Top 10 Memorable Moments of CI 335
Before I begin the specifics, let me say
I have again proved a theory that I developed long ago when I began taking
technology courses. In 1980, I earned my master’s degree in Library
Science only to turn around 6 short years later and focus my energies on
the technology program for my district. So I bid the library adieu
and embarked on the never-ending journey of acclimating myself with the
latest and greatest in technology. After so many years of classes
I have found that when I am taking a class, I am doing that much better
of a job in my duties at school. My mind is constantly stimulated,
thinking about the next assignment at hand and hopefully being able to
apply it to my current job. In other words, the class motivates me
to learn even more about the current technologies. When I am learning,
I am achieving!
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Skills
Having started out manipulating data with
Appleworks, I have made the transition to Office and have a real feel for
Word, Excel, Publisher and PowerPoint. The only missing component
is the database and I have only been brave enough to use Microsoft Works
for organizing great amounts of information. Access is quite intimidating
in comparison to Works and I have not ventured down that road…yet!
Other newly acquired tools would include Netscape Composer and Navigator,
the FTP software and RealPlayer. I’m happy to say that many of these
tools I do use with my students whether it be for The Mall Project
(seventh grade) or for the eighth grade publishing company, Sprint Print.
I am looking forward to introducing the students to Composer, Publisher’s
web page tool and eventually Access. Also, the Java applets are very
intriguing to me and I would like to learn more about using them with my
students.
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Communication
Before this course, the e-mail function
was more “fun” than functional! I spent much time communicating with
my friends and family, but found that "information overload" from CTER
caused me to utilize this tool more for assignments than for sending social
mail back and forth! When there’s only so much time, something had
to go and for me it was the “fun mail”.
For group participation, I discovered the
WebBoard was invaluable. I loved being able to post a problem or
question and receive input from my classmates. (Many times one-per-building
technology people are isolated in their schools so this contact was very
gratifying.) In addition, I was constantly amazed at how many different
viewpoints there could be on one particular subject. This has to
be a plus for providing public posting of our assignments! As our
group’s project came together, the ability to chat in WebBoard was very
helpful to answer any questions that had materialized during the course
of a week. Lastly, the audio chats were addicting…I thought for sure
I might miss some very important information! However, in my future
teaching, it would be exciting for the students to have not only audio
but face-to-face interviews with people, authors, and politicians, etc.
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Multimedia
This course gave me the motivation to tackle
both the newly purchased digital camera and the scanner. Due to the
fact I needed to write the "Techie Tips"
for these tools, I became quite comfortable with them and in turn have
been able to acclimate my colleagues with them as well. Furthermore,
I have been touting the ease at which the network (and Internet) is accessed
on a large screen in the classrooms by introducing the teachers to Acer
Computer’s version of Gateway’s Destination system, the Infiniti.
The librarian is thrilled, as she is now able to introduce the electronic
card catalog in one sitting instead of several class sessions with archaic
and unsatisfactory transparencies! The LCD projector still comes
in handy for other uses, but the ease of setup with the former is a definite
selling point with the teachers. The scanner has introduced me to
PhotoDeluxe and I am getting more comfortable manipulating the images.
Lastly, the confidence I have received from this course spurred me on to
re-do our very primitive web page and I am finishing up an all-new and
improved version created with Microsoft Publisher. Just yesterday,
I registered our new domain name! Of those web page activities, I
am especially proud.
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Legalities,
Special Needs and Issues
An assignment that I’d honestly thought
I would skip was that of accessibility. I learned a great deal by
perusing the various web sites and now know what “Bobby approved” means!
I also appreciated the various sites, which provided tips for creating
web pages that would be accessible to all. Not only are there design
strategies but also access strategies to consider when developing the page!
The mere process of labeling my images for Bobby approval made me think
there's more to posting a page than meets the eye. On a personal
note, I was relieved to see the large number of modifications available
to the visually challenged. I also realized that the “challenged”
still need to develop personal “coping skills” with technology. I
don’t think that any of the assistive technology is perfect.
In addition, reviewing acceptable use policies
and ethics regarding computer use in the classroom, I have determined I
will need to tend to such issues in my district. The district in its haste
to get the students and the Internet together missed some important issues
in the current AUP. I want to review the policy and develop more specific
testing for the students before they earn an Internet license to make sure
they understand copyright issues and Internet etiquette, for a start.
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Evaluation
In completing our project alone, there were
many different types of evaluation. Those included: (1) assessing
the success of the activities with the student (2) the rubrics for
the activities and (3) the effectiveness of the “Techie Tips” designed
to ease the technology into the hands of the user. While two of our
group members were able to try out the activities with students, the rest
of us were not. I would like to collaborate with one of the first
grade teachers in my school and adapt it to her classroom’s needs.
An additional electronic evaluation to be included could be student eportfolios
with the MultiMedia Millennium Moment as a first contribution.
One could also consider the effectiveness of a group project experience. While it has finally come together, I would be remiss not to mention the fact that each person has his own way of working: some are “early achievers” and others are “late achievers.” This provided a new perspective on cooperative learning and getting all of the learning styles to mesh! Furthermore, the importance of frequent communication was a must for a successful and timely completion of our project.
Also, the North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction’s (DPI) evaluation
instrument for the TLCF grant was helpful. It will assist in
the assessment of the technology program in my district, a long overdue
process.
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Final
Thoughts
Since this is the first of the eight courses
in the CTER program, I prefer to think of CI335 as getting my feet wet.
There have been many issues discussed. I am hopeful that future courses
will dig and delve into those issues and that we’ll have more time to consider
each of the topics. Information overload could possibly apply here,
but in small doses I was able to get a handle on the subject and realize
there continues to be so much that I don’t know!
The online aspect of the master’s has forced me to spend time on the Internet… that’s a good thing. I’ll admit it was not my first choice of activities for a free moment but I have learned so much by simply gathering information for my assignments. I look forward to more mining of the Internet as I continue with the next courses.
Computer Assisted Instruction has been a
great beginning to the CTER program..
