Linda Taylor

“21st Century Schools”

03 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment

by taylorli in Journaling About Assessment in E-Learning

The students we are educating today have grown up in a digital world.  As educators we must pick up the pace and stay relevant in order to keep them engaged.  This video I found on youtube today drives that point home!

Week 4 Journaling for Assessment in E-Learning

03 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment

by taylorli in Journaling About Assessment in E-Learning

Our midterm project is done! YES!  Here is the link, check it out. 

Click picure to link to our Midterm Project.

What I enjoyed this week is working with Edmodo, an educational social networking site.  I created an account and started to play with it.  I plan to introduce it and begin using it with my reading class in the next couple of weeks.

I agreed with the readings this week that online teachers need to set boundaries because if you don’t you will be a slave to everyone’s time zones.  You would have not life.  I like it that our instructor posted that she was off on Sunday’s.  Good for her, modeling for us that it is important to take a day off and have time for yourself to reenergize.

Another reality of online teaching is connection issues.  Saturday night we were having problems with our internet service, charter.net.  We could not open everything and it hindered my homework.  Also the blizzard and the potential power loss were stressful.  If I were an online teacher I think I would have been panicking.  On top of that I have been sick with the flu and in bed all day with my computer, so going out to get a connection elsewhere was not an option.  Also we live in a small town and wireless cafes are not open in the evening.  That is a problem.

Lastly, I learned how to create objectives with objective builder.  However, I am not good at it yet.  I did receive excellent feedback on my objectives and will go back and make revisions.

Week 3 Journaling for Assessment in E-Learning

27 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment

by taylorli in Journaling About Assessment in E-Learning

What a rough week!   I was so sick and after being at work all day the only thing I could think about was going to bed!  It was difficult to stay connected to the discussions when my head was pounding and my body ached.  What is comical about it is that my students knew how sick I was and I used my situation to lecture them about work ethic.  I told them even though I was very sick I still came to work and when I get home I still need to do my homework.  Mmmm….. I am sure there was plenty I rolling when I wasn’t looking!

What I learned this week is that creating objectives for an online class is difficult.  It took me forever to think about what I wanted my students to learn.  The easy part was deciding what I wanted the class to be about.  I always thought I would teach at the elementary level until my last child left for college next fall and then I would find a job teaching adults how to integrate technology into the classroom.  Objectives forced me to focus on key items out of the plethora of items that I found useful in the classroom. 

I also learned how to use inspiration which our school district has a license for.  It forced me to set aside a time to watch online tutorials and play with it.  What a great opportunity to take advantage of what I already have. 

I also attached this video to my concept map and since you can only view a picture of my map and not all of the videoes and links I embedded I thought I would put it here.  Enjoy!

Week 2 Journaling for Assessment in E-Learning

21 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment

by taylorli in Journaling About Assessment in E-Learning

Well… I feel like I am finally getting into the swing of things.  I am finally able to stay up a little longer to do my assignments.  YES!

I have been having so much fun with the blog.  I feel comfortable enough to brag about my kids.  I know this is crazy but I do not think I would make those kind of family posts on my Facebook.  I know it is not so but I feel like the blog is more anonymous because I am sharing it with my class and family and not all of my friends.  I feel like I can have a some fun expressing myself with my classmates because we are just acquaintances and we will more than likely not come face to face.

I do not like the idea of using my blog for my portfolio. I do not think that the way I am currently using it is professional.  I will stay with my Jimdo account for my E-portfolio and keep the link to Jimdo on my blog.  I will not link my Jimdo to my blog, my blog is too casual.

What I am trying to sort out is what are the differences between a Wiki and a Blog.  Additionally, since I think it is best to start small I am trying to decide which one to try first.  If I have it right a Wiki is a collaborative effort.  What one person posts can be edited or deleted.  A blog is a log by date.  The original post can be commented on but not changed.  I think a Wiki would be good for comments on a novel and I wanted students to reflect and collaborate on what they have read for deeper understanding.  A blog might be good for my next Social Studies project where I have the students pick out of a hat a member of the social pyramid of ancient egypt and they have to illustrate and provide captions on the daily life of their person.  I also checked my school website, school Center, and we do have a blogging feature.  I think that would be a good place to start, taking advantage of what I already have.