CEDu533 - Week Two

Wow. I have to say, that after Thursday's class, I am reenergized. Mind you, I will probably make many mistakes while trying to figure out this HTML coding, however, as my professor stated, "I will be HTML feared!" I am going to try my best to figure and test it out. I am interested to see how well I can really complete a web page by code. Thursday night, we worked on tables. It was interesting, and kind of fun! Hmmmm...wonder what is up next?!

CEDu533 - Week One

I have a feeling that after our first class, this course will be a challenge. I am up to the challenge, but at the same time, still question why it is necessary for us to learn HTML coding. Even after reviewing all of the videos, it is still difficult to get the actual hang of the task. The next couple weeks should be quite interesting, I am sure, but I look forward to learning new skills, and as much as I think HTML will kill me, I am happy to attempt this new information.

Stats - LAST WEEK

Final over drowning rapidly probably failing the course, need to retake? nightmare gone articles of four to complete anxiety for action research need sleepy stress is inevitable and worst test ever. stats you are the devil.

Stats - Week Five

Need to complete a correlations assignment. I have no interest in statistics, but it was suggested I check the relationship between the Brewers starting salary for the year and the batting averages for each player respectively. I feel that I am falling behind in stats class, and I am truly not looking forward to taking the final. I get everything in pieces as it is taught to us, but because there is so much time between the classes, by the next time class rolls around, I have forgotten the last item we learned. I grow more frustrated each class period.

Stats - Week Four

Week Four of stats is moving along smoothly. I am slowly trying to understand all of the different equations we are given. It seems, as long as I have an equation with which to plug in numbers, I am able to figure out the problem at hand. As Homecoming activities approach, I am getting nervous as I have yet to start my last four articles for my action research. Yikes!

CEDu549 - Week Three

Stats seems to be growing a little easier for me lately. I am still not completely comfortable with the idea, but I have found an easier time with the math when I have formulas to work with. With the use of formulas, the math isn't quite as daunting as I expected, and with the help of Excel, I seem to be excelling myself! Three weeks to go...

CEDu549 - Week Two

After worrying about the test, the benchmark was not as bad as I thought it would be. Admittedly, I am having a hard time working through the details of 4 hours of stats class once a week, but I am growing more comfortable with the work that I am to perform.

Stats - OH MY!

So, here we are, half-way through the program. The IRB is complete, waiting on approval, and we have now begun STATS. A course I have heard to be a nightmare since high school. There is a reason why I am an English major, for goodness sakes. I am going to give it my all, though. I am interested to see if I can accomplish this, seeing as I never made it past college Algebra. I am anxious, but I know I can do it. I guess we'll find out after the first test!!

CEDu520 2 of 2

After the completion of CEDu520, I am greatly looking forward to beginning my action research. It is exciting to think that I will have my own research to look back on in the future, and I can put it to use in my own classroom. This class was difficult, yes, but it was a great learning experience. It will be interesting to see my results!

CEDu520 1 0f 2

As I am working through my Action Research IRB proposal, I am frustrated. Not because I don't know what I am doing, but because I don't know exactly when I will get to begin. Because this unit is the first of the school year for my Freshman students, I now have to find a way to exchange it with another unit in the semester. For my sake, I hope that I can do this successfully without hurting the students in the long run.

I am interested to see the results of the study, as I do enjoy research and finding what types of learning work best for my students. I feel that in this way, I can be a better teacher and I can continue to grow along with my students. It is an opportunity both for myself, as well as the learners in my classroom.

CEDu521 Last Blog

Describe what the course as a whole has done for you. What have you learned? What would you have liked to have learned but was not covered?

The course as a whole was a reminder of what I need to be doing in the classroom on a regular basis. Many of the topics discussed regarding the unit were items that I have done previously in college, however, once in the classroom, and working with veteran teachers who have their way of doing things, the newer items and ways tend to fall by the wayside. We are currently working to change that for the future (near future, that is). I have also learned valuable lessons that I can use in the classroom regarding technology. I look forward to using these keys in the future. Thank you for an entertaining class...

