Week 15: Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Well here we are, the end of another semester.  I expect that you are more than ready to be finished with the course.  If I had one X-mas wish, it would be to have my assignments grade themselves ;-)

Tonight: I want to ensure you understand all that needs to be complete to be finished with the course.  I will be checking TaskStream narratives and/or giving you time to write them in class.  Remember to use your Inspiration graphic organizer to help with the artifacts you will be using.

What else?  I have given everyone a grade for all of the hard work you did using the Google tools throughout the semester.  Ensure you submit a link to your iMovie PSA and turn in the checklist if you haven't already.  Also, you will be submitting your Emerging Technology checklist.  In Cougar Courses, I have an assignment titled, Attendance and Participation.  Please go there and complete the short reflection withing Moodle.  The course evaluation should be in your email.  Please complete the evaluation.  If possible, I would like to have proof that you completed the evaluation before the end of class tonight.

Based on the lukewarm response to my offer to show you how to use Photoshop, I wanted to provide you a sample of something you could do with the program.  My daughters are in the picture above that was taken during a soccer tournament in Coronado!  Anyway, with more time . . .

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

Week 14: Is this Marathon Finally Over?

It seems that we are officially winding down for the semester.  If you have been able to keep up with everything, you should only have to finish and post your iMovie (with checklist complete) and write your narratives for NETS III-V.  If you have not been keeping up, then you may be in for a little more work than is healthy at the end of the semester. 

Grading: I have re-graded everything that was revised and re-submitted.  I have also graded all but the PLN, Journals 6-10, the Emerging Tech, and the TaskStream final narratives.  I will discuss the PLN in class tonight and the rest of the assignments aren't due yet.  If you hadn't submitted an assignment that was already graded, please talk to me.

A quick reminder about correspondence for the course:  it should take place within Cougar Courses, not my CSUSM email.  This way, I can be sure that I have addressed all questions for the course.  I have been receiving too many emails to my campus account, which can easily get lost in all of the spam and other mail that floods that mailbox.

Tonight:  You will be completing your iMovies and posting them on your blogs (don't forget your headphones!).  It is important that you have the movie checked off the the necessary content BEFORE exporting or posting on your blog.  Once a movie has been exported, it cannot be changed.  All changes need to take place in iMovie, not Quicktime.  Once your movie is complete and the checklist has been submitted, you can work on your Emerging Technology Checklist.  Don't forget that each journal entry needs to be matched with a NETS-T standard and each artifact needs a brief description.  When you complete both of these, you can work on your final NETS narratives in TaskStream. 

Next Week:  I always have as a goal to have everyone complete with the course on the last day.  I know this is a lofty goal, but I guy can dream, can't he ;-)  I will meet with everyone individually to ensure your narratives are finished or to answer any final questions you might have regarding the writing of the narratives.  One option is to show you how to create holiday cards using Photoshop as a fun non-graded project.  I can walk you through a quick and easy way to take a digital photo and manipulate it in Photoshop to create a holiday-worthy card that can be sent to Costco or another service to print. . .anyone. . .crickets

This Week's Question:  What has been your favorite assignment in the class and why??

Week 12: Lights, Camera. . . .

Keystone K-4C Movie Camera
Originally uploaded by Capt Kodak

Well here we are at the tail end of the semester.  With only the iMovie PSA project, your TaskStream narratives, and whatever redo or catch-up assignments you have left, there should be an end in sight. . .at least I hope so.
I have graded everything that has been submitted for the first time.  I will be catching up on my re-grading this week.  There are quite a few of you who seem to be further behind than I would like to see this late in the semester.  Please communicate with me if there are technical, personal, or other issues that are dragging you down.
Tonight:  We are going to be creating PSAs (Public Service Announcements) about our lovely CSUSM campus using iMovie.  This is one assignment that, if you don't have your own Mac, you will be doing exclusively in class.  There should be no reason you shouldn't finish this evening.  Remember to bring your headphones, and if you like, some .mp3s of your favorite music and/or some pictures of CSUSM life to incorporate into the PSA.  I will provide video, music, and some photos, but you are welcome to bring your own to personalize the project.  If you have your own MacBook, I suggest you bring it as well, so you can work on this after your leave class if you need to.

