It's Sunday 9/8/08 just about midnight and I am feeling both excited and disappointed in this course. I'm disappointed because I have spent an extraordinary amount of time on this course (instead of with my family) and with the feeling like everything was coming at me at once. I feel excited, because I know a lot of it can be very useful. If fact I feel it is so useful, that I've enlisted a group of friends with whom I am sharing tidbits of what I learn each day. So far they have been delighted!
PDF printing: I learned how easy it is to create and save PDF files (using CutePDF).
Blogging: I learned how easy it is to set up a blog, and that it can be a valuable tool for reflective thinking -- alone, and with others.
Wiki: I learned that a wiki is a tool that can far surpass email for coordinating events between groups of people. I am involved in numerous volunteer efforts, and can see the value immediately for organizing. A memorable point was when I realized that I might be able to use a wiki to gain insight from physics students and physics teachers, all of which might help me become a better teacher.
Personal Web Site (PWS): I found that refining a website can take a lot of time, but it will form a good basis for assembling an e-portfolio down the road.
Changes in Learning Culture: The videos and presentations related to Web 2.0 and the highly interactive nature of today's adolescents was enlightening. I was surprised that fantasy-based learning surpassed reality based learning, but can now recognize that in my own daughter's education.
Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi): I was surprized to learn that much of the technology I've seen in schools, really just touches the surface, and that much higher levels can be achieved.
Whole Class Meeting: I appreciated having met the members of the class, the instructor, and my group personally. It helps me recognize the real people behind all those discussion posts.
Group Meeting: The group meeting was clearly the most memorable moment of this course so far. I so appreciated having connected with them by voice so that we could talk together.
Problems and Frustrations: I was working full time the first week and the second Monday class meeting was lost to Labor Day, so it felt like too much at once to get a handle on. Moreover, trying to do work on the MSMC campus was frustrating because the server moves are causing the school system to run extraordinarily slow. I don't know what "Tapped-In" is going to be used for. I can't distinguish written directions by my instructor from advertising statements. I worry about the security of my computer getting compromised, by all the accounts I set up. WiZiQ did not work as expected. I'm still not sure where assignments are supposed to go (DF or PWF).
I know that when I first started looking for physics resources on the internet last year, I was overwhelmed by the quantity of excellent (and lousy) material that is out there. At this point, I need to have faith that the overwhelming feeling will come together by the end of this course, and more importantly, when I start teaching. Given the number of things I've learned this week (and had difficulty with), I can readily see how many teachers would be discouraged by these technologies, and give up on most of it. I'll hang in there though.
No comments:
Post a Comment