Weekend 3 Day 2

I think the idea behind the webquest was a good idea. It got us to visit and make us aware of the different websites. Since my computer didn't want to cooperate I am not enjoying the webquest right now. Overall I liked the class, it really broaden my knowledge of technology. I do have a question, not so much with this class but with Illinois School System. Everyone agrees that with today's students integrating technology into the curriculum enhances learning. When/how can schools be made to update their curriculum so it is mandated that schools use and keep up to date with new technology.

Weekend 3 Day 1

It was fun to learn how to create a Podcast. I learned that Laurie liked to be very creative with sounds. I can see where Podcasts would be a very useful tool. Our Superintendent has acutally used Podcast on our school's website. Last year we had a string of snow days. He used a Podcast to update the community on the school schedule.

Last Sunday

I also really enjoyed watching everyone's mulimedia presentations in class. And thank you Karen for showing me the website incompetech.com! I found this website to have a lot of great music that is free to download. I also found the webquest to be helpful. I liked being able to look at these professional websites a little more closely.

Weekend 3, Day 2

The Webquest, combined with the scavenger hunt activities and the sites you gave us to check out in our groups really opened my eyes to how many useful things are out there for administrators Illinois has done a nice job of making these things readily available to administrators. It made me want to search a bit more for resources available to Iowa leaders, as well. I'm sure there are equivalents on the web. I'll look into it....

Thanks for pointing out the podcasts, Dr. Closen. I will definitely be downloading these and putting them on my ipod to listen to. I like to have something to listen to during my mornings. These will definitely fit the bill.

Weekend 3, Day 1

Today I discovered that I absolutely detest the sound of my own voice on recordings.... Jamie, on the other hand, could have a possible future in marketing!

Creating the podcast was an experience that I won't soon forget. It was completely trial-and-error as Jamie and I recorded using software we were both unfamiliar with. We got through it, though, and it was a reminder of the way our students struggle with things we ask them to do for the first time. Certainly it was not a "polished" product... If we had had more time, I'd want to change some things. Definitely a useful tool, however. I could see using this tool in my classes, assigning a podcast to my students in conjunction with their research projects. As an administrator, you might even use this with staff cohorts as they work in Professional Learning teams. It was fun to watch everyone go through the process, and I think we learned from each other as we shared our joys and frustrations!

Last Post

Another class comes to an end. I really enjoyed the class because of all the technology we learned about. I'm excited to use some of the things we learned about in class in my own classroom. I have already set up a wiki for a higher functioning student in my class that thrives on the computer. He was bored in my class because he already knew the material. Having the internet made this type of differentiated instruction much easier for me and my student.

I would love to have the students bring cell phones in and be able to use them on that poll everywhere website. Unfortunately not all of my students have cell phones. I could bring them to the lab in order to do it. We'll see. Thanks for such a great class everyone.

Jon S.

Last Day

I enjoyed everyone multimedia presentations. I also agree with Jamie I thought the cooliris was very neat! I am planning on sharing some of the information/websites to the rest of staff since I a sure they can find some very useful information as I did. At first I have to admit I was not looking forward to the class especially after I realized everything that I had to do. It has been a very useful and fun experience. I also think that the size of the class made it even more enjoyable. When our classes get large the direct interactions and attention from the professor is not as great. We also don't seem to mesh as well as a group b/c of the size. Sometimes a smaller class leads to greater learning especially from each other. I had a great time with everyone and I feel that we all contributed to making the class work. I learned a great deal and am ready to start using it.