As a result of my decision to continue my education in the field of instructional technology and design, IT 645 is the first class I have taken. My decision to continue my education was driven by my desire to successfully implement technology into my classes, which is an area in which I feel that I am behind. New generations of learners are flooding K-12 schools and colleges, and technology is the center of their learning style. IT 645 was the perfect class for me to begin this adventure. I have learned more than expected and am excited to begin implementing the technology that I learned in the class. I was somewhat apprehensive at first because of the online class format. However, Dr. Wang did an excellent job making me feel connected to others in the class and filling my mind with enthusiasm for changing the structure of my online classes. I never dreamed I would learn so much over one summer semester.
The semester began with the creation of a blog. This is my first experience with blogging, but I teach the subject in two of my classes. I feel that my new experience with blogging will lead to better instruction for my students. Weebly proved to be an excellent site for my first blog. Using the tutorial that was provided in the class, I was able to maneuver through the site with a minimum amount of difficulty once I got past the class blogroll. I actually had difficulty creating my blogroll. With additional help from outside sources, I was able to figure it out, and at that point I felt comfortable with most aspects of Weebly. A blog will definitely be an addition to my future classes. I know I will create a blog for each class so that students can provide feedback of my courses. I am going to choose one class, my Professional Development class, to require students to create their own blog for the class. I will evaluate its effectiveness and decide if I will require it for all of my classes.
I found the podcasts and online video clips that were provided for the class in Blackboard to be effective for the most part. In a couple of instances, the video clips were different than the actual appearance of the site when creating the particular assignment. This caused some confusion. At this time I do not have podcasts and video clips in my classes. However, because I can now see the value of adding this material to my courses, I will check with textbook publishers or choose video clips from reputable sources to add to my course content.
I will likely implement most of the ten hands-on projects that we created in this class into my own classes. Since I teach several different subjects each semester, the task seems overwhelming. My plan is to begin by implementing most of this technology into one class during the fall and proceed from there. A list of the projects that were completed in IT 645 and my thoughts about each project follow.
Lesson Plan: The semester began with the creation of a lesson plan. Although I do plan each course and present each semester’s work in a calendar for my students and me, I like the idea of detailed lesson plans for each objective that I cover. I can share the lesson plans with students so that they have a detailed explanation of the material that will be covered. To date the details are not available to my students, but I can see how understanding the big picture could help them.
Technology Questionnaire: The technology questionnaire is one of my favorite assignments this semester. I plan to implement it into all of my classes this fall. Even though we live in a computer-literate world, not all students have the technological skills necessary to successfully complete a technology class, either seated or online. If I can pinpoint the students who will struggle maneuvering the course site or accessing course material at the beginning of the semester, I may be able to reduce the drop rate and help these students succeed.
Google Doc: I liked using Google Docs. I like the fact that students don’t need Microsoft Office to access course documents. All of my students have a Gmail school account. Since I know that all students don’t learn the same, one of my plans is to create Google Docs containing course material in small units
Google Presentation: I do like Google Presentations because students can use their Gmail account to access course material instead of Microsoft PowerPoint; presentation software is already the center of my teaching style. I will likely change my presentations from Microsoft PowerPoint to Google Presentations in future semesters.
Gradebook: I feel that students should have access to up-to-date grades at all times during the semester, and I use our online learning platform to provide this for my students. I can create statistics on a particular assignment to check students’ performances, or I can view individual students’ grades; therefore, creating and maintaining a gradebook is extremely important to me.
Podcast: The podcast was another one of my favorite tools that I learned this semester. I can see the value to students, especially my online students. Most of my online students have never met me. I plan to create podcasts not only to introduce myself but also on individual objectives that I cover throughout the semester. I can’t wait to see if this improves students’ comprehension of material. I am hoping that if they hear my voice, it will be more personalized. I can also stress key points with the tone of my voice, which cannot be achieved in writing. I plan to add podcasts to all of my online classes this fall.
Movie: Similar to the podcast, I can see the value of adding movies to my course content. I think that movies will interest students. Although it may be more time consuming to create movies as opposed to podcasts, I can slowly add movies to my courses over the next few semesters. This fall, however, I am going to teach one of my classes to use Movie Maker to create movies for a class project. I plan to implement this in my flipped class.
Course Site: I enjoyed creating the course site because I was able to create my own design, and I was offered a little creativity to design the site the way that I wanted. However, I will not implement this into my classroom because I use my school’s online learning platform for both my hybrid and online classes.
