CEDu510 - COMPLETE

WOW. This class has flown by. I have learned a great deal in the previous weeks, so much so that my students' are reeling from the experiences they are having in class. Almost every aspect of the class I have put to use in my classroom, and perhaps next semester, I can start incorporating video casts and the like. This class was a great experience, and I am glad that it was so hands on, as doing while discussing was much easier than following anything like a manual. Thank you, again, Louie!

CEDu510 - Week 5 Blog

Usually when I walk away from class each week, I am inspired to try something new in my classroom the following week. What we study affects my classroom greatly, as I am always altering lessons and trying new situations to extend the learning of my students.
This week we learned how to Skype and use virtual classrooms for our benefit. It was wonderful to be able to converse with colleagues as well as the professor without having to hold a phone to my ear all night! It was also great to see how virtual classrooms can be implemented, whether for an online course, a student who may have been absent that day, or for a video cast that the students are asked to watch outside of the classroom.
I think next semester I will implement the use of video pods in my classroom syllabus and ask students to access it either from home or in their study halls. It is definitely an experience that I want to try, and want to implement for my students benefit as well.

CEDu510 - Virtual Classrooms

In downloading RealPlayer and watching a few In Time videos, it is clear that some are relevant and worth using, and some need to be desperately improved upon. The video I settled on was from a teacher in Iowa. From his explanation, the entire state of Iowa, the public school system, at least, and including many universities, is connected by a system called the Iowa Communications Network. This system allows this teacher to complete a unit called Introduction to Black Studies working with students at three different high schools at one time. This is truly a virtual classroom, as the students and teacher are conversing through the internet, and there are enough visuals (TVs) that all students are able to see the teacher clearly and discuss in real time the topics at hand. In this manner, all students experience active involvment in the lesson, frequent feedback of product and discussion, as well as an appreciation for the content. The teacher has worked on this particular unit for the past three years, and mentioned that there were many changes that he had made along the way. It is good to see that he does not use the same strategies each time, but molds his lessons to fit the make-up and needs of his classroom.

This could be a way to reach students in my classroom, however it would be necessary that they all had access to a computer or TV that was connected to the internet or a system like the one shown here. However, it would not be difficult to create a video lecture and put it on YouTube for students to try or have an online experience. Now that I think about it...it might be worth a try!