Week 4 Walker’s Reflective Response

Week 4
Smooth reading this week that spawned just a couple thoughts.

Chapter 2
Weblogs: Pedagogy and Practice

If your blog is inactive, for let’s say a couple years; is there a blogosphere clean up crew or a way that the blog will eradicate itself? I understand that the Web is vast and accommodating and that inactivity is not an issue—yet. In fact the Richardson (2006) text states that, “…two-thirds of all blogs go for more than two months without being updated.” (p. 20).

I couldn’t help but reflect back on the days when I published a weekly class newsletter and many of the close calls I had with not getting copies made to send out to parents. These experiences, while nerve wrecking, have humbled me especially since the digital environment offers things such as class portals and online filing cabinets.


Chapter 3
Weblogs: Get Started!

After reading this chapter, I began thinking about the path my blog will take after 8823. At first I said I would discontinue it but after reading deeper into the chapter I found that it would be helpfully to have a personal example to share with my students. It is only fair to engage in and experience all of what you are planning to share with your students. Also, I can continue to become more of an expert in this new medium. Will you actively continue your blog after 8823? Why or why not? If so, what direction do you plan on taking it?


Chapter 4
Wikis: Easy Collaboration for All

I found it wonderful that wikis (and weblogs) give students experience in how to truly approach the process of writing—through critically reading. If students can get this at this early stage they are well on their way to honing doctoral level research basics, “…they need to read critically first, if they are to find the areas where information is missing or disorganized.” (p.67).


Reference
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

The Trees Would Love Me More

This week’s reading allowed me to think about how much paper and time I would save through the use of classroom weblogs and wikis for many student activities and projects. The teachers at my school receive a box of ten reams of paper for the year along with any donated reams from parents of the students in your class. Needless to say, I and many other teachers run out well before the school year ends. And let’s not get into the spasms and breakdowns the copying machine endures each month and the sharp warnings we get from our tech person about running multiple copies on our workstation printers. I can see how using a weblog could not only cut down on my paper consumption and copying machine woes but the schools as well.

Another paper related issue Richardson (2006) unveiled was that textbooks are becoming a thing of the past. This is amazing because when I was in elementary school my parents had to pay a book rental fee for me. Does anyone know if standardized testing for elementary schools is or will go completely digital? My assistant principal, who’s charged with the security and accurateness of all the test booklets and scantron sheets would be elated.


Reference
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

Hello, Lori.
How are you doing with this blogging? I am learning something new each time I interact with it. Thanks for inviting me to be an author.
Denise

I Am So Green

...well maybe lime green not forest green.

I was in the middle of an instant messenger conversation with a classmate this week when the phone rang. It was an important call that I had to take. I found myself awkwardly holding two conversations at once while trying not to let either party know that I was slightly distracted. Yes, I could have told our classmate to hold on but, I wanted to ride the techno-multitasking bike without training wheels. Aside from the increased typos in my MSN window and a couple, "I'm sorry would you repeat that again." to the person on the phone, I'd give myself a "C" on that one. Has anyone else been caught up in this type of multi-tasking that comes so easily for our "digital natives"? I read that they write term papers and all at the same time. What was your experience like?

P.S. I picked the right color for my template, didn't I?

Week 3 Walker’s Reflective Response

Whew! I thought I’d never finished the require chapter readings for the week. It was quite lengthy and informative. I will share a few things that made me go “Hmmmm.”

Chapter 4 - Tutorials

I was surprised to read that, “Many commercial programs that identify themselves as tutorials…” are not truly authentic. Therefore anyone can crank out a program and call it a tutorial without any regards to the “rules of thumb”. There are no regulations on what is legal to advertise as tutorial. Making it even more important for parents and educators to do extra research on their own in order to truly weigh a product’s worth.

I found it interesting that “negative words” (p. 102) and phrases such as “None of the above” or “All of the above” should not be used in tutorials. Ironically the Financial aid Entrance Interview contained a question or two in which the correct answer was one of the phrases. So if this is the case in some instances, I wonder why it is cautioned against? I don’t find those questions easy to guess.

