Semester Winding Down

Hello again!

The semester has come to a fast halt! I am amazed at how quickly the semester has gone by. I have learned a lot of new concepts and ideas that I can apply to real life situations. I have gained new knowledge of using Moodle, Second Life, Blogger, Wiki Spaces, etc. I will leave this course possessing more knowledge than when I started - thus the course has been successful for me. What I learn in a course tells me if it was worth my while and if my knowledge base increased because of it, to me that is a successful course.

A grade does not mean that you learned anything or even comprehended the material. A grade means that you have completed the requirements for a certain grade of your choice. That is a good determining factor in how much effort you put into a class, but for me I need personal gratification. What did I learn? How does this apply to me? How can I use this new knowledge at my job? How can I use this knowledge to help others? etc. Those questions are how I perceive a class to be successful or not. As a undergraduate student it was all about the letter grade to me, but than I graduated and realized I knew next to nothing and had this wonderful degree framed on my wall!

That's life - you live and you learn...

Tina

How to grade me?

In one of the discussion forums for class, we were asked to define how we should be graded for a certain assignemt...I could not think of guidelines! What is wrong with me? This became a very hard task for me. Now if you had asked me this in highschool or even middle school I would have said "a student should recieve credit as long as he/she turns it in". I know understand that there is more complicated than I would believe it to be.

Teachers now have rubrics, standards, guides, even manuals to teach them to grade properly. I have a new respect for educators today. There is so much associated with their jobs and the salary does NOT match the effots. Teachers are the very essence of our society! They teach the future doctors, lawyers, transportation engineers, factory workers, pharmacist, computer technicians, etc. The grades that they dispel to their students properly reflect the work that a student turns in. Grades assist students in learning their skill levels - what there strengths and weaknesses are.

In short, I guess I didn't realize the necessity of grades until charged with the responsibility of creating my own grading guidelines.

That's all for now...

Professional Development

We have been talking a great deal about professional development. I have come to realize the importance of continuous development in one's field. How it makes you more marketable and current. Professional development is also an excellent way to

• network with other professionals in your field;
• stay up to date with the latest developments in your field
• discover best practices
• be aware of new laws, policies, jobs, etc

So in essence, professional development not only gets you away from your job site, but it allows you to become more knowledgeable and marketable in your field. You are also able to disseminate the information to your fellow co-workers or staff members so as to keep the information going and relevant. So employers need to ensure they are allowing and encouraging their employees to partake in professional development activities.

That is all for now....

Tina

The Advancements of Technology

This week has been very intriguing and historically informative. We are discussing the importance and immergence of hypermedia/hypertext, computer mediated communications and digital videos. To think, these technologies once never existed before....Could you imagine life without them? As a society we have become so spoiled to instant gratification, that returning back to times when there were telegraphs, morse code, no cell phones or e-mail would be complete torture for most of us.

This weeks issues have made me appreciate all of the technologies that we are afforded and don't always take the time to appreciate. The assignment has made me realize how much of my life is digitzed, sometimes out of necessity. I think looking into the importance of these issues are vital to enable us to understand the impact of their emergence in education. I believe that education has benefited greatly from technology. The way lessons are taught, teachers are trained and students are engaged have all been impacted by technology in a positive way.

We are now able to commucicate with other educators from all over the world in a chatroom, research topics via the Internet instantly, utilze Power Points, SmartBoards, etc to engage students.

Semester Chaos

It is me yet again!

I am in the 9th week of my classes and I am starting to beleive that sleep deprivation is a normal concept of a graduate students life. It so happens that all of my class assignments are due between October 26 - 29th. Like all of my professors got together and had the great idea of making them all due at the same time. IHowever, I am sure this was not the case. I have completely busied myself with research papers, group projects, visitations and discussion boards. I have to constantly remind myself of the bigger picture to get through it all.

I have come to know nothing of a social life and have become a permanent fixture in the library. My studies have instilled in me a great deal of determination and hardwork. As a result I am able to handle pressures, stress and deadlines at work with no problem! I have been fortuante enought to be ble to translate my educaiton into real-world experiences. It is my hopes and plan to continue to do so upon graduating next year.

So now that I am done ranting and raving, back to the subject. We are now working on the fifth issue that deals with hypermedia, CMC and other digital medias. I have not been able to make an informed choice on what topic I will choose. I still have yet to finish all of the readings. However, I think that I am leaning towards CMC due to past experiences. I will continue to follow the postings of other classmates and make a final decision soon!

Until the next time.......

Copyright and Fair Usage

I have come across this topic in the last over and over in the last couple of weeks. I have noticed that teachers, library media specialist are especially interested in the topic. I myself never gave it any real thought. I mean, I know that you can't copy DVD, Cd's, CD-Rom's etc but i did not understand the who concept of fair usage and such.

After working on assignments in classes dealing with the issue, it made me want to learn more about it. I have never worked as a librarian, library media specialist or teacher so I am not familiar with the rules and guidelines of copyrights and fair usage.

Copyright and fair usage policies are extremely important. It is vital that you remember to disseminate that information to others in your school or around you. These are very serious issues today and must be handled appropriately. I know myself, I will be more aware of these issues and take steps to rectify my past actions. See I knew there was a reason for this course :)

Until next time,

Tina

Week # 6

Hello again,

We are a third way through the semester and I have begun to feel overwhelmed! The assignments are becoming more involved in both my classes and sometimes I forget which assignment is for which course. I have purchased a planner to enable myself to write down assignment due dates for the month. That way I can plan my weeks accordingly. We will see how this works.

