Class 10: "If You Do Not Change Direction, You Might End Up Where You Are Heading"

Last class!  Doesn't it seem like only yesterday you were trying to figure out your phone so you could answer the Poll Everywhere question from the first day of class?  In case your forgot, Jersey Shore is the "Official Trashy TV Show of the Summer 11 Ed422 class"
I am happy to report that I am now working on my MacBook Pro again (Applause). . .bright, shiny, new screen. . .it was actually harder than I thought to trudge through grading assignments using my old PC for the last two days.  The title of today's blog post is from Lau Tzu, founder of Taoism.  I think it is an appropriate quote to sum up the importance of integrating technology into your teaching lives and classrooms.  Of course, we could speak about the philosophical implications of such a profound quote as well, but I'll save that for another day :^D

I am still furiously grading your work and hope to have the bulk of it completed by class time.  One thing I have noticed as I graded the Diigo assignment was that a number of you did not have any bookmarks for PLN, which was part of the PLN assignment?  I am soon to grade the PLN so perhaps they just aren't complete. . .if you think you are finished and didn't research some sites to bookmark with the PLN tag, you will need to go back and do that!  A quick note to tell you all how awesome the collective Diigo and presentation assignments were!  Thank you for all of your hard work.  I sincerely hope that you will see these tools as a big part of your teaching future.  Oh, also, for the Intro to TaskStream assignment, you were supposed to give me the link to your GoogleDoc for NETS I. . .about half of you haven't completed that yet.

Tonight you will be completing any incomplete work, then concentrating on writing your NETS narratives.  I will help you to ensure that you get the proper description in TaskStream and the link to your narratives. You will be submitting the peer-reviewed checklists for both iMovie and the Emerging Technology assignment.  Remember, it is important to be a supportive peer and give authentic feedback, don't just initial blindly.  I do need the physical checklists to complete your grade.  Don't forget to reflect on the Attendance and Participation assignment in Moodle (Cougar Courses).  The course evaluation should be in your CSUSM email.  I would greatly appreciate it if you would complete the evaluation.  If you have everything completed, I will do my best to get you out as early as I can.

Anything else that comes up last minute we will discuss in class.

Question:  What is the best thing you will take away from this class?

I'll end with another quote from Winston Churchill.  I hope this speaks to your newfound tech savvy:

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

Class 9: Organized Chaos

Wordle of NETS for Students

Here we are at the last week of the grueling summer session and, if I did my job correctly, you should only have to work on existing assignments and write your TaskStream narratives.  I realize that this is no small feat; however, you will have lots of time and support this week as you finish up the required coursework.  The lab is always available early and I should be there early (I'll be the frazzled guy furiously grading the stupendous amount of work you all have submitted).

I will take time in class tonight to help everyone export the PSAs and upload them to your blogs.  Don't forget that the ending credits must give attribution to the source of your data, the music, and anything else you used or researched on the web.  We will also revisit the Emerging Technology checklist and ensure that you understand how to describe your artifacts and list the NETS standards that it meets.  Remind me to discuss some alternative ways to showcase your NETS narratives. . .Yes, I have another crazy idea.

Please let me know if you need any extra help and I can definitely be in early on Wednesday as well.  I probably won't have everything graded by class this evening, but I will finish everything tomorrow!  I am not working my day job for three days, so I can dedicate a lot of time tomorrow to grading. . .

Question:  What has been your favorite assignment in this course and why?

P.S. My daughter Lily's team won the U-10 Gold Division Coronado Crown City Classic!!

Class 8: Hoping Your New Tech Skills Stick!

Velcro Zoe!

I can't believe this is the end of the fourth week.  I am happy to report that, besides the remaining TaskStream narratives, the assignments tonight will be your last new ones!  You will be learning how to edit on iMovie tonight as you create a public service announcement (PSA) for our lovely campus.  After our discussion of the NETS-T standards last class, I have decided that I would really like for you all to research and discover some of the amazing assistive technology that exists for our students with special needs.  Thao and I have been discussing the requirements and I believe we (and by we, I mean Thao ;-) have come up with an activity that will become Journal 9!  I will post it after I review it one more time and get some feedback from our other current special education teachers!

Hopefully, you all brought headphones this evening as the editing process will require music and I don't want 25 computers blaring volume all evening!  I trust that everyone was able to remember. . .right?

I have edited all of the NETS-I collaborative narratives at least twice. . .my expectation is that you will put them on TaskStream in class tonight.  I will show you how to transfer them in as well as how to put a link to the shared GoogleDoc that you and your partner used!  This is something new I am trying this term.  Since you have already brainstormed your artifacts for NETS II - V, it would be a great idea to start at least a rough draft of the remaining NETS–hey, you can even use your Inspiration mind map to guide you! The earlier you can finish them, the more feedback you will receive!

