I have completed all of my tutorials, I have linked everything to my Ning, I have documented all of my work on my E-Portfolio and I am now officially DONE!!!!!!! I can't ask for a better B-Day present than to be officially done with this program. Not that it wasn't enjoyable because it actually was, but I'm so looking forward to going back to improving other areas of my life and having the time to devote to these improvements. Tonight I'm treating myself to a B-Day present of going to Menards and purchasing paint, a new entry door, and all of my wood for my new deck as this weekend I begin the fun and excitement of ripping out all of my shrubbery to begin completely relandscaping my yard. In about 1 and 1/2 months time I should have a new deck, all new floor beds, all new shrubbery, a new rain garden in my backyard, a new front porch, a new screened in patio, a new entry door, and freshly painted trim work on my house. I can't wait because I'm pretty sure this is shaping up to be the most painful month and half of my life but it will look awesome when I'm done.
As for my culminating project, everything went relatively smoothly and I managed to complete everything within the alloted time frame. I think the final project will really impact my classroom and will greatly enhance the experience for my students. The one thing that I did encounter when completing my culminating expereince, however, was that I made the decision to switch over from Ning to Grou.ps because of the pricing plans of Ning. Originally I was just going to pay for the Ning but as I started counting up the space required by my video tutorials I realized that I would need the mid level version and at $19.95/month times 6 seperate nings for each of my classes, I wasn't about to pay $120/month to have a nice site for my students. I know, I know, I'm cheap. Really I found this Grou.ps site that was every bit as productive as Ning and it's still free so I am currently in the process of moving everything from my Nings over to Grou.ps. The beauty is that Grou.ps was designed to scoop all of us former Ningers up because it provides step by step procedures for transfering information from the Ning to the Grou.ps network. I've gotten 3 of my six networks done and will continue to work on this as the school year approaches.
It's been a blast learning from you and working with many of you. I hope to keep in contact with you guys and bounce ideas off you as this has been extremely rewarding for me throughout this experience. Thanks again to all of you who have had to put up with me throughout this program.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
CEDO 599 Blog #2
I chose to use Jing to create my video tutorials and I must say it was a pain in the butt. Not because of Jing but because of all the unforseen things that happen when creating a screen capture. During my screen captures I had a phone call, cell went to silent mode as I restarted, I had my dogs barking at people walking by, the house got closed up so the dogs couldn't see anyone, I forgot to click save when done as I was excited to start the next tutorial, I had to remind myself to slow down, and most predominately my mind was moving way too fast for my mouth and fingers and I'd foget a step and have to start over. I did create screen cards for me to follow but I found that I just wasn't smart enough or proficient enough to flow back and forth between my notes, my program, my screen capture, and what I was trying to accomplish so I took the approach of doing a test run with my notes and then going back and completing a screen capture after my review. This process seemed to work best for me and once I got on a role these went pretty easily. That is after I figured out how to avoid all the other pitfalls.
I created a screen capture of my Pro E water bottle tutorial for my Exploratory Technology class, a Pro E Model Rocket tutorial for my Drafting and Design class, and a Solidworks Oven Rack and Loft tutorial for my Principles of Engineering class. I linked each of these tutorials to my Nings for each of these classes and have provided an area where my students can access them from home or school.
In addition to my screen casts, I have also created a tutorial for my students to create their E-Portfolio. I intend to have each of my students create an E-Portfolio that they can use to document their artifacts in my classroom so they can show others their accomplishments within my classroom. We use extremely expensive drafting software in my classroom so very few people have access to this software. Because of this, just saving their work to a disk does not suffice for documenting their work so by providing them with an E-Portfolio my students will be able to save images of their work and share this with others without the need for the software.
I really enjoyed this process despite all of the little obstacles I encountered as I love the fact that this is going to be productive for my classroom. I can't wait to see how my students respond to these tutorials and how this improves my classroom.
I created a screen capture of my Pro E water bottle tutorial for my Exploratory Technology class, a Pro E Model Rocket tutorial for my Drafting and Design class, and a Solidworks Oven Rack and Loft tutorial for my Principles of Engineering class. I linked each of these tutorials to my Nings for each of these classes and have provided an area where my students can access them from home or school.
In addition to my screen casts, I have also created a tutorial for my students to create their E-Portfolio. I intend to have each of my students create an E-Portfolio that they can use to document their artifacts in my classroom so they can show others their accomplishments within my classroom. We use extremely expensive drafting software in my classroom so very few people have access to this software. Because of this, just saving their work to a disk does not suffice for documenting their work so by providing them with an E-Portfolio my students will be able to save images of their work and share this with others without the need for the software.
