before but it had been many years ago. I use animoto quite often and as suggested used something I was less familiar with. The planning was not difficult for me because I help teachers use similar programs in the classroom. As well, I help students do a storyboard and write scripts. However writing the script and keeping it short enough was my greatest challenge. I realized every single word had to count. I still feel like I did not give my children all the praise that I would have enjoyed sharing with the world but this is just a snapshot of how special they are to me.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
EDLD 5363 Web Conference on June 4, 2012
I attended my first web conference for EDLD 5363 on the
first day of class, June 4. I was rushed
to get home from school and get online but was very glad I did. Dr. Abernathy had worked hard to make sure
every assignment document and links were correct. After many of us brought up the fact that our
assignment documents that we had downloaded that day from epic were marked June
2009 and June 2011, Dr. Abernathy realized there had been a glitch somewhere
beyond her control. We each gave her our
personal email addresses and she quickly emailed us the correct documents that
night. As with every web conference I
have participated in there are technical difficulties but patience always
prevails and value from meeting with the professor and fellow classmates is
beneficial.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
EDLD 5362 Information Systems - Course Reflection
Managing information systems takes more than just making
sure everything is working properly. A
vision and plan for technology is vital to managing information systems. Without this vision and planning current
systems become outdated and may not adequately meet the needs of the school
district. The assignments and readings in EDLD 5362 helped give me a deeper
understanding and depth of how school districts use information systems.
Through the interviews with a teacher having 20 plus years experience and my own experiences I recognize the vast change in the classroom along with technology. Solomon & Schrum (2007) suggest that the administration will have to encourage and require the use of technology before any significant change in teaching will occur. Being held accountable for what goes on in the classroom is key for the implementation of 21st century technology. Leadership and accountability are key for success of student achievement in schools. Moore (2006) said “Good-to-great organizations avoid technology fads and bandwagons, yet they become pioneers in application of carefully selected technologies. This statement had an impact on how I view and even respect school district technology departments. Looking at the goals of the district I can see how the technologies chosen are aligned with district goals.
Many teachers, including myself, share the idea that web filtering can be a “royal pain”. However, we all recognize that there is a law to protect children and to prevent embarrassing technology moments for staff and/or students. Careless (2007) stated “For staff, web filters prevent access to inappropriate sites that could not only interfere with their jobs, but might also cause considerable embarrassment to their employers should such surfing become public knowledge”. I really enjoyed the Horizon Report during week 4. This article helped me better view the classroom becoming more collaborative and becoming integrated with smaller portable web enabled devices. I am excited to see how districts start piloting BYOD as well as how if districts decide purchasing hand held devices more economical than laptops. As this progresses districts will need to shape their acceptable use policy to reflect BYOD.
The analyzing of my districts Long Range Plan for Technology allowed me to gain understanding of how my district plans for and implements technology in the classroom. I also found the goal setting to be visionary for moving our district towards engaging students by using technology. As a future technology facilitator and leader, studying my districts long range plan helped me to see the direction we are moving towards as we implement 21st century technology. After analyzing the Waxahachie ISD Technology Plan I can recognize how technology is an integrated concept that is used across the curriculum that impacts student learning.
References:
Careless, J. (2007, April20). The filtering challenge. Tech and Learning. Retrieved on November 17, 2009 from http://www.techlearning.com/article/7212
Moore, R.J. (2006, August). The five best accelerators in school. School administrator, 63.7, p. 8.
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Through the interviews with a teacher having 20 plus years experience and my own experiences I recognize the vast change in the classroom along with technology. Solomon & Schrum (2007) suggest that the administration will have to encourage and require the use of technology before any significant change in teaching will occur. Being held accountable for what goes on in the classroom is key for the implementation of 21st century technology. Leadership and accountability are key for success of student achievement in schools. Moore (2006) said “Good-to-great organizations avoid technology fads and bandwagons, yet they become pioneers in application of carefully selected technologies. This statement had an impact on how I view and even respect school district technology departments. Looking at the goals of the district I can see how the technologies chosen are aligned with district goals.
Many teachers, including myself, share the idea that web filtering can be a “royal pain”. However, we all recognize that there is a law to protect children and to prevent embarrassing technology moments for staff and/or students. Careless (2007) stated “For staff, web filters prevent access to inappropriate sites that could not only interfere with their jobs, but might also cause considerable embarrassment to their employers should such surfing become public knowledge”. I really enjoyed the Horizon Report during week 4. This article helped me better view the classroom becoming more collaborative and becoming integrated with smaller portable web enabled devices. I am excited to see how districts start piloting BYOD as well as how if districts decide purchasing hand held devices more economical than laptops. As this progresses districts will need to shape their acceptable use policy to reflect BYOD.
The analyzing of my districts Long Range Plan for Technology allowed me to gain understanding of how my district plans for and implements technology in the classroom. I also found the goal setting to be visionary for moving our district towards engaging students by using technology. As a future technology facilitator and leader, studying my districts long range plan helped me to see the direction we are moving towards as we implement 21st century technology. After analyzing the Waxahachie ISD Technology Plan I can recognize how technology is an integrated concept that is used across the curriculum that impacts student learning.
References:
Careless, J. (2007, April20). The filtering challenge. Tech and Learning. Retrieved on November 17, 2009 from http://www.techlearning.com/article/7212
Moore, R.J. (2006, August). The five best accelerators in school. School administrator, 63.7, p. 8.
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
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