Week 16: Hold Fast to Dreams

When you awake, you will have had this dream where you learned that it is not only easy to integrate technology into an educational curriculum, but fun too.  It will feel like you have been asleep for almost four months.  The things that you did in the dream seem so real: blogs, websites, html code (okay, that one might have been a nightmare), Prezi, Diigo, Symbaloo, iMovie, Excel, Google Docs, ISTE, L&L, PLN, emerging technology, adaptive technology, and more. You will yearn to be back in the world where technology is abundant and joyful, where people blog about their thoughts and have tangible proof of their learning, where the fear of technology is non-existant and standardized tests are a thing of the past. . . .SNAP!  Here we are at the last day of class.  It wasn't a dream after all.  You do have all of these skills and you fear of technology is gone! Now all you have to do it to hold on to the dream.  

Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I do hope that you all will take a minute to reflect on all that you have accomplished in 16 short weeks.  The most rewarding part of teaching this class for me is to visit your blogs at the end of the semester.  I see 27 unique examples of learning and 27 different paths to demonstrating fluency in technology.  They are really impressive!  I want to thank you for all of your hard work and persistence this semester.  I know that for most of you this wasn't easy, that you cringed when I asked you to fix something as minor as custom bullets on your newsletter or colors on your mind maps.  I am very mindful of what I want you to accomplish and how I want you to experience this course.  If I can in some way take the fear of grades off the table by allowing you to fix any error penalty-free, then I can get you closer to fixating on your learning, which is intrinsic.  Learning, and education, should be something deeply personal and rewarding.  Learning should be the desired outcome of a class, not a grade.  Often times, when all you focus on is a grade, learning takes a back seat and while, in a perfect world, learning and grades will correlate, this is rarely the case.  My hope for each of you is that you see each child you teach as an individual with individual strengths and weaknesses.  Get to know you kids and do your best to facilitate their learning, their growth.  And most of all, make learning fun!

Tonight, we will ensure that your blogs are the best representation of your technological savvy self.  You need to bring a printed copy of the Emerging Technology Checklist to class.  You will go through the checklist yourself, ensure all of your artifacts have a description and a connection to a NETS-T standard, and everything else on the checklist is complete.  Then, you will have at least one peer review your blog and go through the checklist.  We'll discuss your Symbaloo webmix and ensure it's embedded on your blog and in TaskStream.  I'll answer any questions about any assignment you still need to revise.  If you are finished with everything, you can work on your TaskStream narratives.  My goal is to complete all of my grading and your revisions, to include TaskStream, by Friday.  Let me repeat. . .I will complete all grading, including TaskStream, by Friday!!  Lastly, we will do course evaluations.   

I may not be in class very early today as I have another class today at 4:30.  I will do my best to be in the lab 15 minutes before class starts.

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

Week 15: What a Whirlwind!

Taylor and Zoe in a huricane simulator

Really?  The semester is almost over?  I can't believe the end is coming so soon.  It seems like just yesterday we were making blogs and taking silly pictures with Photobooth.  As we wind down, I want to remind everyone how much better your life will be if you begin your TaskStream narratives sooner rather than later.  I believe it was the California almond growers that used to have a commercial that said, "A can a week, that's all we ask."  While I am not promoting that you begin to eat more nuts, I am recommending that you write a "paragraph a day" in terms of your NETS narratives.  If you tackle the NETS II-V as a paragraph a day, they will be over before you know it.  If, however, you wait until next Sunday to begin to write your narratives, you will probably be more stressed and produce work that isn't a representation of your best self. . .just sayin'

Tonight, we will finish the iMovie projects and embed them in your blogs.  Don't forget your headphones and a printed copy of your checklist for class tonight.  While you're printing you might want to print up a copy of the Emerging Technology Checklist as well.  Here is a link to both: 

Emerging Technology

iMovie Software Proficiency

These will need to be checked off by you first, then your peers, and submitted to me.  We will also go over how to create your Symbaloo webmix as a NETS/TaskStream portfolio.  This will be something that you will embed in your blog as well as TaskStream.  You will learn how to publish the NETS narratives in GoogleDocs as a webpage and embed it into TaskStream and Symbaloo.  If you need any help please ask me tonight or make an appointment to meet me before class or another agreed upon day.

This Week's Question: Do you see yourself integrating technology with your future students? If so, how?  

Week 14: Approaching the End of the Road?