I really enjoyed this process despite all of the little obstacles I encountered as I love the fact that this is going to be productive for my classroom. I can't wait to see how my students respond to these tutorials and how this improves my classroom.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
CEDO 599 Blog #1
I have to say that I'm really looking forward to this assignment as this was the reason that I decided to pursue this particular Master's program. For my culminating experience I am transferring three of my tuturials to screen capture tutorials. I'm doing this because in my current position, I am asked to attend numerous professional development activiities for advancing my curriculum and thus my students are left to complete assignments without my assistance. My subs do not possess the knowledge or experience with the programs my students are operating to assist them through any questions they may have. Because of this, it was my desire to create screencasts of my completing the assignments so my studnets could have a detailed idea of exactly how to complete the assignment. By doing this I have not only made my sub days more efficient but have also taken away some of my stress of being gone as well as the stress of my students and sub. If the students don't get how to complete the assignment, they will begin screwing around and cause issues for the sub but if they are able to get through the assignment they will remain busy and thus everyone remains happy.
In addition to transitioning my tutorials to video tutorials, I am also in the process of writing a tutorial for my students to create a personal e-portfolio of their own. I am doing this because in my particular field, the ability to show your experiences is essential and that isn't always easy to do without the use of a computer with the programs already loaded on it so this portfolio will allow my students to post screen capture images to document their work and demonstrate their knowledge and abilities to future employers or professors.
My biggest fear in this assignment isn't the process of completing the assignment but rather finding the time to complete all of the assignments. Like with most things I'm sure there will be speed bumps along the way and with my tight schedule I don't have a lot of time for mistakes and redo's so I'm hoping that my pre-planning will allow me to utilize my time to max efficiency and allow me to complete everything in a timely fashion.
In addition to transitioning my tutorials to video tutorials, I am also in the process of writing a tutorial for my students to create a personal e-portfolio of their own. I am doing this because in my particular field, the ability to show your experiences is essential and that isn't always easy to do without the use of a computer with the programs already loaded on it so this portfolio will allow my students to post screen capture images to document their work and demonstrate their knowledge and abilities to future employers or professors.
My biggest fear in this assignment isn't the process of completing the assignment but rather finding the time to complete all of the assignments. Like with most things I'm sure there will be speed bumps along the way and with my tight schedule I don't have a lot of time for mistakes and redo's so I'm hoping that my pre-planning will allow me to utilize my time to max efficiency and allow me to complete everything in a timely fashion.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
CEDO 565 Week 4
Go Broncos!!! Well my schedule will have to stay crammed for one more week as we managed to take Sectionals and are now on our way to the State Tournament. Hopefully, the delay in my relaxation time will be rewarded with a good showing at Madison but for right now I'm just really proud of my girls.
As for this week's class, I found the game to be very interesting and fun but at the same time very frustrating. I didn't really fully understand the way we were going or what the problem was that we were trying to solve and this made creating a plan of attack very difficult. With that being said, I think the experience really highlighted a lot of the problems that our Administrators face when implementing change as well as the difficulties we will face in the future as we try to implement change. The time constraints seemed to be very accurate as change seems to take forever. In addition, the feeling of not knowing who is going to get on board and who isn't seemed to very accurate to me because everyone has their own agendas and you can never really fully predict who is going to come along and who isn't.
I look forward to round two of this experiment and hope that a better sense of what is going on will help alleviate some of the feelings of frustration. In the end I think that this whole process will lead to a better understanding of how exactly to approach change in the future.
As for this week's class, I found the game to be very interesting and fun but at the same time very frustrating. I didn't really fully understand the way we were going or what the problem was that we were trying to solve and this made creating a plan of attack very difficult. With that being said, I think the experience really highlighted a lot of the problems that our Administrators face when implementing change as well as the difficulties we will face in the future as we try to implement change. The time constraints seemed to be very accurate as change seems to take forever. In addition, the feeling of not knowing who is going to get on board and who isn't seemed to very accurate to me because everyone has their own agendas and you can never really fully predict who is going to come along and who isn't.
I look forward to round two of this experiment and hope that a better sense of what is going on will help alleviate some of the feelings of frustration. In the end I think that this whole process will lead to a better understanding of how exactly to approach change in the future.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
CEDO 565 Week 3
Whoever decided that it would be a great idea for me to complete my Master's while also serving as a Union Rep and Head Coach of a very successful softball team should be shot. Oh wait, that someone was me! Ok so maybe not shot just severely beaten. I apologize to all for the tardiness of this post but right now there are so many other issues that are taking precedence that there isn't enough hours in the day to do everything. With that being said, I just keep telling myself that in 4 short days things will die down tremendously, and hopefully in 2 weeks the softball season will be over and hopefully not before that 2 weeks because that will mean we will be bringing home another State Championship!
Now that I've got my venting out of the way I will get to the real reason I'm posting here. Week 3 Work! I must admit that I felt Week 3's work was a little repetitive for me because I feel that one thing that I do really well in life is understand the leadership role and it's implementation. Because of my position in life and the experiences I've had, I feel I really understand systems and how they operate and how they are beneficial to success of a whole. I think this is one reason that my softball teams have been tremendously successful and I also believe it is the biggest reason that I have been successful in the classroom.
