Blood, Sweat and Tears….

What an adventure I have encountered during the Spring 2008 semester in the COMET program at San Diego State University! I can't thank Terri and T. J. enough for working together, collaborating on assignments and our final project. Being able to work on our final project seamlessly from one class to the other afforded us a continuous learning experience with the expertise of two great teachers. I appreciated the continual feedback and that fact that T.J. and Terri took the time to conference with us individually, making sure that we were on track and showing consideration and concern for every member of the class. The continual feedback allowed us to truly work through every step of the "continuous improvement process".

The multiple technology lessons learned in both classes have proved to be so relevant and helpful in my job. PowerPoint, iMovie, blogs and introductions to miscellaneous useful technology tools and tips, not to mention all the incredible Google tools: Google Docs, Google Page Creator, Google Mail and Google Pages! The use of Google docs to share information and to collaborate with others on projects was challenging at time, but a great learning experience.

The opportunity I had to experience those tools has broadened my technology perspective and helped me improve my 21st century learning skills. I have used my newly discovered tools in my job and taught what I have learned to others, sharing in their exuberance as they discover the power of teaching and engagement using technology as a tool to deliver instruction.

The greatest lessons learned took place while working on the performance analysis and training package. Looking though the lens of a designer gave me a completely different perspective on instructional learning packages. My first "Ah-ha" was discovering the importance of audience input and consideration. I have always looked at issues from a narrow perspective, this project helped me changed that view. Matching assessment to our behavior objectives was another "light in the attic". I have discovered that many of my own formative assessments were not well aligned. Although it sounds like a rudimentary process, it is so important in the determination of objective and goal mastery.

And to wrap up a semester of "Wows" having to evaluate the performance analysis packages of our classmates was a true eye opener for me. I was very uncomfortable evaluating the work of others when I wasn't sure that I had done it correctly in my own project, after all, I was not qualified to critique anyone else's work! What I discovered was that during my evaluation of other's projects I saw all the errors and points for improvement in my own project… What a novel idea… letting us discover all our own mistakes and learn from others!

This program is extremely difficult for me, I have to work exceptionally hard every week to keep up with all the work but I have learned so much in the last two semesters it has been worth every drop of BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS that I have shed!

Thank you Terri and T.J., I look forward to working with you again!

iMovie or BUST!

Well, another great learning experience for me! Just when I thought that I was catching up on my assignments, I realized that I didn't know as much about iMovie as I thought. I had played with it, but I had never put together a project with stills. I made so many mistakes, but each one taught me a good lesson.

I spent approximately 25 hours before determining that the project was as complete as it was going to be; I really needed to spend time on my Performance Analysis activities. Unfortunately it looks much like a student project, no whistles and no bells, but it was a great deal of fun. I love learning from my own mistakes, I always learn so much more. Wow, what a great concept, let the students learn from their mistakes.... It's just too bad they don't have 25 hours to spend "focusing their learning" on a "single" concept!

Emerging Technologies

One of my SDSU professors, Terri Linman, shared a great list of emerging technology sites with us last week. Most included free software downloads and with public domain software or evaluation packages good for up to 60 days. Some of the best software sites included: a drawing program for elementary students, a comic book creator, concept maps tools, keyboarding/typing for children, a web-based form builder and a screen and video caption software that helps you share with others.

Probably the biggest surprise was the Behavior management Advice site. At first glance, Dr. Mac's site was not very appealing, but I decided to get past the flashy animation and glitter and look at the content. I am so glad that I did. The site is chuck full of great sites for teachers, administrators and parents. It is the recipient of four awards including an A+ rating from Education World and the Golden Web Award for creativity, integrity, and excellence on the web. The United Federation of teachers states, "A wild, witty and highly practical site for educators challenged by student (mis)behavior. A definite mental health destination for teachers at their wits end in managing challenging behavior. Also provides online opportunities for teachers to help other teachers with student behavior issues!" It just goes to show you, "never judge a book by its cover!"

One of my favorite tools was the JING Project. It is a screen and video capture software tool that allows you to create short tutorials or training screen shots to use as tools and share with others.

I look forward to previewing all the software as time permits.

Instructional Design Lessons Learned

After completing my first draft of a Performance Analysis, an instructional design stepping stone, I realized that although teachers create lessons every day in some form or another, they may not be placing enough emphasis on the needs of their audience, the students. The audience is the most critical part of the analysis; if the instruction is not designed to meet each needs, the instruction will be ineffective at best. I took too much for granted when I started my analysis and realized much later that I had not listened carefully and I had not thoroughly investigated the needs of my audience.

As I continue to work toward the completion of my analysis report and I start building objectives and assessments, I will be careful to consider the needs of every individual as well as the needs of the environment, creating/developing the best instruction for all involved.

What Could be more Exciting.....

What could be more exciting for a child than to see his/her own work displayed on the web. With the simplicity of Google Pages, teachers now have the opportunity to create a classroom web site and post student work, daily assignments, student awards, parent announcement...the list is endless... Monthly newsletters can be posted and archived so that parents be involved in their child's education. What about a calendar? Go for it!

What a great way to communicate with parents and community members while you celebrate day to day activites with your students.

Speaking of Engaging Students.....

Well, this student is really engaged... Here I am in beautiful Maui, Hawaii and it's 11pm and I am playing on my Blog site. I love my new Google Tools. I am most impressed with GoogleDocs, especially the ability to share your documents with others. Google Page Creator is so easy, it's a great tool for teachers to create their own web sites to post class assignments and share information. The chat session in my Gmail account is really fun when I am collaborating with my technology friends.

Engaged Students

Have you ever noticed how excited students are about learning when technology is involved? They are engaged and motivated; they actually look forward to attending school each day. Even the most reluctant children get involved when technology is part of the learning process. ELD and Special Education students do especially well when technology is integrated into their daily lessons plans.

Then what is everyone waiting for?