MY FINAL AHAS AND HORAYS

Oh my gosh, where to start? First, my aha is the student created lessons. What a novel idea. We covered everything and more on my list. How wonderful is that?

There are so my more aha’s. Skype was too great. My husband bought me a camera for the computer and a speaker. He got it all for ten bucks on the streets in South Dallas! His timing was impeccable! The only person I tried to call was you and you wouldn’t take my call! Unidentified contact I guess. Logged off right after my call attempt… what’s up with that?

I’m very sad that I missed the communities lesson night as I think communities may be the most useful learning source for my students. Because my students are not allowed to have contact with their home school, it would be great to be able to form a community with another alternative center in the U.S. I am scheduled to attend November’s conference in July. Now if I can just get on that plane! I was so excited by his philosophy that when I shared it with our technology director, he arranged for 6 additional people to attend the conference. The others are members of the Campus Improvement Teams for my school district! I think my enthusiasm shown through.

The primary and secondary sources lesson was too much for me. Like the Internet itself, it became too over whelming and I lost whatever lesson I was to learn.

Of course the other class I missed was WebQuest. I have however, downloaded tons of the information you suggested and intend to create a WebQuest this summer for at least three of my classes. I think the students will love the challenge and independent learning. I cannot do the group activities but will devise a WebQuest for students to work alone.

Second only to November, is Secondlife. Wow, what a concept. The possibilities are endless for use in a classroom, IF the technology department would allow access. I sent an e-mail my coordinator concerning access to Secondlife and what I’d like to try with it. Without discuss access was denied with a suggestion that we talk it over in the future. My challenge now is to set up some method of using it in a homework situation. The problem with this is our students are not “required” to do homework. In addition, almost 90% of my students are on free lunch and have not access to a computer at home or a means of transportation to the library. I’ll work on it and see what I can come up with. Maybe my artistic students can draw and create items in Photoshop while others upload to Secondlife. I’d love to set up something with a core subject teacher but, and this brings me to my biggest AHA, they don’t what to be bother with computer assignments and interactive lessons. My AHA didn’t come from them not caring about computers it came from learning my associates are the majority not the minority; that as a Nation, we are not using our resources as we should. I thought until this class, it was my school district and we’d never really use the technology we have purchased. I feel better knowing it many many districts that are failing to use what they have available.

As for suggestions, I would have liked more time to discuss our reading assignments, online learning, uploading web pages, tricks of creating moves and definitely more Secondlife. I also realize that to cover as much as we did, it is almost impossible to set aside class time for discussion. I noticed too not many of the students were into conversing about what we were learning. I think it may be due to the diverse reasons for taking the class. I took it not as a requirement (although it was I think) but as a base to build more technology classes upon.

It cannot be said that this class was easy because it was not. It was a reach into areas that I, as well as many in the class, didn’t know existed. It was fulfilling and well worth the money!