The Seafarer"

Write what you think about the poem.

Educational Portfolio

I really enjoyed creating my Educational Portfolio. I did have to revert to Weebly, however, because the MPortfolio site was a bit too challenging for me. Tech Support and C-Tools support were both closed, so I will have to manage the MPortfolio at some other date.  It was interesting to review my past educational and travel history - I am usually so busy that I do not have the luxury to review my previous travels to Finland, Ireland, Germany, and Syria. I really like the web format. It is a very organized way to arrange many documents that can express the various sides of my educational and professional experience.

This class, of course, has been a wonderful learning experience for me. I do need many more classes in technology to increase my skills, but my experience here as certainly increased my ability and my confidence in accessing new technology.

Thank you all!
Susan

Tutorial for MPortfolio

I looked at the video tutorial for the MPortfolio. It is very helpful. There are many written descriptions in the tutorial section as well, but I have not looked at them yet. After the initial introduction yesterday, this is a very useful tool. I still do not have a clear picture of how I will arrange my own information, however.

Blogging

I really like blogging. It affords more opportunities for the exchange of ideas. During class time, and even before and after class, we are too busy to exchange information. However, in the blog we can convey our ideas to each other. It is so useful. In fact, I find it a quiet and effective way to exchange information. In one way it is like a reawakening of letter-writing, a lost art! It is also very nice to read the very thoughtful comments to my own blog. Thank you for all of your entries! Susan

Website

This is very interesting and useful to me. The school where I work has a website that only one person can access totally. She is usually so busy that she cannot respond to e-mail or phone calls. It is very hard to manage. I wish that I could use this kind of website which is totally accessible and useful. I hope to work on this, and convince the school to make changes.

SpicyNodes

Today we are going to learn about SpicyNodes, and I hope that this will be something colorful that my students will like. I really liked Hannah's presentation using this technique.

Duplicate Suggestions

In creating activities for the syllabus, I found it interesting that some groups offered the same suggestions about how to address the needs of the class. This to me shows that the idea is important.

Interviews and Trust

I was very surprised to read in the journal Language and Society that one of the most important aspects that interviewers value is the sense that they can trust the candidate. I was surprised that this old-fashioned value was even mentioned. Unexplained gaps in work history or a lack of frankness turn employers away. This was very refreshing to learn!

The Gains of Group Work

I have learned so much from working on group projects. My former group members taught me about SpicyNodes and Digital Storytelling, in additional to wonderful sites which generate perfect APA style in documents. I was actually reluctant to move away from my former group. I had just gotten used to working with these very nice young women, and I felt comfortable with communicating with them and sharing information. They were so resourceful! It was difficult for me to move on to another group after having found so much to gain from my working relationship with these women.

I am very fortunate that my current group partner also has a very rich background as is very easy to work with.

I would like to keep contact with my group members, although I know that this is hard to do after classes are finished. Life is just to busy.

On-Site Visits to Potential Employers

Our group established an on-site visit as one of our activities. I think that this is very important, especially for undergraduates. Many students complete a course of study without knowing the real employment opportunities that are available for them later. They are very disappointed after completing many costly years of study and then finding that their employment prospects do not match their original goals. Many of my former students expressed an interest in studying psychology. Even though they were warned that in many cases they would have difficulty in securing employment after completing four years at the university. In later years I learned that they were required  to return to the university to complete a different course of study. I am not against the study of psychology, by any means, but I think that young people must be made more aware of their study and career choices.

Sometimes students complete degrees with which they are truly fascinated. Then, when they begin to work in the field, they find the actual work distasteful. I know of social workers and employees in mental institutions who really loved their studies, but then found the actual employment very discouraging. I know one woman who returned to the university and completed an entirely different B.A.

Although the downturn in the economy has been very painful, perhaps it is encouragement for young people to choose their majors very carefully and to look seriously at the actual job prospects waiting for them upon completion of their degrees.

