Week Five: What's Your PowerPoint?

Wow, week five has come upon us very quickly. Hopefully, you hare settled in to the pace of the class and are no longer having any issues with WebCT. . .and I am much happier in our new room! Don't forget, we have switched to University Hall 271. Ensure you are checking that your assignments have been graded or returned and please complete any redos quickly. Don't forget to ask if you have any questions or tech issues.

This week: Have you completed your NETS intro on TaskStream? Are you reading the blog and answering the weekly question? Since we didn't get to work on the PowerPoint Assignment last week, I'll introduce the assignment this week and then we'll also learn how to create rubrics to grade them. I'll postpone the Inspiration to next week.

Journal #4: As ISTE still hasn't posted the Sept Issue online, and most of you probably haven't received your first issue, I'll allow you to find an article from past issues of ISTE, or use the link on the blog to search one of the other online mags (T*H*E Journal, Edutopia, etc.), or any other site/magazine that deals with issues of educational technology. If you need an article: Search L&L, Vol30, Issue 6, "Designing to Learn: A Focus on Design in Project-Based Learning" by Dianne McGrath.

This week's question: What's your learning style? Predict first, then take this online survey and tell everyone your learning style.

Week Fore: Change is Good, Isn't It?

(This hilarious poster comes from despair.com. . .)
Good news: I was able to get us into a Mac Lab with newer, faster, nicer computers. We will be in University Hall, room 271. For those new to CSUSM, University Hall is the building you would run into if you walked up the stairs by the main entrance (where the flags are). I will post a sign in SCI 306, but please inform your peers if you see any of them.

This week: you should be well into your newsletter. I will show you how to include your scan if you need help in class. We will also get an introduction to TaskStream and the NETS for both teachers and students. There were only two students who hadn't purchased TaskStream accounts. . .if that is you, please do so ASAP. If time permits, we will also begin the PowerPoint assignment. Check your grades and/or inbox to ensure you have a grade for the del.icio.us assignment!

Journal #3: Yesterday, I noticed that ISTE was doing some sort of maintenance on its computers. I went to the site today and the L&L is back to August. Anyway, I am going to give you an article for T-H-E Journal about plagiarism software. The article, "A War of Words" by Jim Paterson, is from the Sept 07 issue. I have a link to T-H-E Journal on our blog, so feel free to search the site for cool articles.

This week's Question: What is your favorite poem or who is your favorite poet? My favorite poem is "If", by Rudyard Kipling, and my favorite poet is probably Langston Hughes or Pablo Neruda

Weak Three: Still Standing?

If you are still with us, you have overcome some minor computer glitches, chalk in your keyboard, Google password-a-paloosa, and some intense heat. Hopefully, this hasn't deterred anyone from enjoying the work that we're doing in class. The blog should have been created and posted with the intro letter and at least two peer comments, the EdTechProfile pre-assessment should be complete (with perpahs some print-screen issues), and you may or may not have worked on the first journal assignment. I assure each of you that things will get easier!

This week: We are going to learn how to use Microsoft Word to create a classroom newsletter. As part of the process, we are going to draw some self-portraits that we will scan to incorporate into the newsletter! Please ensure that you have signed up for ISTE and TaskStream. We will be working with TaskStream next week and I need everyone to be registered so I can put you into a group for our class. I am also going to post a zero-point assignment that will help you organize your user name and password. I don't plan on going into your accounts, so you don't need to give the password (maybe a hint for yourself). I also hope to introduce the concept of IM for you (alas, something that the under-30 crowd is probably already familiar with ;-)

Journal #2: Of course, the minute I assigned a free article from the August issue of L&L, I received the September issue in the mail the next day. If you are still waiting on a paycheck, you can use a free article from the new issue, if you have a subscription, feel free to choose any article from the September issue! The "Infusion or Integration" piece by Kimberley Ketterer is short and interesting.

If anyone needs extra help, I will be at the Starbucks on campus by 5 pm . . .we can try to find an empty computer lab to work for an hour or so. If that doesn't work, I would be happy to stay after class to catch anyone up!

This week's Question: What music is currently in circulation in your car, iPod, Mp3 player, or . . .your 8-track? Or, who is your current favorite artist or group?

Week 2: Ready for a Wild Ride?

As I mentioned last week, we are easing into the content of the course to ensure that everyone is able to access webCT and can figure out how to submit assignments, etc. The Intro Letter assignment is going to be due on Sat to give everyone a chance to read other blogs and leave comments for peers. Some of you may have noticed the blogroll that I have started for those students who have submitted their blogs. If you haven't created your blog yet, it's okay. . .but you should have it up by the end of class! I will go over how to submit your entry in class tonight.

This week:
We will ensure that everyone has access to webCT and I'll discuss the journal assignment part of the blog. Some people didn't follow the title requirement of the blog. . .I'll show you how to edit the blog! Don't forget to complete the EdTechProfile. . .It is an assignment that you should be able to do on your own. Remember, answer the questions about your current level of technology proficiency AS IF you were in a classroom. You do not have to be in the classroom to complete the survey (although it was designed for classroom teachers). You should have your subscriptions to ISTE and TaskStream by now. You should also have your portable storage device. If you are reading this before class, I would like you to get a Google/Gmail account as well as a Yahoo! email account. We will discuss the many opportunities that both Google and Yahoo! provide educators and students. Lastly, I will introduce the concept of social bookmarking and discuss the del.icio.us assignment.

Journal #1: This is a feature article from the August 2007 issue of ISTE's Learning and Leading with Technology (L&L). "Power of the Mashup" By Susie Boss and Jane Krauss. I usually start out with an article that can be downloaded for free if anyone is having financial difficulties. In webCT, under the Journals 1-4 assignment, there is a one-page document that discusses the requirements for each journal. I will also cover the requirements in class.

Lastly, to ensure that everyone ready the blog, I will always attach a weekly questions that I would like everyone to answer. For me, this accomplishes two things: it lets me know you are reading the blog; it also allows you to get to know your peers. You will answer the question by leaving a comment. I expect everyone to participate by leaving a comment for each week's blog.

This week's question: What is your current favorite teacher movie and why?