One thing that I did find really interesting though was the tune in and mindset information. I always felt that I didn't necessarily fit-in with my age bracket and that my personality matched up better with people who were older than me but this really cemented my belief in that. I have always been someone who liked older music, things done hands on my way, and internalized things and applied them with a realization of the affects of the whole rather than the individual. I also have always been someone that once I decide to do something it is going to get done no matter what. I may want to switch or do something else but my personality won't let me move on to anything else until that task is completed. I know I also have some characteristics that fit my age group as well like my desire for acceptance and to be patted on the back as well as my affinity for new technologies and new methods. With that being said, however, I feel I better fit in the Gen X'rs than I do the Millenials.
Now that I've got my venting out of the way I will get to the real reason I'm posting here. Week 3 Work! I must admit that I felt Week 3's work was a little repetitive for me because I feel that one thing that I do really well in life is understand the leadership role and it's implementation. Because of my position in life and the experiences I've had, I feel I really understand systems and how they operate and how they are beneficial to success of a whole. I think this is one reason that my softball teams have been tremendously successful and I also believe it is the biggest reason that I have been successful in the classroom.
One thing that I did find really interesting though was the tune in and mindset information. I always felt that I didn't necessarily fit-in with my age bracket and that my personality matched up better with people who were older than me but this really cemented my belief in that. I have always been someone who liked older music, things done hands on my way, and internalized things and applied them with a realization of the affects of the whole rather than the individual. I also have always been someone that once I decide to do something it is going to get done no matter what. I may want to switch or do something else but my personality won't let me move on to anything else until that task is completed. I know I also have some characteristics that fit my age group as well like my desire for acceptance and to be patted on the back as well as my affinity for new technologies and new methods. With that being said, however, I feel I better fit in the Gen X'rs than I do the Millenials.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
CEDO 565 Week 2
So this week we've been asked to review statistics for our individual schools. I have had to do this in the past for grant applications and I must say that prior to my introduction into the world of education, I never knew that the State kept track of such things. I find it truly amazing all the stuff that the State keeps track of and feel that we as teachers should be required to review these stats more frequently. Every time I look at these stats I learn something new and this really helps to identify just what it is that I'm dealing with in my student body.
I have to admit that I haven't had time yet this week to complete my assignments as we had a rainout, a game, a three game tourny, and my NA test for my dog. I just got home a little while ago and this is my first chance to sit down so I will get on the assignments tonight. I do, however, sincerely look forward to completing these assignments and gaining additional insight into my student population.
I have to admit that I haven't had time yet this week to complete my assignments as we had a rainout, a game, a three game tourny, and my NA test for my dog. I just got home a little while ago and this is my first chance to sit down so I will get on the assignments tonight. I do, however, sincerely look forward to completing these assignments and gaining additional insight into my student population.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
CEDO 565 Week 1
I have to apologize for the tardiness of this post. It's been a hectic week with rain cancellations and makeups, a game last night, and three today. With that being said, I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the rapidly approaching end of the school year. I for one know I can't wait for my schedule to die down.
As for this weeks learning. I find leadership to be an extremely valuable characteristic in our profession. I can't imagine being a teacher and not a leader. I can't believe that one can be a poor leader and a quality teacher because I believe it is our responsibility to lead young people as much as it is to teach them x's and o's. I, myself, work very hard to be a quality leader within my school and I believe that my commitments attest to that. I am the varsity head coach of our softball team, the treasurer for our union, trap shooting advisor, SKILLS USA advisor, chair of our union scholarship committee, and personal advisor for students. I work extremely hard to not only lead by example for my students but also to make myself available at all times to mentor my students. I think my strongest trait as both an educator and an individual is my ability to lead individuals. I have always been this way and I attribute a lot of this to my years in athletics but also my desire to see others accomplish more than I have.
I'm looking forward to learning additional ways I can continue to improve upon my leadership skills and learning how to improve leadership amongst others. I sincerely look forward to seeing where this class takes us and seeing what I can take from this class to improve my own skills and those of my studnets.
As for this weeks learning. I find leadership to be an extremely valuable characteristic in our profession. I can't imagine being a teacher and not a leader. I can't believe that one can be a poor leader and a quality teacher because I believe it is our responsibility to lead young people as much as it is to teach them x's and o's. I, myself, work very hard to be a quality leader within my school and I believe that my commitments attest to that. I am the varsity head coach of our softball team, the treasurer for our union, trap shooting advisor, SKILLS USA advisor, chair of our union scholarship committee, and personal advisor for students. I work extremely hard to not only lead by example for my students but also to make myself available at all times to mentor my students. I think my strongest trait as both an educator and an individual is my ability to lead individuals. I have always been this way and I attribute a lot of this to my years in athletics but also my desire to see others accomplish more than I have.
I'm looking forward to learning additional ways I can continue to improve upon my leadership skills and learning how to improve leadership amongst others. I sincerely look forward to seeing where this class takes us and seeing what I can take from this class to improve my own skills and those of my studnets.
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