In previous classes, I’ve read that giving a student immediate feedback is best. The reading however suggested that in all cases, immediate feedback is not best. A delayed feedback, depending on the situation is a better choice. After thinking about it, it made sense to me. My view on returning feedback to students has expanded.

Lastly after reading this chapter I was puzzled as to the categorization of a program previously used in another Walden class. Do any of you remember using the online text by Trochim that we could only access through a site called “Atomic Dog”? Would you consider it a tutorial or something else?

Reference
Alessi, S.M. & Trollip, S.R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.

Week 3 Walker’s Reflective Response

Chapter 5 – Hypermedia

The first thing I noticed was that there is a lot of unchartered ground that needs to being studied and developed in the hypermedia world. Until then, much of the information was considered “rules of thumb.”

I wondered why one of the “density” rules of thumb (hiding the links until the user requested it by using a keypress) is not used in any Web browsers or commercial hypermedia programs. Especially since it was the suggested rule of making reading more effective and improving the aesthetics of the display. (p. 157)
I was unaware about the mouse feature in some Web browsers in which one can hold the mouse button down to receive a set of options. (p. 158)

Has this happened to anyone? In terms of “marking”, many times I entered the Walden Library database and links to articles I know I did not select have already been selected. Does this mean someone else is using my account (which I pray not) or does it just show what students a couple minutes or hours before me (on that page) have selected?

I love the idea of giving users a choice of navigation tools and the clarification made that if there were only one tool, it would not be considered hypermedia.

Reference
Alessi, S.M. & Trollip, S.R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.

Week 3 Walker’s Reflective Response

Chapter 11
Web-Based Learning

I can understand the confusion of whether or not to consider the Web a software methodology. I found it interesting that Alessi & Trollip (2001) considers it “…a methodology for course delivery or a methodology for developing a learning environment.” (p. 377). Yet, they admit that only in theory is the Web void of any methodology. “It is possible for a Web site to include multimedia programs that are tutorials, drills, simulations, games, and any other methodology.” (p. 377). Interestingly, Web-based learning has roots in hypermedia. Therefore, I think I have discovered the answer to my puzzling question from chapter 4 regarding the Trochim text online.

I wonder how “electronic performance support systems (EPSSs) work? (p. 381) I know I lose some of my book sharpness when I leave some of my classes because I don’t always have the opportunity to exercise, in a real school situation, some of what I learned.

The goals and needs of a variety of learners can be met through the combining of Web approaches and traditional approaches. (p. 382) This ties in with suggestion to mix the learning theories.

Reference
Alessi, S.M. & Trollip, S.R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.

BLOG Initial Reaction

Anxiety was my first reaction to creating a BLOG on my own. Ironically, this is my first experience in the "blogosphere" and I am a bit embarrassed to admit that. Thank heavens for this class, otherwise my 2nd graders would be baptizing me into this and its past time for me to know about and use some of the technical horizons before they do. I am aware however, that I am not the only (educator) neophyte in this world of blogging. I attended the NECC in Atlanta this past June and the session on an introduction to blogging was packed beyond the amount of chairs they had available--I winded up sitting on the floor with many, many other interested people. The session was informative but there is nothing like working with the technology yourself which furthermore supports the adage, "Experience is the best teacher." As with anything, the more practice I get, the better I'll become. The initial anxiety I once felt subsided with the creation the account. Now I feel like many kindergartners on the second day of school--ready to go back because it wasn't so bad after all.

I could use blogging in an online course to further discussions that may have closed in the official class portal. Blogging can also be used as a meeting site for members of a group when working on group projects. I could also use blogging to solicit and acquire updated information or issues reagarding any topic of interest from bloggers around the world. I could post KAMs, dissertations, and other papers for assesor and/or peer review. Lastly, I can see using a blog to save all online coursework and class discussions.