I took this picture while driving - don't try this at home

Always remember, "Wherever you go. . .there you are!" (any Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai fans out there?)  I write to you all bleary eyed from a long extended working weekend of grading and regrading student work.  I'm haunted by this recurring nightmare where I drown in a shallow TaskStream.  I try and try, but I can't break free my entanglement in the NETS. Anyone have an idea as to why?  Uh, is anyone else having the same nightmare ;-)

Everything due, except the mind map, should be graded.  Tonight, I want to talk briefly about the format of the cybersafety websites.  Previously, we discussed the importance of design in terms of creating content for the web.  Keep in mind that you are creating a collaborative website, not six individual sites.  The format doesn't have to match, but it should have some continuity and an eye for aesthetics. Overall, the sites are good, but we can make them better! The only assignment that I didn't re-visit was the PLN.  Please check your grades and look for my feedback on any assignments that require your attention.
Tonight you should be working on your iMovie PSAs. . .don't forget to bring those headphones!  If you read this before coming to campus, it would be great if you could print the iMovie checklist to bring to class as well.  I will cover how to export your masterpiece and get the movie on your blog!  We will begin the document that will become your TaskStream narratives on Google Docs.  I have posted the Google Tools assignment in CougarCourses, but all you have to do is to complete the very short survey of you use of Google tools and submit.  I just want to give you credit for your hard work with all the tools you have used! We'll discuss the artifacts you will be using for your final four NETS-T standards.  If we have any time, I want to revisit Symbaloo and discuss how you will use it to create a webmix portfolio of your technological proficiency for the NETS and beyond. . . Any spare time you might have can be spent ensuing all of your work makes it to your blog either by embedding directly, uploading to Box.net, or simply uploading a .jpg of an artifact!
There is good new!  After tonight, there will be no more new assignments. . .only a the completion of your TaskStream narratives and a short response to your attendance and participation.  Come to class early if you need help. . . .
Someone tweeted an article that really relates to last week's question. . .take a look (it's short!)

 Three New Pillars of 21st Century Learning

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

Week 13: This Week, Everyone's an Artist!

By the time this course ends you will be able to add filmmaker to your extensive technological résumé. In class this week, we begin the process. You will be using existing footage to create a public service announcement (PSA) about CSUSM! Headphones. . .don't forget headphones. As I mentioned in class last week, this is not a class that can be easily made up, so I expect to see all of your bright, shiny faces in class.
About TaskStream narratives: I have given two more editing visits to your collaborative NETS I narratives.  The expectation was that they would be completed by class time. . .I don't think we will be at 100%, but I hope to have more than a few groups with all of their text turned black.  If you have not given the narratives the attention they require, please do so ASAP.
Past Work:  The collaborative websites were due Friday.  We went over in class that you would put the websites on your blog as a page with a weblink.  When you submit this in Cougar Courses, you are to give a link to the site and tell me who was in your group and what page each group member completed. . . I moved the date for Journals 6-10 to Thursday and the Mindmapping due date to Saturday.  However, Journal 8/Adaptive Technology assignment was due last Saturday.  Also, you should be continuously adding artifacts to your blog as your finish them. . .Symbaloo certification is also something you should complete.
I will do my best ot get to class an hour or so early to help anyone who needs it. . .please try to schedule some time there if you find yourself in need of assistance!

This Week's Question: With the fairly unique structure of this course, what have you discovered about yourself as a learner?  How will that help you as a teacher?

Week 12: Mind maps, Symbaloo, juggling assignments, and the Meaning of Life!

The cemetery at Manzanar (on the way to Mammoth)

I believe that week twelve symbolizes the fact you are now 75% complete with the semester.  Can I get a, "Whoop, whoop?"  Anyway, I'm sure that you are equal parts relived and stressed with the pressures that make up the end of a semester.  Those who do not love technology might have a bit more stress than most.  If you are feeling behind or in need of help, please come to class early to receive help. If you cannot make it early on Mondays, I am always willing to schedule a time to help anyone who needs it.  Like most of you, I am very busy, but this topic is such a passion for me that I don't even consider it work. . .Okay, grading papers is work, but everything else is just plain fun.

I have graded everything that is due up through tonight's class.  I have not completed a third pass at revised assignments, but will do so soon.  I graded the Excel, Presentation, and PLN assignments this weekend.  Many of you have some editing to do.  As I was out of town last week, I left you with plenty to do for the week.  My fear is that not much has been completed? Please tell me that isn't so. . .And I know you revised your NETS I collaborative narratives, right?

The two assignments that should be most pressing are the journals 6-10, to include PLN and Adaptive Technology (journals 7 and 8), and the Cybersafety Collaborative Website.  Take advantage of the beginning of class to meet with your group and ensure that each member knows what page she or he is assigned and perhaps even share best practices with the class??  You also have Symbaloo to learn and create a great webmix of your proficiency for TPE 14.

Tonight, I want to discuss the past assignments to ensure you understand all you need to do.  Everyone should be in my TaskStream container now, so we will log in and request feedback. We can revisit your Emerging Tech Checklist as well. Finally, I will introduce the Mind Map Assignment and how to use it to brainstorm and organize your artifacts that meet the NETS standards!

Next week we will be learning how to edit with iMovie.  I am giving a very early reminder to bring headphones for the assignments.  Any headphones that work with .mp3 players, iPods, laptops, etc., will work.  We will be editing with music, so headphones are necessary to avoid annoying your peers.

