Web 2.0 Course Feedback

This was the first time that I had ever taken an on-line course of any kind and at first,I was very intimidated and slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to accomplish the unknown. At first, I found following the directions a bit confusing as if there were steps missing in the instructions. Most of us were novists and perhaps the steps should be "baby steps" next time and the only thing I could compare that with would be like using a "GPS" system when it tells you to TURN NOW. I thought that Lori was very helpful with any questions that needed to be answered and very patient with my multiple inquiries during the course.
Once I started moving about the wonderful world of the web, I realized that there was so much out there that I never knew existed. I had heard of people having blog sites but until I had to create one and keep adding to it on a regular basis, I realized how consumed one can become and lose track of all time. To be able to read different peoples view of education like Kevin Honeycutt's "Virtual Imagination and Dr. Zhao's "Looking Towards the Future" was an eye opener as to where the path of education is headed. Finding out about websites such as Teacher Tube, Nextvista and even wikis that I can share with my students was extremely helpful.
Would I recommend this course to others.....absolutely!!! I have been telling everyone who was willing to listen about this amazing course and everything that I was learning and perhaps using some of this information in the classroom. I would love to take other on line courses to broaden my horizons and knowledge into the "wonderful world of the computer"
Thank you Lori for all your hard work in creating this course and helping us learn and grow.

A Time For Reflection 3

After completing this amazing course, I have come to realize that there is a whole different "Technological World" out there to be used and incorporated into our everyday teaching activities. I know that I will try to continue and grow in my knowledge and use of the many different tools that have been provided to me. There are so many different avenues of learning that I can share with my students and hope that they will come away with a positive experience. I would like to be able to have them use the different web sites such as Clipblast, Nextvista.org and Teacher Tube in the Resource Room to allow them to succeed in their studies as well as grow as a learner. I think that a school based blog should be set up for the students to use so that we might hear and see what their thoughts and visions are for their future. After all, this is their education and I think that perhaps they should have a right to have a voice. So in conclusion to my reflection; after having a shaky start when I started lesson #1 and then gaining my confidence as I progressed further into my lessons and actually enjoying them, I would like to thank Lori for allowing me to grow as an educator and perhaps learn some new "tricks of the trade".

School 2.0 "Direction of the Future"

The idea or vision of School 2.0 might just prove to be the way of the future. I particularly like the concept of The People Wheel that gets many people involved in the lives of our young people. It is important to remember that it "Takes a whole village to raise a child" which could make School 2.0 a valuable asset. It would allow parents, school staff,as well as administrators to give our students the best possible education that can be achieved. The fact that ideas and suggestions can come from multitudes of areas is amazing. The one thing that I found a bit over-powering was the School Map which I found a touch confusing and a bit invasive. Should everyone be involved and connected all the time or should there be some down time? The one question that I have is when issues are discussed, who ultimatly makes the decisions for change and when are these changes implemented? Perhaps this should be incorporated into the overall scheme of School 2.0.

Dr. Yong Zhao's Interview

It appears that there are many challenges facing the American Educational School System and is anyone getting a handle on it? Dr. Zhao indicated in his interview that one of the real problems is that the policy makers of education are not facing these problems. The American School System, according to Dr. Zhao, "Is not looking towards the future but staying in the past and it is time to change directions in the thought process. We are not preparing our students correctly for the future and they should be pushed towards using creativity in thoughts and ideas and not just focus on the mundane subjects of math and science." This is a scary thought that we need to push our students into the digital world so that they can interact on a global level and compete. Have American Educators become complacent in thinking that the U.S. school systems are the best that they can be and we don't need any outside influence in correcting this? Dr. Zhao indicated that we should allow our students to interact on the internet in the school setting and allow them to evolve and not just fit into the everyday mold...is this the right way to go? Do we try to keep them under control for their own sake or is just a way to keep them from becoming so far above our own understanding of technology...good questions and who has the answers? In a way, it scares me to think that I am falling behind in my understanding of the way of the future and perhaps I should not go "kicking and screaming" into the future but embrace the new ways and thoughts of the future. I know that just a couple of years ago, I would have never thought of taking an on-line educational course much less enjoying it...but here I am and it is great!

Skills Project-21st Century

After listening to the amazing podcast of Kevin Honeycutt and his innovative ideas, it was hard to imagine what kind of project I could come up with that would incorporate both teaching the cirriculum and using "Virtual Immagination" as a learning tool. The only thing that kept going through my mind was the beginning of a Star Wars movie where the words "Long, long ago and far away in a distant galaxy....." were displayed and scrolled on the screen...WOW. As a Teaching Assistant for Special Education, I have encountered many special students who, on occasions, create their own virtual reality with ease because they seem to think in three dimensional action. The projects that they come up with on their own for thier own pleasure are amazing to see and sometimes mindboggling to adults. I believe that it would be exciting to create a project not only for these special students but all students in a couple of different ways. One of the units in Living Environment is on Genetics and wouldn't it be amazing to see how the students could set up a virtual reality DNA Helix Ladder as one of their Lab projects instead of just sitting at thier desks using colored pencils to fill in a one dimensional chart that has been given to them by the teacher. The students could interact with one another and share all of their ideas to not only their classmates but to anyone who would like to link into their project. My second thought would involve the Art Department...the projects could be almost limitless and the students immagination could soar.

Reflections 2-Wikis- "Wonderful Way to Go"

After using the many different communication tools such as Collaborative Bookmarking with del.ici.ous and Video Links, I believe that Wikis as a classroom tool was the most interesing tool that I read about and used. I like the fact that students would be able to collaborate and use information from many people on many different projects like research papers and Literary Essays. Working in a Special Education Resource Room and having to support many different students with different learning capabilities,being able to direct them to a Wikis site such as Next Vista.Org that incorporates many new and innovative learning tools. The site has an on-line library that the students could use in the Resource Room under supervision to show them what directions to take to make them successful with their curriculum. I have found that High School students are very eager to learn and use new ideas and be able to find new ways to feel good about themselves and be able to say "I did that myself and I am proud"

Wikis-A New Classroom Tool

Welcome to the wonderful world of Wikis...wow, what an experience. After going into some of the Wikis sites and doing a few of the activities that were designed for the students, I must say that I was impressed with the accessability and usability of the sites. The fact that students can collaborate on projects and learn from each other was amazing. They can use each others strengths to complete projects and share the information so that everyone can see the final assignment completed...Having tried one of the activities "Naming the Famous People" in the HCSD Class Demo Wiki, I realized that I was having a good time as well as learning. I would recommend that everyone who is looking for and educational tool try a Wiki site just once or even try to create their own Wiki for their classroom.