TaskStream Narratives:  please, please try and get ahead on these.  It will make your life so much easier if you can write one or two a week.  We all know how much the quality of writing diminishes when you are under a time constraint.  I would really appreciate a glimpse at your best writing, not something written in a panic-induced haze the evening before the last class.




This Week's Question:  What has been your most challenging assignment in this class and why?

Week 11: Breathe. . . . .

meditation
Originally uploaded by HaPe_Gera

Okay, it is time to take a breath and catch up on everything that is due or needs work.  I imagine that you are all juggling a few assignments right now.  Tonight, I want to check in with everyone individually to see how things are going, answer any questions, and give feedback on the current state of your blogs.  Tonight is a good time to take a look at the Emerging Technology Checklist to ensure you are describing your artifacts and accounting for the NETS standard in the title of the post.  If you are the one person who is all caught up with everything up to this point, you can start the TaskStream narratives for NETS-T III, IV, and V.

TaskStream narratives:  everyone has received feedback on the NETS I narrative in TaskStream that has submitted work.  Please go to your account and check your work.  You can use your Inspiration graphic organizer to guide you as you write the remaining narratives.   You are also welcome to continue to use Google Docs to share your writing with your peers to receive feedback.  You do not need to use the same group as your NETS I group, you can start a new document and share with another peer and/or me.  My goal is for everyone to have the narratives completed and in TaskStream for our last class meeting.
Here is a link for some sample narratives


All of the journal articles have been assigned (see last week's blog entry).

Next week:  we are going to be learning iMovie.  Please bring headphones with you as you will need them when you are editing your movies.  This will be the last new assignment of the semester ;-)  We will not be having class the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

This Week's Question:  What would be your ideal teaching job?  If you are not an aspiring educator, what is your ideal job?

Week 10: The Sun is Almost Setting on the Semester. . .

I was on what my daughters call "dad's walkabout" and took this amazing picture of the sunset from my iPhone.  I live by SDSU, so it was at least 10 miles away from the beach.  It just reminds me of how amazing it is to live in San Diego.                                                                                Anyway, we are really almost finished with the hard part of the course: the assignments.  You will be completing a few more projects, ensuring you have a rock star blog, then writing your TaskStream narratives.  Easy, right?

 This Week:  You will be introduced to Inspiration, which you will be using to brainstorm the remaining artifacts for TaskStream.  Also, I have included the checklist for what should be on your blog.  This checklist is actually the Emerging Technology assignment.  As a said previously in class, I want to reward everyone for the hard work you have put into your blogs.

Journal 8 & 9:  The latest issue of L&L has hit the . . .Internet?  You should be able to access the digital copy on the ISTE website.  You may choose any two articles from the issue that interest you.  Ensure you use the Citation Machine for the articles.  If you have found another great source for articles on technology in education, feel free to use one for either journal 8 or 9. 

Journal 10:  You can search L&L for an article.  Again, ensure you properly cite the article.

This Week's 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, I would have to say I have an unhealthy addiction to the game Angry Birds on my iPad.  I even downloaded the Angry Birds Halloween edition and spent the entire weekend trying to beat it. . .which I did sometime Sunday afternoon ;-)

A blog in a Blog. . .Creepy. . . .

Week 9: It's Spooky how Much You are Learning!

Ooky Spooky
Originally uploaded by The Fox and the Polar Bear

As the semester eerily passes, I am amazed at how much everyone has accomplished so far.  Take a few minutes to look at all you have created and embedded on your blog: surveys, Prezis, newsletters, and all those journal entries!  Impressive!

This Week:  Creating your PLN and the CSUSM Web 2.0 Tools for Educators Wiki. . .You will be adding people to your PLN and reflecting on some of the process.  You will also investigate a web 2.0 tool, create something, and then share your results on your very own wiki page.  The PLN assignment will also count as journal 7, so you got that going for you, which is nice!