Another quick reminder that the weekly questions are part of the attendance and participation of the course. . .I should have had more than 17 responses for week ten.




This Week's Question: What is the last good book your read. . .it could have been for pleasure or something assigned to you for a class? 

Week 10: If You're Happy and You Know It!

Week ten has arrived!  Energized from what I'm sure was a very relaxing spring break, we begin our march toward the end of the semester. I spent a good part of Sunday morning giving everyone feedback on the collaborative NETS narratives.  Overall, I would say that the quality was high.  There were a few groups who would have benefited from stronger peer feedback and a stronger grasp of the method for writing the narratives.  When an instructor gives you samples, it is a great idea to look them over.  From my feedback, I expect you to utilize the threaded comment feature of Google Docs.  If I left you a comment, please complete your edit and leave your own comment as to what was corrected.  If you have a question, the discussion box could also be utilized for this.  Again, the samples would serve you well if you need to see a good model.

In progress: Journals 6-10 (due April 16), The PLN assignment (due April 3), the Excel Crossword assignment. . .remind me to discuss conditional formatting, which is different in Office 10.  Also, your sheet of clues will have to be hand-typed since you are creating it yourself. Also, you will submit the spreadsheet with the clues filled-in.  You are not creating a template! (due this Wed, March 28) and the Emerging Technology Checklist (not due until the last day of class, May 7)

This week:  I will ensure that you can request feedback on TaskStream. We will register for a Symbaloo account and I will show you how to add tiles for NETS I to your webmix.  The completed webmix will have links/tiles to all of your artifacts for TPE 14, including your narratives in GoogleDocs. You will also become Symbaloo certified, which will include a badge you can put on your blog!  "What is Symbaloo?" you ask.  Think of it as a mix between iGoogle and Diigo. . .It's a way to house resources, links, and other types of web content, like RSS feeds on one visually interesting page. . . once created, you can also embed a "webmix" into your blogs.  Sounds awesome, right? The amazing folks at Symbaloo have generously offered to get you certified for free!
Here are the steps:

1. Click Here to sign-up for the certification program.  (I will give you the code in class)
2. Click Here to access the certification website.
3. Follow the tutorials by row, check out the webinar assignment & take the webinar quiz.
4. Repeat the process until you complete the four tutorials.
5. Take the final exam.
6. Wait for your confirmation email that you have been certified (it could take a week). . .
7. Forward the confirmation email to me: jheil65@gmail.com
8. Celebrate your new skill by sharing with friends and family!!

I will go over the requirements for Journal 8/Adaptive Technology, which is two assignments in one.  Lastly, I will introduce the CyberSafety Collaborative Website Assignment.  We will be using a new tool called Weebly to create the website.  Weebly is user-friendly and visually awesome.  I think you will not only enjoy the tool, but you will learn a lot about cybersafety in the process.

Next Week:  I will be out of town.  You will be given the week to work on the multitude of assignments that should be on your to do lists. I recommend that you use this time to meet with your cybersafety group and work on the website.  This meeting could be face-to-face in the lab or it could be virtually online.

This Week's Question: Do you believe a high school exit exam should be required to graduate from high school?  Why or Why not?  Explain.

Week 8: Half-Way to Being a Guru (or, For the Love of the PLN)

I am amazed that we are already half-way through the semester.  I can only imagine the sadness you must all feel knowing that you only have 8 week left of this class (cue sad music). Okay, maybe you aren't so sad, but I hope that you are least learning a few things that you can use in your life and your future classroom.
Speaking of learning, you are going to show your Prezi NETS-S Performance Indicator presentations to a small group of peers tonight!  Ensure that you have your Prezi and GoogleDoc assessment complete and either on a blog page or ready first thing.  If you were one of the many who missed last week, please talk to a peer to catch up on what it is you need for class tonight.
After the presentations, I want to check in with where you are on the TaskStream narratives.  If for some odd reason you haven't purchased your TaskStream subscription and self-enrolled in the CSUSM Local TPE, you need to do so by tomorrow, as Dr. Hayden will be putting everyone in our 422 container (how I will grade your portfolios).
Two Good TaskStream Collaborate Samples: One, Two
New Material:  I will go over the Emerging Technology Checklist.  This is a checklist for you to ensure that you are getting everything you create on your blogs, as well as give a brief description and a connection to a NETS-T standard (Remind me to introduce Box.net if I haven't already to make it easy to embed some of your work on the blog).  I will also go over the requirements for the PLN assignment (journal 7), and discuss the Excel assignment.  The Excel assignment is something you will complete by watching video tutorials, so make sure you understand what to submit it Cougar Courses (e.g. read the instructions please).

This Week's Question: If money were not an issue, where would you spend your Spring Break?  Paris, Sidney, Buenos Aires, Hawaii? What would you do?  Now, what are you actually going to do?