CEDu-510 Top 10 List

To summarize my class experience, here is my Top 10 list of favorites during CEDu510:

10. NING. Loved it. Louie did an excellent job setting up this social network for our reference. Expectations were clear and everything was well organized.

9. Graphics Programs. It was fun to play around with a variety of graphics programs. My creation of "Statue of Giggety" using Face in Hole is a keeper for me.

8. Google Docs. I can't believe I had never even heard of Google Docs before! I love that my husband is on the technology team at his school and has to make a presentation to his entire staff on Google Docs and HE came to ME for advice.

7. Blogger.com. I like being able to say that I blog. It makes me sound hip.

6. Spreadsheets. The lessons we used to practice with spreadsheets (college expenses, address book, and recipe conversion) were fun and practical. It was nice to use what we learned to create something of our own.

5. On-line Class. What a great experience! Loved the interaction and I was thrilled to be able to participate.

4. TED Talks - Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? Very interesting and entertaining. I would like to listen to others from outside of the US speak on issues in education.

3. Class format. I enjoyed the combination of face-to-face contact with Louie and our class, study group time, and on-line communication. It was a pefect mix.

2. Mac use. I've never touched a Mac before this program. After getting past my initial feelings of discomfort, I really enjoyed learning new things. I was forced out of my comfort zone and was able to grow because of it.

1. All of the above. I am looking forward to using everything I have learned and bringing it back to my classroom or sharing it with my co-workers. Good stuff. Thanks.

CEDu510 - Week 5 - On Line Class, Evaluating Technology

This week class was held on-line but by the wonders of technology, we were still able to hear each other and see Louie, our instructor. Fortunately for me, one of my group members, Megan, has a Mac laptop and is comfortable using it. In addition, our group still met and we were able to have dinner together during class. It was a fun, valuable, and stress-free experience for me. As a class we took the time to watch an on-line video. The speaker had some really interesting points and it was interesting to be able to discuss it with my classmates immediately following the viewing. After my initial fascination with the fact that I could talk into my phone and a second later hear my comments being echoed out of the computer speaker, I was able to put together a couple of appropriate remarks to share about the video. Ha.

In addition, much of the class and homework this week focused on how to effectively evaluate educational software. I think this was a beneficial subject to learn about because as we become "technology experts" for our district, we will be called upon to help out in this area. It was interesting that one of the individual assignments was to complete an evaluation of some software because that is something that I have had on my "to do" list for the past three weeks at school. I was provided with a free 30 day trial of Speak Q and was asked to evaluate it. If it hadn't been an assignment for class, I may not have completed the evaluation in time!

CEdu-51- Class 4 - IN TIME

This week we were asked to check out a new site called IN TIME which carries the tag line of "Integrating New Technologies Into the Methods of Education". It is based on a model called Technology as a Facilitator of Quality Education (TFQE) that we reviewed in class. To be able to sort the lessons through a multitude of different categories made it simple to find a lesson plan that worked for me. The lesson plan that I chose was created for grade levels 9-12 and focused on career exploration during a keyboarding/computer applications class. In reviewing the lesson plan, I realized I would easily be able to incorporate it into my Communications 3&4 course. I liked that the stream lined videos were taped in real classrooms throughout the United States. This lesson was created by a teacher in Kansas. I found this site beneficial and plan to take the idea of having the students create a multimedia slide show on the career they researched and add it it to my current lesson plan on this subject area.

CEdu-510 - Class 3, Spreadsheets

One of the focuses of this week during class was spreadsheets. Somewhere in my past life I recall having to learning Excel. Whether it was while working at M&I Mortgage Center and processing loans or in the accounting department at Charter Steel, spreadsheets had been used. However, none of that knowledge was retained and I stumbled through our lesson on creating a simple spreadsheet showing monthly college expenses. But- I did complete it successfully and felt pretty confidently while doing the recipe assignment. As for incorporating spreadsheets into what I am doing at school, I am planning a unit on "Life After High School" and will be able to introduce my students to spreadsheets with a similar assignment to the one Louie gave us on college expenses but it will be geared toward the monthly living expenses of my students upon graduation.