November 17, 2010

I can honestly say that being f2f for this class has been quite the experience!! I'm glad I chose to do most of the classes this way for this course. I've learned so much in this class, including new words such as "wonky" (thanks Michele!)

Next up...the dreaded PLN! Thankfully, after the concept was explained in more detail, it doesn't seem so scary after all!!!

November 3, 2010

I got to do my tool time demo for Picnik & it went pretty well. Luckily my computer didn't act up too much and I was able to get through it! We also got to see Ericka's demo of Museum Box which was really neat & a great, interactive learning tool for kids. I like how you can not only add text & pictures, but video as well.

This semester seems to be flying by...

10/27/10

No formal class this week, but we did meet in Wimba to work on a worksheet. Brian was a really big help, answering any/all questions we had & helping everyone navigate through areas of Wimba that they weren't previously familiar with. I think the worksheet is a great idea even for the most experience Wimba user - it never hurts to brush up.

On a lighter note...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

10/20/10

Had class at ETTC in Mays Landing tonight & we watched a Smartboard tutorial. It is AMAZING!!! I had never seen one before so the entire concept was new and extremely interesting to myself & the rest of the class. We all got a chance to use the Smartboard by writing our names and we learned lots of different ways it can be used to teach, not only in the school classroom setting, but in the corporate world as well.

In other news...we had an eventful weekend...I turned 30 on Thursday & my son turned 1 on Saturday!! I can't believe how fast this past year went! Feels like I was just in the hospital having him!

Btw - Happy Belated Birthday to Jeannine!!

9/13/10

I can't believe this semester is half way over! They say time flies when you're having fun, so I guess we've been having a blast!! In this past class, we spent some time making yard sale flyers. We were paired up into groups and each group received a certain demographic to gear the sign to: kids, college age, 30-something's, baby boomers, assisted living. My group had to gear the sign towards college age people. We were racking our brains trying to think of which photos to use on our flyer & then it hit us...what's something most college kids love? BEER! Our sign was short, sweet & definitely got the message across!

10/6/10

This week was our IT History Exhibit presentations. Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG! We were cruising along & suddenly it happened...the dreaded computer glitch. We eventually recovered, but were pushed for time, but made it through without too many battle wounds! Sandy & Ericka were awesome group members & made the process enjoyable!

We watched the other groups present & I was really impressed by Dave, Mike & Stacia's group. Their delivery was seemless as they learned from the previous groups examples and decided to have one person control the entire presentation. Bravo to Jeannine for going solo & giving a great presentation that was informative & had a few fun facts thrown in.

Roma, Brian & Michele's group felt our pain in the glitch department, but managed to pull through & give a really good presentation. I especially liked their gantt chart!

Last, but not least, Tolis, Erin & Dustin's group made me thankful that my group went first b/c I wouldn't want to follow their act! Their presentation was extremely organized and easy to navigate, not to mention AWESOME!

Great job to all the groups!

9/29/10

I am so glad I went to class in person this week b/c I was able to see Amy's box of tricks...& eat tootsie roll pops (haha for you virtual people!) I especially liked the rat that squeaked when you squeezed it! I was really glad to have time towards the end of class to work with our groups on our IT history projects...after meeting with Amy, I think we're on the right track.

9/22/10

I actually went to class f2f tonight rather than attend class virtually in my PJ's! I'm happy I went & will probably try to get to the classroom more often, regarding I have a babysitter!

We watched a few tool-time demonstrations & I absolutely loved Sandy's demo on tagxedo - what a great tool! This tool is not only great for teachers, but for parents who have young children at home. It's a great way to get them interested in learning the alphabet and how to spell! I can't wait to use this tool with my 3 yr. old!

9/15/10

I am the Wimba sharing queen!!! Not really, I just got some much-needed practice sharing my screen on Wimba. Despite the usual beginning of semester glitches with Bb, I think the first virtual class went really well. There were many worries regarding the syllabus that were quieted and we went over due dates for various projects. We also chose our group for the IT History Exhibit which is due on 9/29! All in all it was a very productive class, I'm looking forward to more virtual sessions & hoping that my computer cooperates with me a little more this time!

First class - 9/8/10

Back on the blogging train! Our first class was interesting, with a much-needed "ice-breaker" to get to know each other. We were paired up with someone we didn't know, and then had to put together a mini-presentation describing our partner using any virtual tool of our choice. This was a great way to not only get to know your classmate better, but to learn new tools as you're doing it. I have never had experience using Prezi , but was able to see how user-friendly and easy to navigate it was after completing this exercise.

Right now, I am amazed at the fact that it's 12:21am & I'm still awake! I will end this post by saying goodnight to everyone & I'll hear you all on Wimba in about 18 hours!