Assignments:  The PLN was due yesterday, The CyberSaftey site is due this Friday, and journals 6-10, Inspiration, and iMovie are due on Monday.  Please talk to me if you have any questions.  If you missed class on Monday, please ask a classmate to review what you missed.  If time permits this evening, I will revisit the emerging technology checklist to answer any questions you might have about how to get your assignments embedded on your blog. . .

Question:  What has been your most challenging assignment in class so far and why?

Class 7: Cruising on the Technology SuperHighway!!

Franny & Sunny

Week four and you're feeling good, right?  Right?  Well, If you are feeling unsure about yourself, take a look at all of the work you have accomplished so far and you will be amazed!  I know I am proud of all of your work and progress.  Two more weeks and you'll be ready to infuse technology into all of your future endeavors!

Don't forget you are all presenting your NETS-S projects tonight and receiving feedback on the assessment you created using GoogleForms.  You also have your cybersafety collaborative sites to work on as well as your TaskStream narratives.  I gave every group (who used color coding) feedback in GoogleDocs, so you can revise accordingly.  Don't forget to either leave a comment or reply to my comment under the area that needed revision.  You also have your PLN assignment (Journal 7) to complete and the Emerging Technology checklist is there for you to see what needs to go on your blogs.  

Tonight:  you will be sharing your presentations and revising your TaskStream narratives.  I will introduce the Inspiration/Graphic Organizer assignment as well as any other questions you might have.  Try and get as much work completed in class as you can. . .it will only help you in the long run!  The new issue of L&L is out, August 2011, so I will update the final journal articles.  You are more than welcome to search the L&L archives if there is a particular subject you would like to research.  I will make suggestions for journals 8, & 9; however, you can research your own.  For journal 10, if you so choose, you will select your own article from L&L.

Question:  What is one of your most memorable teacher movies?  Why?

Class 6: Feel the Burn

Okay, now we are officially more than half-way through the summer 'semester.'  Everyone is probably experiencing his/her own level of stress or lack there of.  I hope that tonight we can make some real progress with the presentation assignment and their assessment, as well as come to a better understanding of the requirements for TaskStream.

Only one new assignment tonight (applause please), the CyberSafety Collaborative Site.  In groups of six or fewer, you will create a website/wiki that deals with six main topics of cybersafety.  I would love if we could get one group to create a Spanish version as it might serve as a resource for the many of our county's Spanish speaking families.

Tonight I would like you to take the first part of class and polish up your presentations.  I will ensure that everyone is capable of embedding the presentations on a blog page.  The assessment will also be embedded on the same blog page along with a link to the results (Click Here for assessment requirements).  You will also be presenting your ideas to your grade level peers.

I have not made it through all of the NETS I narratives, but will do my best to finish before the end of the evening.  . . .or by Monday for sure ;-)

Question:  What is your current favorite timesucker?  This is the thing/activity/game/website/whatever that prevents you from doing other things you know you should be doing (like, say, completing work for this class).

Currently for me, it is definitely Angry Birds on my iPad. . .I have become obsessed with getting three stars on every level of my holiday edition. . .

All About Me Survey (Sample)

Class 5: Half-Way to Your Goal . . .

My Daughter Lily

About the title of this post. . .I do have a bit of soccer on my mind as both of my daughters played in tournaments this weekend.  My youngest, Lily made it to the finals.  Unfortunately, the championship game is at 3:30 in La Jolla tomorrow.  Needless to say, I am going to do my best to see as much of the game as I can before heading to campus.  I doubt I will be my usual hour early to assist in the lab. . .that is, unless the traffic gods are on my side and I can get to campus without too much delay.

I can only assume that most of you are scrambling to complete the two assignments that are due this evening (Journals 1-5 & Excel Crossword).  Then there's the TaskStream narrative for NETS I, Diigo, and the presentation assignment.  Tonight I will try and give you plenty of time to work on some assignments in class so you can receive any help you might need.

  

We will log on to TaskStream,  where I'll show you how to navigate the site.  I will also discuss how to use GoogleDocs to give feedback to your NETS-I partner & how to create an assessment for your presentations using Google Forms.  I will go over the Emerging Technology Checklist and discuss further how to add your work to your blog.  In class, I would like to start to look at your NETS-T I narratives and give you some feedback.  The Journals 6-10 are released this week, but there are just an extension of the journal articles you have already begun to write, so there won't be any need for instruction.  Journals 6 & 7 are already posted on the blog (Seven is also the PLN assignment).  I am going to wait until the lastest L&L drops before listing 8, 9, & 10.  Phew, I am typing out of breath ;-)

Fun App of the Week:  Songify . . .you must check it out!

Question: Who has been your favorite (or "A" favorite for those overly stressed out by the perceived commitment required to answer the question) teacher at any level of education and why?