Journal 7:  This will be the Creating Your PLN assignment.  The instructions are on this blog (Look at the tabs above!)

I will be catching up on grading this week.  If you are behind, please talk to me.  If you assignment is not submitted when I grade, there will be a penalty in the points earned.  I am flexible, but not ridiculously so. . .

This Week's Question: What is something you have learned well without formal teaching?  How did you learn it?  This could be a sport, hobby, musical instrument, etc. .

Week 8: Is the Semester Half Empty or Half Full?

It is hard to believe we are half way through the semester already.  I imagine that some of you are painfully aware of where we are. . . but either way, I hope you are all learning a lot!

Tonight:  We will revisit the TaskStream narratives in GoogleDocs and have you copy and paste them into TaskStream.  I gave feedback again to those who made revisions. . .there are some of you who did not revise after my comments last week (This should have been completed).  Don't forget that I added links to a couple student narratives in GoogleDocs in last week's journal entry. I will introduce the Excel assignment in class (bring headphones if you have some readily available), and give you some time to work on your Google Sites.  If we have time, I would also like to take a look at your blogs to ensure you are able to embed your assignments, add your links, manage your pages, etc.

201/365 [2010]: Optimist/Pessimist
Originally uploaded by Qasim MirzaI

Journal 6:  I realize you may be having some difficulties with ISTE, so I will offer a new source for the first of the second half of your journal assignments.  "Change Agent," an interview with Will Richardson is from the Education Week's website.  Remember to do your best to use the Citation Machine to generate the necessary APA citation.

NOTE:  I just want to remind everyone that the comments on the weekly blog are part of your attendance/participation grade, even if you are not in class.

This Week's Question: Who has been your favorite/most memorable teacher and why?

Week 7: Are You Ready to PreZENt this Evening?

Zen Morning
Originally uploaded by h.koppdelaney

I am cautiously optimistic that you all have your presentations ready for tonight.  I was expecting some emails regarding the presentations but I have only received one.  At the beginning of class tonight I will go over how to take your assessment and embed it on your blog. . .I will also show you how to embed your presentation on your blog depending on the tool that you used.

This Week/Tonight:  We will be doing our presentations and subsequent assessments.  I will also go over a new assignment: the collaborative CyberSafety resource using Google Sites!  These last two assignments have been new versions of old assignments.  I am excited to see the results I get from you all!

TaskStream:  I have given feedback to all of the TaskStream narratives that were submitted.  Some were awesome and some were. . .ah, um, had great personalities.  I expect that you will take a look at the comments and revise accordingly.  There are also a few student groups who stood out and I hope to make those samples available to the rest of the class (with their permission).
Kayla & Jordan
Arlynn & Brittani


Journal 1-5: These are due next Tuesday, Oct 19 (thanks Juanita).  I will only accept journal 5 from those who submit it on time.  All you have to submit in Cougar Courses is a link to your blog!

This Week's Question:  What should every teacher know about you?

 

Week 6: So, I had a Great Idea. . .

Orange
Originally uploaded by oliverwinconek

You all did such a great job last week figuring out how to customize your blogs, wade into TaskStream, and even collaborate using Google Docs, that I have decided you need more responsibility. . .

This Week: Okay, so I was thinking. Don't laugh, it happens sometimes.  We are set to do a presentation project, which was traditionally only completed with PowerPoint, and for a small group of students, Prezi. . .  I am going to give you the option of three tools: PowerPoint, Google Presentation, or Prezi.  Although PowerPoint is so last century, it is still one of the only ways that most people present information to large groups (click here and push play!). . . Many of you may not have seen Prezi before, so I will use it to introduce the entire assignment.  I think you just might like it.  We will also be using Google Docs, and specifically, Google Forms, to create an assessment for your peers based on your presentation!  When it comes to how to learn the tool, I want you to try and figure out how to use the Internet as a resource to learn the tool. . .as I demonstrated for you last week, the Internet, with sites like Delicious and YouTube are a wealth of information to figure out how to do just about anything. . .I am going to test your ability to do just this. . . .I will, however, show you how to use Google Forms to create an assessment for your presentation!