What ongoing professional development is important for sustaining professional growth? Explain.

As teachers, it is always necessary for us to grow professionally. How can we stay abreast of the situations and real-world activities and teach students the benefits of education if we cannot continue to grow ourselves? I enjoy being a student, as I think there is always so much more to learn about education and life in general. In order to make this happen, it is necessary that we have a district and school board as well as administration, that is in support of this growth, and is willing to do all that is necessary to make this happen, whether it be including new software technology, or updating technology altogether. It is also necessary that when teachers want to educate themselves further, that opportunities, whether workshops or classes, are made available and are addressed throughout the district to benefit the district as a whole. The opportunity to be part of this program is great, and it is wonderful that half of our cohort is from Port Washington, because it presents the notion that we are motivated and do want these professional growth opportunities presented to us on a regular basis.

Our Project-Based Assessment

Apparently I missed a blog post? How does that happen?!? Never to me!

Anyway, as we continue to work on our Unit plans, it is clear that there is a lot of work that needs to go into creating a unit. Sometimes I am a bit confused as to how much needs to be included in the "plan" itself. My understanding is that the unit plan is just that...an outline of what is to come in the future for a final "project-based" assessment. Nice!

CEDu-521 Differentiated Instruction and Self-directed Learners

This module has helped me think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation by addressing the needs of all learners. I am familiar with the courses in differentiated instruction, I have had many that incorporate this piece. I agree with its importance as there are many different types and styles of learning, and it is important to incorporate many of those into my teaching as I have students who learn in those many different ways. I myself, learn best from lecture and notes, however many learn through music or hands-on activities. When we incorporate these different styles of learning, self-directed learners are more often times created, as they know how they learn best, and look for those kinds of experiences in their lives. The more we add these styles of learning to our teachings, the better off our students are!!

CEDu521 - Assessment Module

This module has helped me think about student-centered assessment in terms of what we as teachers need to do to prepare our students for that culminating summative assessment that asks them to put what they have learned in the classroom into a project based understanding. It is clear that the formative assessments along the way should have some revolvement around the summative, either by working together to build those skills, discussing in small/large group discussion, or asking students to come up with discussion questions that will require a "Bloom's Taxonomy" level of thinking. What do my students need to learn along the way that will enable their success in the summative form? These are the questions that I ask myself as I develop my lessons and units to create students who can use these skills to solve problems on their own.

CEDu-521 The Digital Divide

Some of the digital divide issues that I have include access to computers, student access in and outside of the classroom, access to websites/software programs. The greatest of these is access. Throughout the school year, there are many times where computer labs are not available due to projects going on in other core classrooms. This becomes an issue in terms of incorporating more technology into the learning of our subjects. One way to remedy this is to obviously add more labs, however, in a school that is as old as Port Washington High School, it might just be better to have a new building altogether.

Another issue is access to the Internet and computers for the students. Not all students have the Internet, let alone a computer in their homes. I myself did not have my own computer until about two years ago. Many students also have dial-up sevice in the home, and do not have the speed available with DSL. This serves as a problem for students who are asked to participate in online conversations about subject matter. The issue continues as our library is not equipped with an educator after school to allow for students to continue these projects on their own time. One solution to this problem is to make sure that there is a teacher or hired professional that is available to help with these student needs.

Project-based learning is learning that results in demonstrations of performance. The students are able to complete real tasks that have brought them challenges and ask them to solve a problem or complete a task. Hands on, student created activities that demonstrate what they learn are the best ways to know if a student has grasped a concept or not.

In terms of Project-based Learning, I find the construction of the unit plan to be somewhat similar to the Understanding by Design plan...where the educator works backward from a learned assessment that the students are to learn by the end of the unit, creating lessons along the way that will lead them to that end. I have written units in this style before, and am looking forward to working with the new textbook.