Rubric: The rubric tool is also a keeper for me. I have attempted to create rubrics for my courses in the past and usually abort the project because it gets too difficult. RubiStar made it easy to create what I feel is a great rubric. There were plenty of themes to choose from, so I feel that I can create rubrics appropriate for any subject. I am going to create a grading rubric for my online grammar class this fall. My students write paragraphs, and I feel I can provide better feedback by using a grading rubric.
Quiz and Forum: The quiz and forum assignments were my least favorite assignments. Creating the quiz was time consuming because I did not make the connection that the quiz was actually a survey. The forum was relatively easy to create, and I use a similar format in my online learning platform, Canvas. I can create threaded discussion links on various topics. I create all of my tests in Canvas as well, and I plan to continue to use Canvas for these tasks.
Online Test: I found Easy Test Maker easy to use, and my favorite feature of this program was the matching question option. I do find that I sometimes like to steer away from using test banks to create tests and create my own test questions. However, I can use Canvas to create tests using a format similar to the Easy Test Maker format. Canvas allows me to upload test banks as well as create my own test questions.
Online Web Tools – Thinglink, Scoop It, and Diigo Online Bookmark: I grouped my discussion of these sites together because of their similarities. All three sites are used to provide links for students to access online information easily. These online tools were easy to create, and I believe they will prove to be valuable learning tools for my students. These tools will allow me to provide relevant resources for my students without them having to search the internet and sift through the enormous amount of information that is available online. If I keep the online web tools up to date, I can be assured that students will not use information that conflicts with what is being taught in class or information that is out of date. I plan to implement all three of these online tools in my classes this fall.
Creating the blogfolio and watching it unfold through the course of this semester was one of the most valuable learning tools for me. I have been searching for a venue to update a semester’s long project in one of my classes. My students create a portfolio throughout the semester that they turn in during the last week of class. My format is outdated; students print material which is included in a binder that is submitted for grading. The projects have been created in a similar format for many years. It is way past time to update these portfolios. This blogfolio is my answer. Blogfolios will definitely be implemented into my class during the fall semester.
As this class comes to an end, I realize that my decision to continue my education is necessary, and I am optimistic that it will improve my teaching style. I came to the realization a few years ago that my teaching materials are extremely out of date, and the enthusiasm that my younger students have for technology intrigues me. I vowed that once I implement the 21st Century learning tools that I will obtain while completing my degree into my classes that I will never let my teaching style become outdated again. I will stay abreast of technology through professional development and continuing education courses, and technology will remain the center of my teaching style.
The semester began with the creation of a blog. This is my first experience with blogging, but I teach the subject in two of my classes. I feel that my new experience with blogging will lead to better instruction for my students. Weebly proved to be an excellent site for my first blog. Using the tutorial that was provided in the class, I was able to maneuver through the site with a minimum amount of difficulty once I got past the class blogroll. I actually had difficulty creating my blogroll. With additional help from outside sources, I was able to figure it out, and at that point I felt comfortable with most aspects of Weebly. A blog will definitely be an addition to my future classes. I know I will create a blog for each class so that students can provide feedback of my courses. I am going to choose one class, my Professional Development class, to require students to create their own blog for the class. I will evaluate its effectiveness and decide if I will require it for all of my classes.
I found the podcasts and online video clips that were provided for the class in Blackboard to be effective for the most part. In a couple of instances, the video clips were different than the actual appearance of the site when creating the particular assignment. This caused some confusion. At this time I do not have podcasts and video clips in my classes. However, because I can now see the value of adding this material to my courses, I will check with textbook publishers or choose video clips from reputable sources to add to my course content.
I will likely implement most of the ten hands-on projects that we created in this class into my own classes. Since I teach several different subjects each semester, the task seems overwhelming. My plan is to begin by implementing most of this technology into one class during the fall and proceed from there. A list of the projects that were completed in IT 645 and my thoughts about each project follow.
Lesson Plan: The semester began with the creation of a lesson plan. Although I do plan each course and present each semester’s work in a calendar for my students and me, I like the idea of detailed lesson plans for each objective that I cover. I can share the lesson plans with students so that they have a detailed explanation of the material that will be covered. To date the details are not available to my students, but I can see how understanding the big picture could help them.
Technology Questionnaire: The technology questionnaire is one of my favorite assignments this semester. I plan to implement it into all of my classes this fall. Even though we live in a computer-literate world, not all students have the technological skills necessary to successfully complete a technology class, either seated or online. If I can pinpoint the students who will struggle maneuvering the course site or accessing course material at the beginning of the semester, I may be able to reduce the drop rate and help these students succeed.