Yea, so ISTE has a new website. . .Great, right?  Well, not so great.  They are requiring that each member create a new password to enter the site.  For those of you who are a bit techno-sketchy, this isn't a good thing.  Alas, even their built-in method of acquiring a new log-in doesn't work so well.  Some of you will probably have to contact their customer service: 1.800.336.5191 .  They do have live chat, but that ends at 4pm. . .and class begins at 5:30. . .hey, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right . . .right?

What should be completed by now:  The newsletter, Delicious.com, School 2.0, scan, IntroLetter, and some of those journals. . .I told you not to wait ;-)

Journal 5:  Go to Twitter and search for ed422.  Find the retweet that lists Twitter for Learning - 55 great articles.  Click on the link, read one of the articles for your Journal 5.  Don't forget to use the Citation Machine so I can trace the article and perhaps read it myself. . . And this is extra credit, btw.

This week's Question:  If this class were pass/fail instead of letter grade, would you try just as hard?  Explain.

Week 5: SDG&E Ate my Homework!

Candle Light
Originally uploaded by Ian Lambert

Okay, I know this sounds crazy, but it's true.  I had to go to L.A. yesterday to meet with a friend who is helping me with a website.  I drove home around 4 thinking that I would have plenty of time to grade the newsletters and write this post.  However, upon my return home, I walked into a dark house dimly lit by random candles. . .The power was out.  It did not come back on until around 10:45 p.m., at which time I was too tired and hot to do anything. . .but I am working furiously to get the newsletters graded by class this evening.

Hopefully, everyone was able to add some tasty bookmarks to Delicious. . .It is always fun when technology goes south in the middle of class. . .I have taught Delicious @ CSUSM for around 5 years and this was the first time that the plug-ins disabled the shortcut. . .I could say that I was modeling for you how to deal with adversity in the classroom, but that would be a lie ;-)

This week:  I want to get into the discussion of Google Docs and Spreadsheets and how they relate to your writing of your NETS narratives.  You will make small groups to collaboratively write your first narrative using Google Docs. I also want to show you how to begin to embed your assignments on your blog as part of the emerging technology assignment due at the end of the course. Somebody remind me to show you how to do pages on your blog. . .and how to put your Delicious tagrolls on a page!!


Journal 4: "Computing in the Clouds," by Doug Johnson from the Dec/Jan 09/10 issue of L&L.  I think this is a good time to introduce the concept of cloud computing.  You should be familiar with some of the concepts and tools Johnson introduces.

This Week's Question: To whom or what do you attribute your educational success. . .by the fact that you are all here, you have had educational success.  I want to know your "secret". . .

Week 4: Finding Your Inner Geek

Please vote: should Brian embrace his inner Geek?!
Originally uploaded by George Arriola

Well okay, it is time that you all begin to embrace the inner tech geek inside of you and start to have some fun in the course!  We have survived oddly operating scanners and waded through TaskStream. . .and even begun a classroom newsletter.  There is nothing you can't do now, right?

You should be finishing your newsletters and maybe even be halfway through the first round of journal entries. I will show everyone how to save the Newsletter as a PDF so it can be submitted on Moodle/Cougar Courses.

This week: I want to discuss social bookmarking using Delicious.com and introduce you to the Technology Self-Assessment assignment.  We will also take a look at Google Docs and Spreadsheets and discuss the power of this amazing set of collaborative tools.

Journal 3: This article comes from the September/October 2010 issue of L&L. "Bring the World into Your Classroom," by Linda McDermon. 

This Week's Question: What is the best book you ever had to read for school and/or what is your all-time or current favorite book?   From school: I am a huge fan of Catcher in the Rye (it is also my favorite book I have taught!) and probably Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for outside of school (although I did write my Master's Thesis on the book, I read it a few times before graduate school).

Week 3: Fall-ing into Place?