On the up side, I am enjoying the class assignments, just wish we had more time to work on them. Thus far the course has been very intriguing and pushed me to think further than surface thinking. I have become a bit more analytical of what is read, what I research and what I take from it. The next assignment is coming due soon, so I shall sign off of here to continue working on it. Until the next time.....

Tina

Week #5 Group Collaboration

This week was very trying for me. I am use to working on assignments individually. We completed our first group assignment and turned it in today. I am very happy with our finished product. We worked very well together as a group. We worked on sections of the project individually and came together collaboratively to create a finished product.

We initially met before beginning the project so as to come up with a game plan. This was very helpful because it gave each person direction and individual responsibilities. At different points of completion of the project we met online in "the Palace" to check on each others progress.

Let's talk about the Palace! What a wonderful technology it is. Students are able to meet with their classmates to discuss class assignments, questions with the professor, etc. Each student can create their own virtual reality room as well as dress their avatar. I think that it is a very neat and different way to communicate with each other. You are also able to capture the log so that you can recap on your conversations. I think it is very useful in integrating technology into education.

So back to the collaboration, in short as a group we were successful in completing a paper that flowed, not one that was choppy. I think this experience has allowed me to open up more to the idea of working with others and having a positive attitude towards group work. In all, I enjoyed it and will welcome future group collaboration.

Until the next time.....

Week #4 Constructivism

This week we learned about constructivism. This theory of learning is very different from what I have learned up to date with behaviorism. I like the idea of building upon life experiences and past knowledge to incorporate new information. I think this way of learning creates a foundation for meaningful learning as well as information that will be stored and readily accessible when one needs to call upon it.

According to Ismat Abda-Haqq (1998) constructivism is an epistemology, a learning or meaning-making theory, that offers an explanation of the nature of knowledge and how human beings learn. It maintains that individuals create or construct their own new understandings or knowledge through the interaction of what they already know and believe and the ideas, events, and activities with which they come in contact.

To me constructivism allows teachers to be able to create lessons and curriculum that maintains their continuity of learning. It also establishes the groundwork for teachers to collaborate lessons across fields of interest (i.e. English, social studies, science). By teachers being able to build upon other subjects, experiences and prior knowledge this will aide them in creating successful lesson plans that can speak directly to the student. It would seem that this type of learning would be more effective and engaging for students, thus leading to them wanting to learn.

I look forward to learning more about constructivism being implemented in education. Well that's all for now...



Abdal-Haqq, I. (1998). Constructivism in Teacher Education: Considerations for Those Who Would Link Practice to Theory. In ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-3/theory.htm

Week Three: What is ITEC ?

What is Instructional Technology?

According to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Definition and Terminology Committee instructional technology is “the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources (AECT, 2004).

My own definition of instruction technology is “utilizing technological sources in education to better the learning experience. Instructional technologists use the learning theory to increase learners’ engagement in learning as well as communication.

My place in instructional Technology

Broad Perspective: On a more broad level my place consists of making improvement in creating college level curricula that is inclusive of current/modern technologies.

Specialized Perspective: I would like to:
*Work with University Council on Technology (UCT) to ensure that appropriate and most useful technologies are utilized on campus
*Work with the Universities Curriculum Services Department – by working with department will enable me to assist in the decision-making process as to what technology should be utilized and implemented
*Work closely with the Director of Curriculum services (currently that is, Theresa Tillet)
*In short I would like to make continuous contributions to Kent State University’s vision of fusing technology and education in a way that is most beneficial to its students.

Goals and Usage of my degree

*If none of my classes are canceled, I will finish up my degree program in August 2009
*My goal is as stated above in my specialized perspective in to make continuous efforts to fuse education and technology in a way that is most beneficial to Kent State University students.

What can you do with a degree in Instructional Technology?

*You can work in a governmental offices, nor-for profit agencies, elementary, junior high, high school and college level educational systems
*You can be a teacher (the degree with make you a hot commodity because you will have improved your teaching practice and be knowledgeable of the latest technologies)
*Corporate trainer
*Distance learning coordinator
*Purchaser of technology equipment for a business/college/etc
*Online curriculum developer
*Online teacher
*Train instructors or other campus officials on the latest technologies on their campus
*Test and troubleshoot educational technologies
*Among many other professions

What I plan to do

As I have mentioned before I plan to continue working at Kent State University. I will finish up my masters ITEC program and than look for jobs within my area. Preferably I would like to remain at Kent State University, but if not I will look into jobs at Akron Public School, University of Akron and/or small private college/universities in the area. I will also like to become a contributor to the University Council on Technology.

In order to keep my knowledge base current I think I will need to:
*Join professional organizations for the field
*Subscribe to magazines/journals about ITEC
*Continuously research the field
*Search for a mentor who already has experience in the field
*If time permits (because I work full time) participate in an internship to gain some hands on experience
*Network with other ITEC professionals
*Attend conferences/meeting


AECT. (2004, June). Definition and Terminolgy Committee. In Association for Educational Communication and Technology. Retrieved September 8, 2008, from http://www.aect.org/about/ div_.asp?DivisionID=18

Week Two Reflection

Hello Again,

Now that we have actually started on the course material I have become busier than ever! I do enjoy the work, so that is good. I have been reading the text (Ingram & Ingram) and have found it encompass an abundance of information. I am a bit overwhelmed about the complexity of some of the material, but I welcome the challenge. This week we had an online discussion that unfortunately I was unable to take part in, but I did read the log of it. I like how Dr. Ingram added that log to the site so that those who were not there can still get an idea of what was discussed. That was very helpful (thanks Dr. Ingram!)

Week One Reflection

I have registered for this course as part of my degree requirements. I am hoping to learn a lot of new information and material that will aide my in becoming a instructional technologist genuis! No not really but I am excited about the course content and all that has been prepared for us to learn this semester.