some post class thoughts...

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two posts in one day -- i'm amazing even myself :0)

so i thought that today's online session went well even though at one point i think i inadvertently kicked myself out of the webconferencing system. funny, this time i was annoyed whereas early on in the course i panicked when i lost my connection. i'm really looking forward to seeing what my students say - hopefully they'll talk to how the class went for them. we saw lots of interesting things and i was able to use Jing to demonstrate creating a screen capture on how to add delicious bookmarlets into one's browser toolbar. then i uploaded the screen capture to screencast.com. it all worked except that i just realized in reviewing the class session archive that my students couldnt hear the sound in my screen capture. i noticed the same thing a few weeks back when Jennifer was sharing a video that she uploaded to her blog - i could hear it but the others couldnt. i suspect it might be related to my headset but that's something i need to look into for the future.

a sense of something evolving

this has been an exciting week for me on the technology front. i feel as if i have been transitioning into a new level over the last few months. my tech course has certainly helped as it has made me spend more time playing and thinking about web 2.0 for my classes. but it truly is interesting how after a while things dont seem as intimidating or overwhelming. i am starting to sense a shift in my self concept about my facility with these tools. it's hard to explain but all i can say is that i think it is directly related to the increased time i have been spending exploring, nosing around and searching what's out there and what people are up to. and i have to say i'm truly jazzed by what i've been discovering. using igoogle to help organize this has also been very helpful. for example, i've starting using my google reader [rss] to bring in sites and networks that are related to my interests in technology and education. there are lots of people doing some cool stuff out there!

SITE 2009 conference

just found out this week that one of our conference proposals was accepted for the Society for International Technology in Education (SITE) 2009 next spring http://site.aace.org/conf/. i'm really hoping my second one will be accepted too - that would be great. i feel like i've been really sucked into the world of technology over the past weeks. having the tech course really helps as i'm always thinking about the portal, course wiki, lessons, etc. and then there are the projects the students are doing. but i've also been setting up a lot of sites for some of the various committees and boards that i'm working with. i think i've set up 5 over the last 1 1/2 months. i'm so getting into exploring with googlesites - i think it has great possibilities. we're also am trying a new social networking tool called ning www.ning.com. as our working space for the site conference. apparently it has been around longer than google but i have yet to discover how similar they are.

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SITE 2009

Zijdemans Boudreau, A., Headley, S., Ashford, R. (2009). Do Educators Need a Second Life? Exploring Possibilities for Enriched Technology-Based Distance Learning.  In I. Gibson et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (pp. 1617-1622). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. http://commons.pacificu.edu/edufac/15/

 

Zijdemans Boudreau, A. (2009). Web Conferencing as a Means of Enhancing Online Learning in a Hybrid Course Delivery Model. In I. Gibson et al. (Eds.) Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (pp. 4180-4185). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/31313. 

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just so many possibilities....

i had one of those rare mornings where i was able to sit at home in my pyjamas propped up with pillows lap top in my lap [imagine that!] just surfing the net and looking at all kinds of new tools and gadgets. it all started while going through my students' ideas for their projects and imagining some ways that they might actualize them. then i got to adding more to my exploring web 2.0 pages. in the past i've had students do an activity around them but this term as we have the richardson book i have just left the pages as a resource. anyway it's incredible how one link takes you on to another, and another...it just never ceases to amaze me how many possibilities exist out there, many free, for anyone to access and use!

think i'm getting the hang of it

so i'm going to practice what i preach and do a post class reflection. i decided to do it right after the class because frankly i think it's best to do it while still in the moment, with everything fresh in my memory, but also because if i dont now chances are i wont get to it again for days.

i look forward to reading how my students responded to today's class but i know for me it definitely felt better. i felt less anxious about whether i was reaching my audience and trusted that they would let me know if there was a problem. my sense was that the technology was working well for everyone, no sound glitches that i know of and none seemed to be having trouble seeing my screen or following me.

having said that, it is odd to be the only one speaking out loud - you feel like you're just talking into dead air. it's very helpful when participants provide input just to let you know that they're ok or understanding clearly. you just have to trust that everyone is paying attention and staying on task. it's also frustrating when individuals are having problems and you cant just help them out as easily as you would be able to face-to-face. i'm sure it's not any easier being the one who is having trouble either - it must be difficult.