Group Work

I have learned so much about group work from this class, especially about the constant need to be very flexible. It has been very educational. I especially liked the rubric, and I am introducing it to the school where I work. I also have introduced peer assessment as part of the grade in one of the classes that I teach. I think that it has greatly improved the students' sense of responsibility to others.

Schools are usually very complicated workplaces, very intense, with various personalities. So, practicing working in groups is a great preparation for work in schools.

Technology for English Composition

In teaching writing, fluency can be increased through blogging, and experience with the thought required in formulating essays and stories. However, technology interferes to some degree because students rely upon Spell Check and Grammar Check to the extent that many cannot write well without a computer. I am interested in reading research about technological tools which can help in the teaching of writing, including instruction in mechanics and grammar.

Prezi

I hope we have time to learn about the Prezi. I would like to see how it compares to PowerPoint.

Research vs. Classroom

It is a challenge to learn that the findings of research are not always implemented in classrooms. Research has found that technologically assisted tools for self-reflection greatly improve academic achievement. But in our survey, we found very little usage of technologically assisted means of communication, interaction, or self-reflection.

Blog addicting

I find the blogging so interesting, I am not surprised that teens are spending 7.8 hours daily in technological communication!

About this blog

I really like this blog. It is a good way to reinforce learning. I am glad that posting is a requirement for this course. I hope to have my students create blogs, and I will require that they post as part of their grade. In addition, I enjoy reading my colleagues' comments to my blog. Thank you all for being so polite! The comments make me become more familiar with my classmates. I am sure I could learn so much from all of you.

The Survey

I am so interested in being able to develop on-line surveys, and even quick polls. I work in a school, and many of my responsibilities deal with the exchange of information and mediation of decisions. The surveys and polls would supply a very organized and anonymous way to solicit information from students and from staff. This would greatly aid in communication of ideas and feelings.

In addition,  I really love the instant graphs, statistics and charts! I do not have to calculate or tabulate myself! I do not need to allow myself the time to practice creating surveys and charts while I am in this class and have access to technical support.

In regard to the content of my survey, self-reflection in and out of class and the technology used for self-reflection, this is useful information in regard to the students with whom I work. It will give a good idea of prior experience so that we can quickly institute on-line blogs or forums, especially if the students already have experience with the technology.

This class is extremely useful to me. Many thanks to my instructors and classmates who are assisting me.

Literature Review Assignment

I learned very much through this assignment, and I thought it was very effective. I initially learned so much from my colleagues. They are very interesting and talented people, and it is my pleasure to work with them. The articles were very interested. I found it useful to write the annotations, because the writing itself allowed me to think about and absorb the texts more effectively. In reading the other groups' annotations I was given a window to look briefly at other studies. If I have the need or opportunity, I will easily be able to locate the articles in order to read them thoroughly myself.

Yesterday I was looking for some information, and I phoned the C-Tools assistance site in Ann Arbor. I was disappointed to learn that C-Tools support has decreased to 9-5 on weekdays, with only e-mail assistance on Sundays. This decrease in accessibility to help with technology is very counterproductive.

Technology and Self-Reflection

I read two very interesting articles. I had previously had no idea that the use of blogs and wikis influenced cognitive and integrative processes to such a great extent. This creates new avenues for human interaction and thought. I thought the creation of the annotated bibliography was very useful. Writing of the annotations forced me to synthesize my thoughts about the readings.

Tools from This Class That I Would Like to Use with My Students

I would like to learn how I can set up the following so that I could use them with my students:

1. Typewithme
2. Create a poll
3. Make a wiki
4. Set up a C-Tools site for my students
5. Arrange a way for my students to post blogs as we have done in the Forum
6. Find an easy-to-use engine for the creation of MLA/APA citations.

I would like my students to have access to any tool which I learn about.

Attempt #2 was successful

I am glad that I was able to remember how to post the blog to the Forum section.

Attempt#2

Although I was able to post my blog during class, for some reason I cannot find it in the Forum. I am trying again! As I said before, I find the information available in this class to be very useful. I would like to use these methods for my students in Grades 7 and 9. I hope this new blog will appear as it should!