EDLD 5326 Week 5 Web Conference

This is the final web conference of the course. During the conference we mostly talked about the final week's assignment and the additional things we had to do for the course. There were a few questions about principal certification and the ILD course. Everyone was pretty much looking forward to the end of the course.

EDLD 5326 Web Conference Week 4

Week 4 web conference mainly covered the next week's assignment. Since this is the last week of the course, many students were concerned over what was to be posted on TK20, the final exam and the rest of the material to be presented for the course. There was very little talk about what was to be done for the actual week 4 course work. There was a lot of talk among students about logging there course imbedded hours and reports. Mine are all up to date for this course and all previous courses.

EDKD 5326 Week 3

We conference was ok. I was unable to attend the actual conference due to illness. I was able to read the transcripts. It was about the same as the previous weeks. Not much was discussed about the course in itself but more about what we needed to get done and everyone talking about what they were doing. This week we focused on what programs we needed to better the school. I used a mentoring/tutoring program in conjunction with our military Adopt-a-Unit. They would assist with tutoring and mentoring students to help with struggling students.

EDLD 5326 Week 2

The web conference was much as the same as last week. We talked about the course and how we needed to work on our other data that needed to be turned in for the course. Had problems with the conference when I could hear it. This week was pretty good. Worked with the Parent Liaison about what existing programs were in place in the school. We talked about how our Wee Readers Program prepared those students that came for the program were for Pre-K when school starts the next year. We discussed how we could improve upon the program. Then we talked about our Adopt-a-Unit program to see how our military unit could help us more with certain events. We next discussed what programs could be put into place to help the students further.

EDLD 5326 Week 1 Web Conference

This was the initial opening conference for the course. We had an opportunity to ask questions and had the professor give us insight to the course. We were able to get the gist of the course and its requirements. The best advice that came from the conference was the talk about the Principal's exam. The professor explained to us about the requirements for the test. One of the students in the conference actually works for the university in the department that handles the testing information. We found out that we have to take the ILD course to obtain our certificate before we will be allowed to take the Principal's exam. She even gave us information about how to contact areas to take the course. I will be taking the ILD in June through Region 12.

EDLD 5364 Week 5 Reflection

This week was a good week as we wrapped up this course and completed our team project. Each member contributed to the project and it is great to work with the group of professional in my team. This week’s videos were very enlightening. This week I watched a video from Professor James Paul Gee about gaming as a form of assessment. I never really looked at games as a form of assessing a student’s knowledge or looking at it as a form of higher-level thinking and problem solving. However, after listening to his talk I have a better appreciation of those that use games. He stated that gaming is a process of problem solving where the student gets immediate feedback to their game experience. If they fail at a level it takes them back to their last known place marker and lets them try again. The student experiments with the game until they figure out the problem and can solve it to pass to the next level. Education should be the same. Students should use gaming to solve problems. As Professor Gee stated, “chemistry class is a game where the students learn the game of chemistry”. It would be great if we could make all classes run in this manner. All the other videos were taking about how gaming is becoming a new way of learning. Teaching should be about learning how to solve complex problems using a game based format. I now have a great appreciation of those students that game. I also let my students use a program called Study Island that has a gaming section that once their daily and weekly work has been completed, they are allowed to play on the game side. I think that they students are learning more because it is making them think in the way they look at life in the gaming world.

EDLD 5364 Week 4 Reflection

This week there was no web conference with Dr. Borel. However, my team and I had a web conference for almost an hour as we summed up the projects we are each going to do for this week’s assignment. I am going to make a video about the natural resources of Canada for the social studies/geography for my part of t he project. I have already found the pictures to use and will use iMovie to make the movie with voice over on the pictures. The reading were interesting this week about how schools are able use technology to enhance their students learning. Through the use of UDL, Universal Design for Learning, educators are able to develop a comprehensive learning strategy that takes students from the ordinary to the extraordinary. This is both an awesome thing to look at and at the same time, depressing because I am unable to do the same things. The reason that it can’t be done is because as a teacher I am required to teach the students what they need to know to pass the state mandated performance exam. I have to teach the test rather than teach the students what they need to know to succeed in this changing world. Even if I could find away around teaching the test, I would not be able to do so due to the filters in place on the computers. WE are unable to even do the basics of learning using the blogs, wikis, and document sharing for collaboration. That is the frustrating part is that I could do so much but the “system” will not let us because we have to “teach the test” instead of teaching the children. Link to my video for this weeks project. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0Nuhm25sY