It is a pleasure to take time and reflect on my inaugural course in the CTER program. I was initially quite intimidated and apprehensive about reinventing myself in the role of student. I had been out of the classroom for a very long time. At our first meeting, it appeared the majority of my classmates were better prepared on all levels to tackle the demands of graduate school and had far greater technological experience and background.  I am relieved to have discovered that despite the accuracy of my first impressions, I have not only managed to keep up but feel I thrive in this stimulating educational environment. I have thoroughly enjoyed the transition from stay-at-home mom to working mother/student. (Thank goodness both enterprises are part-time!)

I was skeptical about distance learning, worried that I wouldn't learn as much or as well or as easily as in the lecture format I am used to. How wrong I was!  I have learned more than I could have hoped to while having fun! Chip is responsible for this because he  guided us on what to investigate, where to find resources and how to present what we learned. He quietly directed our journey so it was logical, sequential, interesting and valuable.

Some of the specific "skills" I have learned involve the techniques of computing. Prior to this class, my use of computers was more limited than I realized. I can now:  create a simple web page (I expect to gain further expertise as the program develops);  evaluate it (and others) in a variety of ways; upload and download files to our program server; and  add links, targets, images and hypertext to those documents I create. I can also begin to evaluate what I access on the web. I do feel that some uniform standards for such evaluation will help me to clarify exactly how and what to evaluate. Such knowledge will greatly enhance my teaching because I can exploit available resources and integrate those tools more efficiently. The emerging technologies assignment was particularly informative because I learned about so many new resources already available that could support sound educational practice.

I am also now comfortable using a variety of on-line communication tools beyond simple email-- including  asynchronous WebBoard postings and synchronous chats using audio feed. My computing "comfort level" has increased significantly and I more confidently share these newly acquired skills.

One motivation for my enrollment in the CTER program was to learn how to incorporate multimedia instruction into a typical classroom situation. Such strategies have been the most practical application of this course. I am far from a tech expert, but I feel much more able to successfully integrate sensible application within my own classroom (now that I have one!). I was forced to learn PowerPoint as it was integral to my final project (want a workshop on how to create a template?), I overcame my reluctance to play with our scanner and am now the family expert, and I can create a document in Netscape Composer in my sleep. My group project required that I approach each multimedia tool in my classroom as novel as I introduced them to new learners. As I become more comfortable using each tool, I will be motivated to encourage my students to use them as well.

I feel I learned a great deal about how to use a multimedia approach by reading everyone's final project. Each used different tools and demonstrated a unique application of those tools. Those examples are seeds for my own lesson planning. How can I change Sara's survey project so that first graders could use it? What parts of Tammy's Rock WebQuest could I adapt or could I use her creative quest layout and modify it for the first grade study of habitats? Reading how others integrate these technologies becomes the inspiration for my own experimentation.

Previously, I never considered some of the issues discussed at length during this course. I understood computer access relative to economics but did not consider special needs of the disabled. I have learned how important it is to consider the potential audience of  my web publishing. Although I now know some basic publishing standards, I must be diligent in my efforts to ensure that what I post is accessible to the broadest range of individuals.

I skipped the policy assignment but did many of the associated readings. My school does not currently have an acceptable use policy and I will be working with the principal to create one. As the implications of this document are considerable, I will take special care to revisit the WebBoard postings on the subject.

One area of concern I have regards literary ownership and the web. During the open source discussion, I was not convinced that the general public is willing to give up "rights" to what they share via the internet. There is a fine line between cooperative development and copyright infringement. I might not care that you borrow my idea until I find out that you made a fortune selling it to Bill Gates. Although regulation of the web is unlikely, probably impossible and perhaps not desirable, there needs to be consensus on what is public domain and what is not. A process to define such would help when evaluating web resources and the issue of plagiarism as well. All of these areas are certainly interrelated. I may not have any answers but at least now I can ask the questions...

We approached evaluation from a number of different angles during this class. It is certainly important for teachers to be aware of their goal of instruction. Clearly defining a method for evaluating students helps focus teaching. Rubrics are a start but I also like the self and group evaluation included in several final projects. I have little experience actually developing such tools and would appreciate practice in the future. As a parent, I find it quite useful to have an evaluation rubric available while my children are working on a particular assignment. Expectations are clear and all understand what is required for each letter grade.

I also think it is very important for us to teach our students how to critically read all resources they use. The web poses particular challenge as credibility is often difficult to establish. The criteria shared during our investigation of this topic are invaluable. I appreciate having specific standards and checklists to use when evaluating sites on the internet. I plan to pass these along to my students as we all try to evaluate the validity and reliability of what we learn from the internet.

I learned a great deal from the informal evaluation we did of each other's work. When called upon to critique a classmate's assignment, I better focused my own efforts. It was interesting to see how others completed each task and compare different approaches to my own. I gained greater insight into both the assignment and my own work given the opportunity to see how others responded. This was a unique and valuable form of evaluation I hope to incorporate into my own instructional planning.

Each week offered me an opportunity to take new learning as far as  I was willing. From the first weekend when I successfully created my "Home Page" to the final project, I got as much out of the program as I put in. I  also appreciate the responsiveness of the instructor. When we collectively vocalized our concern about feeling overwhelmed by the course expectations, Chip willingly offered us a pass on an assignment to minimize our stress. Several times, I  had personal questions and I always received a prompt, focused and helpful reply.

Weekly assignments provided an organized plan and the opportunity to learn something of value. Personally, I enjoyed the practical over the pedagogical. However, the historical and philosophical perspectives are important to understand the evolving and challenging nature of technology.

There are several topics I would like to learn more about. I am  particularly interested in learning more strategies for integrating technology in a poorly equipped classroom (i.e. one computer, no Internet access).  In addition, I would like to: master more advanced web publishing techniques; keep current regarding technology developments; improve my baseline understanding of computing so that I can become a more valuable resource for my faculty; tackle networking; continue to discover what is available on the web and how to use that information in my classroom; utilize databases in a more sophisticated manner; continue to discuss the issues and ramifications of acceptable use policies, literary ownership and plagiarism; and I finally want to understand what the task bar at the bottom of my computer means (the one that says stuff like 87% of 10K...).

The most valuable single resource I have discovered is my fellow CTER students. What a generous, gracious, bright, resourceful, competent group! Although most of us only spent two days face-to-face, I feel I know most students better than I would have if we'd attended an on-campus class. There is a certain kind of freedom and subsequent intimacy that we have established as we share our work, frustrations and successes.

Thanks to all of you. I look forward to our working together throughout our CTER tenure.

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