Final Reflection

1.  What are some things you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?

I have learned so many useful things I will be able to put to use through my career in this course. I have learned what a great resource Merlot is. I've learned how to utilize and create a Stand-Alone Instructional Resource or StAIR as well as WebQuests. I was particularly interested in the concept of Universal Learning Design and different strategies for implementing them.

2.  How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?

Integrating web-based technologies helped me to think about and evaluate uses of technology by opening my eyes to different ways to go about teaching online and with technology.

3.  How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?

I have met my own personal goals for learning about technology integration by completing and putting forth my best effort in this course.

4.  Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?

During this semester I learned I was not accepted into the master's program so that certainly has changed my plans and goals. My new goals are to take CEP 812 this summer and finish the certificate program. In the mean time I will be looking into other options for furthering my education. I am still trying to decide between getting another Bachelor's degree, or finding another college that offers a Master's program in Educational Technology to apply to.

Online Teaching Experiences

Learning Management System - Moodle
Moodle has very few limitations to the type of content it could help to teach. Any variety of subjects such as Math, English, Science, History, Business, Psychology, Professional Development, and so much more can be taught using this Learning Management System. The types of pedagogical strategies that one might use are also quite varied. Courses can be offered completely online or in a hybrid format. Lectures can be put into a Moodle course site in the form of audio, video, presentation, or simply written. Discussions can take place in the forums and chats. Activities can be spelled out and explained on Moodle to be carried out online or in a real world situation.

Technologies that would be harder to use with my students/peers:

In my position of Distance Learning and Online Coordinator my students and peers are somewhat synonymous. I oversee the instructors in the online learning program, so for the most part all of the technologies that qualify as an online experience would be put to good use by at least one, if not all of my students/peers.

StAIR - Stand Alone Instructional Resource

Below is my Stand Alone Instructional Resource (StAIR) project. This was created as a tutorial for instructors at Bay Mills Community College who would like to use Google Docs as their grade book.

You can also find my StAIR on MERLOT.org.

Wikis Lab

For the Wikis Lab we were asked to find our school or workplaces Wikipedia page and add or correct some information. I found the History area of the BMCC Wikipedia page to be somewhat lacking so I added the History information that can be found in our schools Student Handbook. Below is a screenshot.

Next I created my own wiki in Wikispaces. This can be found here:

http://swcep811.wikispaces.com/

UDL - Checklist

Below you will find my UDL Checklist for my Grade Book Lesson plan. My lesson plan met a lot of the feature criteria especially in the Engagement area. The area that could probably use the most work was Expression, especially 4. Provide options for physical action.

Wellman UDLChecklist

WebQuest Evaluation

For my WebQuest Evaluation I decided to take a look at Educators Using Technology by Loren Naffziger of Foothills Christian High School. This WebQuest was intended to be used as a means of professional development for teachers, it addresses National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers or NETS-T as well as California Standards for Teaching Profession. More specifically it focuses on the NETS-T Standard II: Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences and Standard III: Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum.

This WebQuest’s process includes 3 steps. First instructors are to research different technology applications that can be used for teaching. The instructors should then form a group and discuss the different researched applications and decide on three or more to make a presentation and lesson plan for. In the final step the group will make a 10 minute presentation during an in-service. A successful presentation and lesson plan will incorporate technology in a meaningful way.

The whole purpose of this WebQuest is to take full advantage of technology. I believe doing this Webquest by photocopying pages and handing them out would completely defeat the purpose. Technology must be utilized in order to complete this WebQuest. Some of the material is out of date, there are links to tutorials for Microsoft Office 2007 and articles about blogging from 2006. If I were to improve the WebQuest I would start by updating some of the links the creator of the WebQuest gave for the instructors to explore.

MERLOT Resource Evaluation - Teaching Like it's 2999

For my MERLOT Resource Evaluation I will be taking a look at Teaching like it's 2999, a blog by Jennie Magiera. As Distance Learning and Online Coordinator at Bay Mills Community College I wanted to find a useful resource for myself as well as something I could share with the online instructors I work with.

Quality of Content:

This is a blog that is exploring ways to redefine education through effective technology use. It provides tutorials on using Google and screencasting in the classroom, reviews of various iPad educational apps, links to other great educational blogs, as well as regular posts on different educational topics.
 
The author Jennie Magiera is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Teacher and Chicago Public School's Tech Innovator of the Year. In addition to working with schools she writes curriculum, teaches at the graduate level, speaks at conferences and leads workshops for various organizations.


Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool

The materials can be used in all stages of the learning process/cycle of both newbie and veteran online instructors. It is an all around good reference tool for instructors looking to keep up with the latest and greatest in educating with technology. After reviewing the various tutorials instructors should be able to adapt some of those concepts into their own online classrooms.


The target user would be instructors interested in using technology and online resources to teach any number of subjects. The material learned from browsing this blog should be easily integrated in current curriculum and pedagogy within the online learning community. Teaching and learning the materials within preexisting online courses could potentially become easier as a result of the lessons learned and implemented from this blog.


As a part of the Online Instructor Area that I have created as a resource for the instructors at Bay Mills Community College this blog could easily be used to create good learning assignments. Most likely these assignments would be an optional lesson for instructors who would like to learn new ways to use the different technologies within their own courses.



Ease of Use:


The lables, buttons, menus, text and general layout of the blog are visually appealing, and easy to use and understand. The different tabs make it easy to find what would be most useful to the individual user. The pages remain consistent throughout the blog allowing the user to easily jump from one area to the next. The material is easily accessible provided the user has the necessary equipment such as a computer, iPad, and reliable internet connection.