Week 5 Reflection-EDLD 5368

When starting this degree plan I had conflicting emotions. Will I be able to manage taking classes that are strictly online? Will I be able to manage myself enough to handle my class load, stay focused, turn things in on time and still handle a job, family, outside responsibilities?
This class showed me that anything is possible when learning on line. When designing my course online I was unsure how my 5th grade students would be able to manage the site and complete the assignments required. After watching and learning through a site webinar, I am convinced that my students would be able to not only manage the site, work on the assignments but may even be able to handle an element of making up their own course online.
I think it would benefit any educator to use online courses. It would allow students to constantly be aware of deadlines, due dates and requirements on assignments. It may even get to the point where they can submit their assignments online.
I will actually be setting up an additional class to the one that I already created to actually go in order of our district scope an sequence. The initial four week period at the beginning of the instructional year is primarily review. I would love to allow students to use this online capability in order for them to work at their own pace on on objectives that really need their attention. It would allow students to really work on concepts that needed their review and would allow the mto move through ones that they were comfortable with.
My continued concern and question is what I have with everything that is online...will my students have access when necessary and is it safe? Many of the sites we have focused or used during the course of this program have not been able to be accessed from my school due to Internet site blocking. This can be frustrating, time consuming and difficult to get around of certain curtains are not lifted. And of course, security is the biggest issue. Will these students be able access these classes, assignments and tests in a secure manner that will not allow any disruption from outside sources. Always a concern, always a worry.
I am hoping with all things considered in the new age of technology, I will be able to use and be successful in administering online learning in my classroom, on my campus and throughout our district!

WEEK FIVE!

The final week has come and gone. It has been somewhat overwhelming I have to say. I tend to be one of those that needs immediate gratifications, the "Oh, I love that idea!" or the "that idea really stinks!" But this class has taught me to really look beyond that, be patient and really know how to take waht others produce and really have it mesh with yours. The ability to really use the things that I have intentions of putting in place week one of the 2009-10 school year with my 5th graders has been awesome. I don't have much down time to "play" during the school year. This actual project came quite easily for us, once we came up with a topic the frames just seemed to move. One member found quotes that would work, we filled out the shot sheet, worked on the videos themselves and editted. I was surprised at how easily it flowed and how each one of us had strengths that posed well with the group. We did have to rethink a few things do to constraints with AUP's and summer school students so we had to go with a different shot in our second frame then intended amnd we had to cut out one of the original quotes we wanted to use due to time and the initial length of the video but for the most part but we were able to stay the course of the overall process. While I found this class a wee bit of a struggle on two accounts, I enjoyed the process and the outcomes greatly! Two accounts being, the time of year and the time of year. Neither of which can be helped but seemed to be the hardest humps to overcome. Many things that would have been easy for me to access while at school or at least in school, I was not able to get to nad had to do some creative thinking to accomplish what I needed to get done. Many of the supplies I needed to complete some of the tasks were district hardware items that I do not have access to during the summer break. The hurdle was jumped and the race completed, it just may have been easier during the 9 month school year. The second was due to vacations, trips and holidays, mine included! Each one of us in my group had taken some time off for summer vacations or needed to finish the project before leaving on one, making it difficult to communicate. During the school year when we all are working would have course made this much easier, but another hurdle jumped and all was successful! I feel as though I have learned much from this class that will be easy to share to my students and to continue with in my personal life as well!

Week Three

How lucky am I??? Wow, do I have a great group! Two pairs from the week before got together via wiki this week and were able to get things moving quickly. We through out some possible PSA thoughts and themes and after looking at the class we were taking and the research we had all ready done, we went with technology. I feel as though each person in my group has some real talents in specific areas, which is great for those of us (mainly me) in some areas for this project. I have to admit that this has been a trying class for me. No "classroom" to meet in, no actual person to talk to face to face has had me change my learning style. Having to talk via discussion board and wiki and having to rely on three other people, has been a good learning experience for me and something that I can relate to when I take this back to my classroom. The hands-on has been an instructional plus!

Week Two- Multimedia

Wow! What a week...and nothing like counting down the hours before something is due. Afetr hours of trying multiple things to get videos from YouTube onto Movie Maker I sent a shoot out to classmates via the discussion board. Thanks to Troy and Ellen for hanging in therw with me and helping me out with something that would work with my system. I would consider myself pretty computer saavy and really haven't had any issues...until this week. I was stumped and thankful for the help! I loved this weeks project once I got going. The only area that I seem to have real weakness in was the time. It's amazing how quickly 30 seconds can go when doing something of this nature. I know that if I had figured this process out last week, I wuld have been able to do much more so the finished product isn't exactly what I was looking for. There is room for much needed improvement!

Photostory

Wow! My task this week was to come up with a PhotoStory about my life that was under three minutes. I know, I know...you are thinking the same thing I was...how in the world am I going to sum up my 32 years in under three minutes. After going through my weekly readings, I realized that I was being way to literal. That my "life" encompasses many things and that I could include as many or as few as I wanted to create my PhotoStory. I had used PhotoStory at work for several projects over the last few years and I was excited to get started...once I had a focus. I decided to focus on my children! What better part of your life to focus on right? I pulled out pictures I hadn't seen in several years. I found the same pictures of both my children doing the same things as they grew...it was great to see that even with the second child, my photos hadn't tapered off. My script came easily once I knew my "theme" and the putting the story together was farily easy. My struggles came with finding a song that was appropriate for the background. I couldn't seem to find a song that summed up what I thought my story told. I picked one that may be seen in a woman/man relationship but to me means something new with the birth of my two children...My Arms Are Wide Open and will always be...they are my life!

Pictures in the Bluebonnets!

It's that time of the year. The wildflowers are out in full force. The kids needed to have thier annual picture taken in the bluebonnets so I drug them out on the hottest day of the week and Made the stand in a bunch of flowers. It's hard to get both to look at the camera at the same time, but the pictures came out cute. Here are just a sampling of what we had! Hope the spring finds you all well, enjoy the rest of the week and the coming weekend!

Soccer Game

Grandpa took a little video of Andrew's team the Rhinos and their first game. Andrew is number nine, look for the blondest, shortest little guy out there and that's him. He tries so hard. I know that one day he's going to be in just the right spot and will help score a goal! It is not that time on the video, he can't quite get there...