Connectivism

CEDu531 - Week 5 - How to apply digital storytelling in the classroom/Update

In terms of the use of digital storytelling in a Communications classroom, the best way to put it to use would to be by having the students write a creative short story. With this, the photos that they incorporate can help them tell the story, or, they can take the photos before and tell the story of what they did. As I have mentioned before, in a Communications classroom, it is more important to focus on the writing aspect of the project than the technological side, and I would have my students spend more of their time on the writing than anything else. This is the main focus of a Communications course. But, I do agree that pictures would add to the story. In terms of the use of Bloom's taxonomy, this activity would reach the upper part of the triangle, touching on application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

This class was interesting. I learned a few new skills that I was not aware of previously. I also finally learned how to use iMovie, and now I love it! I am looking forward to seeing the final projects at the next meeting!!

CEDu531 - Week 4 Class Update

It was interesting to see the final projects for CEDu531 exemplified through previous classes. There were some that were great and inspiring, others that did not really entertain or keep my attention. Making the podcasts was something that I had not done before, and did take a little getting used to. In terms of using Gcast, it is a program where I would need to write out and plan what I wanted to say first, then call it in and read it off. In this manner, having to use the cell phone almost seems like more work, and that if a computer were readily available with a microphone, that would be better. I plan to look into the different free podcasts that can be created in the future with the possibility of using them in the classroom.

The Use of Podcasts in a Communications Classroom

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CEDu531 - Week Three - Elements of the Digital Story

In the Language Arts curriculum, there are many points to a digital story that are more important than others. Obviously, if this activity is to be used in a Language Arts setting, it is more important to focus on the actual writing and storytelling features than it is to focus on the technology portion. With this in mind, the point-of-view, dramatic question, gift of voice, and pacing is what should be focused on. These features allow the students to work on the act of story-boarding, writing out exactly how they want their stories to play out, as well as figure out voice. What type of voice and point of view do the students want to take with their stories? How do they accomplish this? How does voice create mood? Setting? Background? All of these questions are necessary in the telling of stories, whether it be oral or written. These elements are the main focus for students in a Language Arts classroom.

CEDu531 - Week Three Response

Week Three...Hmmm...I am a little confused as to the assignments at this point. Missing the first two classes due to Parent/Teacher conferences as well as a horrible cold did not help me. I feel that I am behind, and I am having a hard time following the instruction of the course and deciding ultimately what the final outcome of the couse is supposed to be. I am working to create a storyboard for a project I am not necessarily sure is correct...but I am working nonetheless.

In week four, I look forward to learning a bit more about the outcomes that we are supposed to achieve, and fine tuning the project that I want to present.

CEDu531 - Week Two Response

The use of Voicethread could become very popular in a Literature/Language Arts classroom. It is clear that there are many aspects of Voicethread that such programs as Power Point do not offer. I think what I like most is that students are not only able to create presentations that include their own voice, but that classmates may also contribute to the presentation as well by including voice or text responses to the presentation slides for others to view as well. This allows the presenter the opportunity to learn from others and add to what they already know, and allows the viewers the opportunity to share in the creation as well as the learning experience. I plan to use this as an opportunity in our final Sophomore unit of poetry, where students are to give presentations on a particular poet and recite a poem. Sounds like a great idea!!

CEDu531 - Week One - The Use of Digital Storytelling in the Classroom

I suppose that there are numerous ways in which I can use digital storytelling in the classroom! There are so many options as an educator of Literature. I, as well as my students, can produce digital stories on authors, pieces of literature, histories of literature, and connections between what students are learning from the story in comparison to their own lives. This allows students to take control of their own learning, which is what we have been working toward, a student-led classroom. In this framework, students are asked to present information that they deem valuable to the topic/subject of the class, as well as how the connections can be made as to why we would learn from these particular authors and literature pieces. It is also an opportunity for students to show what they have learned about the topic to the best of their ability and skill level. Perhaps students learn best through the use of music, that they might incorporate the use of song in their storytelling. This would impact not only the student, but the rest of the class as well, as they will have opportunity to learn in a variety of mediums.

