Saturday, October 31st

It has been an exciting week as I have just purchased a new computer. It is much faster and has a large monitor which is nice. I wasn't sure if I would like. So, much of my evening work time was lost to setting up a new computer and getting a few bugs worked out. Now, I have Microsoft Office installed and my Delicious bookmarking buttons are ready to be used. I accomplished my survey for Survey Monkey and had a friend try it out. I showed her the delicious website and we were investigating possibilities for her to use it in her classroom. I am glad I can pass along what I am learning.
I also did my first discussion question. It was interesting to read my classmates views on the question.
In doing a little research for WebQuests in art, I have not had much luck in finding many.

Day 2 of class - October 25, 2009

Whew! We are rolling along. Our morning was spent learning about WebQuests with a group activity. Five websites were viewed and evaluated by efficiency, collaboration,, higher order thinking skills, and how technology was used. Each group discussed and rated the sites as to the two best and two worst sites and presented their findings to the class.
This was a good activity to do for exposure to many WebQuests. It gives me more of an idea of what is in a WebQuest. Now, I just need to try to figure out what mine will be on.
The second part of our day was devoted to our website/Dreamweaver. A demonstration was done but I had problems with my link. It worked but then quite working. This was an omen! Moving on to the Dreamweaver site was so confusing. I have NO knowledge of this program and it has been years since I worked from HTML. My blood pressure is extremely high right now as I feel like I need constant help. :(

Day One of Class - October 24, 2009

We had a busy day! We first discussed the course syllabus and then set up a blog and class mailing list. Our social bookmarking assignment was through www.delicious.com. This is the best thing for me to use at school. Students can be linked to this website to access my favorite websites. There are no worries of students finding inappropriate websites. Searches can be done on topics so I can see what others have bookmarked. Many people can benefit from seeing what sites are favorites of others. Using a social bookmark allows one to be able to access their favorite bookmarks from any computer, not just the one they are on.

We also did a great get acquainted project. The teacher had us draw a card out of a deck of playing cards. We had to match up to the other person who had the same color and suit. Information on what the person taught, how long they had been teaching, what school, what they want to gain out of the course, and an interesting fact about them was collected. Each student shared the information on their partner while the rest of the class took notes. We then drew a paper out of a bag with one person's name and email address in the class. A response through email was made to this person asking two questions and then a reply was made. So, this activity improved my listening skills, note taking, email skills, word processing, and was a great get acquainted activity. I have been searching for a new activity and just found it!

A personal blog, which you are reading, was set up by each student and will be continued throughout the course. A reflection will be given on each class meeting and a weekly reflection.

Information on our website was given and homework is going to be done tonight for it.

I am looking forward to learning the curriculum of this class and know it will help me in my area of teaching. It is a little overwhelming at this point but I'll take it step by step....day by day. Does that sound like a song you know??

Internet Scavenger Hunt - October 16, 2009

The Internet Scavenger Hunt was a list of questions to be answered and put in the digital drop box. The questions covered who developed the Internet, who owns it, what web browser is and its main function, what a blog is, advantages and disadvantages of the Internet in the classroom, what a domain is, and social bookmarking. The questions were to be answered to the best of our ability using the Internet.

Survey Monkey - October 15, 2009

Our first assignment in the class was to fill out an internet survey showing our knowledge of computer usage including emailing, using the internet, the world wide web, blogging, etc. We were to rate our knowledge on a scale. The results were sent to our teacher.
This application can be used in my Photography class before school begins or on the first day. The students could fill out the survey to let me know what type of camera they own, what their knowledge is of it, how often it is used, what type of software they own at home, and any extra equipment or accessories they have.
We were to comment on the Discussion Board and reply to several classmates posts.