By now, I hope that everyone has settled in with the Macs, the pace of the course, and how to successfully navigate Moodle (Cougar Courses).  And there was also the issue of getting registered for ISTE and TaskStream. . .The picture this week was completed by my daughter, Zoe, who was tasked to do an "about me" in her 5th grade class.  She chose to do a Wordle, which included key words representing who she is, what she likes and doesn't like. . . I couldn't help but include it this week.

I have graded all of the Intro Letters that were submitted.  If you submitted it but didn't receive a grade, check for my comments and you will have instructions as to what you need to do to complete the project.  Don't forget that you should have either already scanned a self-portrait (or a portrait drawn by someone else), or you will be bringing your drawing to scan at school.  I should be in the PC lab in SCI II before class if anyone needs help scanning.

This week:  I want to discuss TaskStream and we will begin the Newsletter.  I believe we should also have time to take a look at Google Docs and maybe even discuss a technology self-assessment. . .

Journal 2: Is from the June/July 2010 Issue of L&L.  There are actually 2 short articles relating to Twitter.  "Join the Flock!" by Hadley Ferguson and "Enhance Your Twitter Experience," by Shannon McClintock Miller.  Hopefully, after our Twitter discussion last week, these should serve as some background and depth on the topic of Twitter in education.

This Week's Question:  What has been the best class/course you have taken in high school or college and why?

Week 2: I have to sign up for what?

Overwhelmed
Originally uploaded by Walt Stoneburner

OKay, I am running a bit behind this week.  I will usually try and get the weekly post up Sunday evening or Monday at the latest.  This holiday weekend seemed to consume me.  Both my girls played in soccer tournaments at two different locations. . .Anyway, this week we will settle in to the course discuss how to submit assignments, more about navigating the class blog, your web presence and networking. . .I will have you all tweeting by the end of the evening. . .

Goals to Finish today:  the Intro Letter and peer comments, have your subscriptions to TaskStream and ISTE and, oh yes, that Twitter account!

Tonight:  I want to ensure everyone feels comfortable with Moodle (Cougar Courses), the class blog, and managing all of your accounts.  I will also introduce the Journal Article 1-5 assignment, the scanning assignment, and if time permits, the Newsletter.

Journal 1: "Taking Laptops Schoolwide," By Tim Green, Loretta Donovan, and Kim Bass.  This comes from the August issue of L&L.  I included a link just in case anyone is having difficulty with ISTE.

This week's Question:  What is your current favorite musician or musical group?  I would say Radiohead is my favorite, but I have been listening to Phoenix, Mumford and Sons, and Broken Bells a lot lately. . .

Week 1: Welcome to Educ 422. . .the Beginning

"digital life"
Originally uploaded by Toban Black

Welcome to another awesome semester of EDUC 422. . .Technology Tools for Education. I expect that you will learn a lot about how to integrate technology into the classroom, as well as learn how to ramp-up your so-called digital life ;-)

I will use this blog to keep everyone updated on the weekly requirements for the course, as well as model for you how to create a blog for your future classroom!  I need you to read each entry carefully, as I will be giving away $50 a week to the person who finds the hidden gnome on the post. . .okay, not really, but I need everyone to read each entry ;-)

Technical Issues:  

First order of business:  If you do not have a Gmail Address/Account, you need to get one!  (and no, your CSUSM email does not count).  Don't worry, I have worked it out with Google to give you free email accounts!

You will be asked to join and/or participate in a number of web-based tools, software, etc. . .I recommend that you find a user name that identifies you, is appropriate for school/parents, and you can remember. . .

While this course has no required text, you will be required to subscribe to ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education (see link on this blog), as well as purchase a subscription to TaskStream, an online portfolio generator.  

     For TaskStream (also linked on this blog): You will need to self-enroll in two separate portfolios.      

     Here are the codes you will need:

                                               Local TPE: 6SG3BA
                                               TPA: JF5BNH

I will also ask you weekly questions on this blog that you will need to answer. Some are related to education and most are related you your lives. . .It allows me to build community while ensuring that you are reading the weekly posts!

This Week's Question: What is your current favorite piece of technology and why? (mine is most definitely my iPhone!)