Back Where I Started - not at all- Course Reflection

I almost felt a panic coming on when the Adobe Flash Plug in crashed, here I was back where I started 'technology is wonderful when it works, but when it doesn't and you don't really know how to fix it panic sets in'. This time round however, despite the 12midnight deadline looming and the possibility of turning into a pumpkin real, I had only a momentary panic and thought it doesn't really matter; I now know where to find things. What with Atomic Learning, Scootle, Classroom2.0 and plenty of fellow travellers, it will be somewhat easier to feel confident as an adult learner. Although I am still a long way from being even remotely an expert of using the Tools of Web2 in the classroom, nor am I an afraid novice. I know where to find things, so I only hope the information remains on My Classes so I can refresh certain areas as I move along.

I feel that when I have creative ideas,





I will be able to remember a few things or at least remember how to find out and so work my way along Bloom's Digital Taxonomy. Though, I still have the hardware problems and know special ed students and hardware problems are not a good mix, I am no longer in a place where it isn't worth it. Plodding on with the difficulties and feeling a little more confident with sorting them out is a great feeling. I love bubblUS, even if I struggled to get it onto my Blog and being able to create a decent poster for the first time in my life bodes well for the future. Sidetracking to help all concerned learn the necessary skills needed to create posters, listen to and tell stories and mind map on Web2 will not really be sidetracking at all.

I look forward to taking steps a couple of paces ahead of the students and willingly taking a rest when they keep up and overtake.

Ning Nong in Education more like it - Reflections on Modue 10

I finally made it to Wikis with great excitement as this was a concept I thought (and still do) I could use successfully and creatively as part of my teaching. Problem is, while the excitement is still present and my fear isn't as great I'm still not sure I am close to Wiki. Part of my problem in this and with other Web2 applications isn't how to use them slowly (they always seem to take longer than anticipated), rather it is the need to be able to work on them speedily and surprise, surprise have a vague idea what to do if something goes wrong (other than freeze that is). Hence, when I opened Ning in education, tried to sign up and subsequently failed before the website time elapsed, I absolutely felt like a Ning Nong. It is a sign or rather a sad sign when you struggle to sign up. So it was just as well Bookleads Wiki and in particular Bookwink was easy to access and enjoyable, though I found it somewhat daunting navigating around the adds. While I didn't have a big issue from a personal perspective, I think it could pose some difficulties as part of an ongoing program with students. I could also see usefulness in 50+ways to tell a story, but again would like to be able to get the students creating the stories as well as watching and as yet don't feel confident. I particularly thought My Life in Toronto was a great story, both as a story and as a way of getting the author out of everyone.

I look forward to spending some time over the Christmas Holidays of using many of the tools I have learnt of in Web2 and thinking of ways of setting up a Wiki to use as part of the Special Ed Program. If I can get my head around it more I can see its usefulness in co-0rdinating work for the students, having Teacher Aides to help them with it will be a great advantage. By the end of that time I hope Ning Education is no longer Ning Nong for me.

As for myself and my learning, it is one more area to find information. Web2 is truly useful in the concept of knowing where to find the information you need, rather than knowing all the information.

Virtual Memory Low - Reflections on Module 9

Along with frustration this Module kept me amused and thinking.

The frustration was as usual related to hardware and all things technology. It is difficult to navigate around when you are given warnings about 20% at peak speed before you are throttled down. Of course I could have stayed up all night with lots of other 'cyber friends' to ensure a faster speed and ability to download Scootle User Guide, but didn't. I will get the user guide at a later date; meanwhile I clicked around, finding Scooltle useful enough and a site worth knowing about and thankful that while my virtual memory was low, it had nothing on my real memory. Luckily I will be able to jog my memory as required. I reminded myself that because a program etc is given in a different form does not make its content better and look and read accordingly. Still I think it would take some time before I commented on anything if at all. While willing to give an opinion on most things it is usually when asked. I haven't reached the stage of seeing a comment box or the equivalent as being asked.

The amusement came as my daughter wondered through, making sure I was being careful in the social networking world (I've taught her well) and becoming more agitated as the course moves on. Her "Don't tell me you have to get a Second Life account too?" I suspect she can live with BubblUs, Google Docs and Blogger (as long as I delete my Blog once the course is over), but the thought of glogster, delicious and second life was becoming too much. It was an interesting moment really, remembering that networks and Web2 can become all consuming and lead to saying things you later regret. While I understand that a Web2 course by necessity needs to cover a lot of material; joining this, signing up for that and moving into a different kind of privacy requires some thought before introducing all things into a teaching program.

This came to light while watching the videos on Second Life. My initial thought was the concern of people living in an imaginary world where the imaginary world can become too real. I was quickly moved along with the Second Life Education videos, with my brain branching out and grabbing lots of possibilities. My daughter's horror reminded me to take things more slowly and consider if being able to move into the world of hallucinations to feel what it is like to be a schizophrenic would be a good thing. While this is an extreme idea from the video and there were more good ideas than issues, when using a tool in the classroom, ensuring the students are able to expand their use wisely and carefully and know how to critique what they are using, needs to be thought through.

A few quotes show some thoughts raised:

The ability to 'use words from our lectures and words from our textbooks and create a truly experiential opportunity for our students' is a great thing however remember it is 'not to replicate what is done in real life.' And summing up a comment on ehow regarding Facebook ' online privacy is a new life skill.' This is sometimes difficult to remember when caught up in the excitement of online possibilities.

Postscript on Delicious-Reflection on Module 7 part 2

I was very happy I had rejuvenated my 'Delicious' last Thursday when attending an inservice with lots of good websites given. If only I had taken my laptop they would be in there already. I have been informed to be careful with tags, I wonder if I should be similarly careful with blog labels!

Be Careful - It's Addictive Refelections on Module 8

I guess that line on the RSS You tube says it all, Be careful - It's addictive. I imagine it could be like updates, they all come in at the wrong time clogging up the speed. I can see how RSS might be useful, but I can also see how you could be inundated with the info you thought you wanted but really you don't. If you are carful what you put on Google reader it indeed could be a wonderful thing. On the other hand there are times when too much information is just that. I will think about some podcasts I want to subscribe to and see if RSS is a better way of getting them, or have I misunderstood the clip?

From My Favourites to Delicious - Reflections on Module 7

I have what I imagine must be a Web 1 bookmark service connected to my Yahoo account. It is Favourites anywhere or some such thing and I used it regularly when I first organised it. As with a basic function of Delicious it enabled me to access my favourites from any computer. More recently I have used the function less regularly, not necessarily because I am ready for Web 2 but because I often have my laptop with me when I want a bookmark. I joined Delicious earlier in the year along with colleagues and have to assume given the fact I don't recall that user name means I didn't use the features. Having just watched and read about the features available through Delicious I know I am nowhere near using it to its full potential. However, I will organise myself to use Delicious much more frequently and usefully. I imagine it could all become to confusing if it wasn't managed so I will have to reread the more advanced information to ensure I am using Delicious rather than it using me. I am lucky enough to have located a Delicious account, though perhaps at this stage they wouldn't be able to say the same thing about mine http://www.delicious.com/Learning_Support . I have a long way to go and as the user informed me it is all in the tagging.