Module 6- Let's be both honest and fair

Reading about both Fair Use and Copy Right issues was fascinating.  I'm always thinking about plagiarism, especially as it applies to my student's writing but haven't put much thought into either Fair Use or Copy Right issues.  I've always intentionally purchased all of my own videos and DVDs to use in my classes, hoping that by owning them, I can show them once a year without too much worry.  I also find it interesting that I consider it a real coupe when I am notified that someone has cited something from a paper I have published...I consider it an honor that someone would want to "borrow" my words and use them in their own work.  I will still need to study these issues further, especially as they apply to online materials.  I certainly don't want to act illegally or use materials that are not mine to use.

Module 5- This course is coming to an end...at least for me

I loved learning how to make a Voki avatar and a voice thread this week.  I'm anxious to use this technology in several of my courses as they add so much interest and fun and learning should be fun.  I'd love to have a virtual Voki classroom!  Last semester I added a virtual game, Spedville, to my SPED 420 class and everyone had to add an avatar to their classroom and then fill it with things needed in a classroom such as desks, bookcases, school supplies, a white board etc.  They obtained these supplies by doing "jobs" such as answering a difficult question from the weekly reading, listening for a scrambled word said in class and then telling me both the word and the time I said it, and coming to class on time.  This is a course I will not be teaching in the future but I may take some of these components and add it to one of my other courses...just for the fun of it.  I've added my avatar link below.  Like Rick's, it's a younger version of me :)

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=5670151&height=267&width=200

Module 4- I'm finally making some progress and this is actually becoming fun!

I believe I've turned the corner this week.  As I've begun (and almost finished) Module 4 the work I've done is coming together in a way that makes sense to me and hopefully will make sense to my students as well. I'm the power point queen so making a power point for this module was not a difficult task but adding Jing to it will be a challenge...a challenge I'm actually looking forward to.  I'm seeing the advantages of less words and more visuals on my power points and am anxious to try to put a sound track to my power point.  I can see so many benefits for this use of technology both in my traditional classes as well as in my blended class.
Since my syllabus was almost complete before I began this online course, adding the modules to it and rescoring several assignments went well.  I've decided not to include my rubrics for various assignments in my syllabus but instead, will put them on Moodle as resources.
Having completed my first two Moodle quizzes, I finally have the hang of doing that and am anxious to get the rest completed and on Moodle as well.  Since next week is spring break to be followed shortly by advising, I'm trying to get a bit ahead of the game now.  Then I can REALLLY enjoy spring break in Barbados with Rick.

Module 3- I'm finally getting the hang of this...with a little help from my friends

I actually love blogging and currently have three blogs going, one personal (laughing, learning, living, loving, luxuriating- wordpress), one for my oneline class, and one for the online class I will be teaching.  I've found in the past that the more I write, the clearer things become and the better connections I am able to form about both myself and situations I find myself in.  I also am able to take information from readings and apply them again to both myself and my life.  I read a book last spring that said that writiing should be a part of every class taught and I tend to agree with that statement.  You can read something and even discuss it, but until you put pen to paper and write about it, it doesn't become your own.  So what are some of the things that I learned from Module 3?  That designing questions that really get at the learning objectives is not easy and am fact I keep putting off this assignment because it scares me a bit.  I love getting new ideas about how to engage students and like to try at least one new idea in every class I teach so many of the required readings were very helpful to me.  I already am a rubric freak but again got some new ideas on how to refresh some of my old rubrics and build some new ones.  Feel free to visit me on my wordpress.com blog...if I can find the time to get back over there  :)

Philip was privileged to communicate first with an angel of the Lord and then with the Spirit of the Lord himself or the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of the Lord dwells in us, we too have the supernatural ability to speak the words of the Lord in a way that others will be able to understand. When Philip spoke to the Ethopian eunuch there is a chance that there was a language barrier but the Spirit was even able to break through this. How fortunate we are as Christians to be able to call on God before, during, and after we teach, seeking wisdom and discernment both for the subject matter we teach as well as for each of our students. I, like Philip, need to know when to speak the Lord's truth to someone, when to listen to what the Spirit would have me speak and when to be quiet and listen to the Spirit speaking to my heart. We are all human and will struggle each day with that humanity..."but we have the mind of Christ" so we can be confident that He who began a good work in us will see it to completion.