CEDu525 - Week 4

This week in class we discussed many secretarial items, such as when our final assignments were due, and when our work sample #1 would come in to play.

It was interesting to see the different group Thinkfinity lessons. There were many good sites and resources presented for all age levels to use. It is clear that when we put our minds together, we can come up with some pretty compelling information and activities to keep our students not only interested, but active in their learning process.

With this class, I have learned that there are many opportunities to use technology during the school day. What I would really like to put together, are some online meetings for students to access as homework assignments (for example, an online debate). I am aware that perhaps all students might not have access to a computer, or the internet, for that matter, but to be able to present an opportunity like this would move our district in an advanced direction that other teachers could follow. Assignments that can be completed without the use of a computer or internet would be provided in lieu of the student(s) not being able to meet for the debate online. I am currently running the idea for a test meeting past my principle, and hope to be able to debate/meet online with my sophomore class some time this semester!!

CEDu525 - Week Three

This week in class was interesting...We spent time in a classroom chat room, as well as had a discussion about social networks and the like. It was interesting that when I returned home and watched the news that a teacher from Beaver Dam had gotten in trouble for a photo on her facebook page. It really makes me nervous, not that I have posted such pictures, however, I am more nervous as to what it is that I could offend people with, and what others might deem as inappropriate. I have taken the opportunity to move my students from my personal page to a school page, with a short "disclaimer" stating that if students are going to befriend me, they should know to be respectful and polite in conversation on my wall, as well as to use appropriate language at all times. However, with the light of last night's news story, I am contemplating taking that particular page down for awhile. I guess because I am only in my first year, my security is not known, and obviously I do not want to ruin any chances of keeping my position in the future.

Anyhoo...the classroom chat was interesting, however, it was difficult to follow along with the conversation and research the different websites that were being discussed at the same time. It is something that I could get into, but I also need either the visual or the hands-on learning to keep my interest. I could easily become distracted with a classroom chat room, or feel like I did not contribute enough to support my grade, even though I am listening and paying attention.

CEDu525 - Week Two and a Personal Note

This week, the class spent some time looking at different resources located on the web that we could incorporate into the classroom. We were able to discuss our Thinkfinity ideas with others in the class, as well as make helpful suggestions that might add to the lesson they were planning. It is always nice to discuss ideas with colleagues as it gives us opportunities to better our lessons in the long run.

We also took a look at Filamentality, a search engine offered by AT&T. This allows teachers to upload lesson plans and create web pages to support these lesson plans. It also allows other educational professionals the opportunity to borrow these lesson plans. It is great to know that companies such as Verizon and AT&T are willing to put forth funds to support educational programs such as this. Now, if only more companies would better promote education instead of giving out billions of dollars in bailout monies to fund year-end bonuses...we might be headed in the right direction.

Sketchcast - From Boy to Man

No Teacher Left Standing

What Teachers Make

CEDu525 - January 22, 2009

Welcome to the new year! Today in class we discussed many items. Thinkfinity is a program that allows educators, students, and others to look for lesson plans as well as interactive pieces that can be used in and outside of the classroom. We also discussed the use of internet scavenger hunts, usable as exercises for students to get to know the search strategy connections.

In a way, I am always frustrated with programs like Thinkfinity. In teaching Literature at the 9-12 level, it is difficult to find programs, lesson plans, and interactive materials that are suitable or challenging to my students. Most of the lesson plans that I find are mostly designed for the younger student, and I know that my students would find these activities to be below them. I want an activity that will challenge my students and get them to think forward, not backward. I am going to continue to search these opportunities to find options to use in the classroom...hopefully I will find something!!