Google Doc: I liked using Google Docs. I like the fact that students don’t need Microsoft Office to access course documents. All of my students have a Gmail school account. Since I know that all students don’t learn the same, one of my plans is to create Google Docs containing course material in small units
Google Presentation: I do like Google Presentations because students can use their Gmail account to access course material instead of Microsoft PowerPoint; presentation software is already the center of my teaching style. I will likely change my presentations from Microsoft PowerPoint to Google Presentations in future semesters.
Gradebook: I feel that students should have access to up-to-date grades at all times during the semester, and I use our online learning platform to provide this for my students. I can create statistics on a particular assignment to check students’ performances, or I can view individual students’ grades; therefore, creating and maintaining a gradebook is extremely important to me.
Podcast: The podcast was another one of my favorite tools that I learned this semester. I can see the value to students, especially my online students. Most of my online students have never met me. I plan to create podcasts not only to introduce myself but also on individual objectives that I cover throughout the semester. I can’t wait to see if this improves students’ comprehension of material. I am hoping that if they hear my voice, it will be more personalized. I can also stress key points with the tone of my voice, which cannot be achieved in writing. I plan to add podcasts to all of my online classes this fall.
Movie: Similar to the podcast, I can see the value of adding movies to my course content. I think that movies will interest students. Although it may be more time consuming to create movies as opposed to podcasts, I can slowly add movies to my courses over the next few semesters. This fall, however, I am going to teach one of my classes to use Movie Maker to create movies for a class project. I plan to implement this in my flipped class.
Course Site: I enjoyed creating the course site because I was able to create my own design, and I was offered a little creativity to design the site the way that I wanted. However, I will not implement this into my classroom because I use my school’s online learning platform for both my hybrid and online classes.
Rubric: The rubric tool is also a keeper for me. I have attempted to create rubrics for my courses in the past and usually abort the project because it gets too difficult. RubiStar made it easy to create what I feel is a great rubric. There were plenty of themes to choose from, so I feel that I can create rubrics appropriate for any subject. I am going to create a grading rubric for my online grammar class this fall. My students write paragraphs, and I feel I can provide better feedback by using a grading rubric.
Quiz and Forum: The quiz and forum assignments were my least favorite assignments. Creating the quiz was time consuming because I did not make the connection that the quiz was actually a survey. The forum was relatively easy to create, and I use a similar format in my online learning platform, Canvas. I can create threaded discussion links on various topics. I create all of my tests in Canvas as well, and I plan to continue to use Canvas for these tasks.
Online Test: I found Easy Test Maker easy to use, and my favorite feature of this program was the matching question option. I do find that I sometimes like to steer away from using test banks to create tests and create my own test questions. However, I can use Canvas to create tests using a format similar to the Easy Test Maker format. Canvas allows me to upload test banks as well as create my own test questions.
Online Web Tools – Thinglink, Scoop It, and Diigo Online Bookmark: I grouped my discussion of these sites together because of their similarities. All three sites are used to provide links for students to access online information easily. These online tools were easy to create, and I believe they will prove to be valuable learning tools for my students. These tools will allow me to provide relevant resources for my students without them having to search the internet and sift through the enormous amount of information that is available online. If I keep the online web tools up to date, I can be assured that students will not use information that conflicts with what is being taught in class or information that is out of date. I plan to implement all three of these online tools in my classes this fall.
Creating the blogfolio and watching it unfold through the course of this semester was one of the most valuable learning tools for me. I have been searching for a venue to update a semester’s long project in one of my classes. My students create a portfolio throughout the semester that they turn in during the last week of class. My format is outdated; students print material which is included in a binder that is submitted for grading. The projects have been created in a similar format for many years. It is way past time to update these portfolios. This blogfolio is my answer. Blogfolios will definitely be implemented into my class during the fall semester.
As this class comes to an end, I realize that my decision to continue my education is necessary, and I am optimistic that it will improve my teaching style. I came to the realization a few years ago that my teaching materials are extremely out of date, and the enthusiasm that my younger students have for technology intrigues me. I vowed that once I implement the 21st Century learning tools that I will obtain while completing my degree into my classes that I will never let my teaching style become outdated again. I will stay abreast of technology through professional development and continuing education courses, and technology will remain the center of my teaching style.