Wednesday, April 2, 2008
My new blog
If you have been following this blog, you will probably want to update your reader/bookmark, etc. to the address of my new blog, (No Longer) Alone in a Library. If that link doesn't work, you can copy and paste the following URL: http://kamccollum.wordpress.com/. Thank you for reading.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Yugma
In my role as a teacher of an "Instructional Technology in Teaching" course, I spend a lot of time looking for new tools that could be useful for teaching. Sometimes though, I find them without with out trying. One of these tools is Yugma, an add in for Skype. I found out about this lovely tool from Stacy Baker when she guest presented in my class. By using Yugma, she was able to share her desktop with us through Skype. We were able to see her and the applications, websites, etc. that she wanted us to see. My students were much more engaged in this guest presentation than in previous guest presenters that we've had via web-conference. There are way too many variables to attribute my students' attentiveness to Yugma, but it had to have helped.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Professional Networking
Last week, I attended two different seminars on Professional Networking. One was delivered by a business man, the second by a professor in Instructional Psychology and Technology. Unfortunately, the first seminar into a sales pitch for a new Facebook application. The second provided good tips for networking at professional conferences. One thing that both presenters agreed about was the usefulness of Facebook as a professional networking tool, which surprised me.
After the second presentation, everyone in the room partitioned off into small groups. They were networking. Being a naturally shy person, I looked around the room for a group to join, but couldn't think of way to "break in" to any of the conversations in progress, so I got more refreshments to buy time. I started thinking about the online connections I've made by contacting the authors of blogs that I follow. I feel like I'm better at online social networking than I am at face-to-face social networking. Still, in a moment a friend came over to me and we lamented our waste of a networking opportunity. I mentioned that most of the people in the room didn't share my research interests. My friend and I, both former k12 teachers, share a common interest in k12 education, which sets us apart from the corporate training and higher-education focus of most of our peers. Soon, she and I had the seed of a collaborative project to begin in April. Maybe I'm not so good at making new face to face contacts, but the ones I make are good ones.
After the second presentation, everyone in the room partitioned off into small groups. They were networking. Being a naturally shy person, I looked around the room for a group to join, but couldn't think of way to "break in" to any of the conversations in progress, so I got more refreshments to buy time. I started thinking about the online connections I've made by contacting the authors of blogs that I follow. I feel like I'm better at online social networking than I am at face-to-face social networking. Still, in a moment a friend came over to me and we lamented our waste of a networking opportunity. I mentioned that most of the people in the room didn't share my research interests. My friend and I, both former k12 teachers, share a common interest in k12 education, which sets us apart from the corporate training and higher-education focus of most of our peers. Soon, she and I had the seed of a collaborative project to begin in April. Maybe I'm not so good at making new face to face contacts, but the ones I make are good ones.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Professional Development 2.0
It's been over a month since my last post, and my only excuse is that it's been a busy semester. I've sat down more than once to write about how my experiment with Just in Time teaching is going in my Educational Psychology class or how my IPT 286 students are reacting to learning contracts and personal learning networks, but I think I've deleted every post I've attempted. I must be superstitious and feel that by prematurely blogging about my successes, I'll doom myself to failure.
What's prompted me to write this time is my first conference presentation. I chose a local conference, UCET, for my first venture into the public realm of academia and I find that I am very nervous. I don't know whether I'm more nervous that lots of people will come or that no one will come (the conference presentation most aligned with my topic, a presentation titled "Open Professional Development", is in the same time slot as mine, so no one coming is a very real possibility.)
My conference presentation is called Professional Development 2.0, and it focuses on creating Personal Learning Networks to guide professional development. I felt qualified to give this presentation when I submitted the proposal. After all, I use my PLN daily and have found it highly beneficial. This semester, I have made it a component of the technology class that I teach. I'm familiar with a variety of tools and I've made valuable connections with other professionals through my network. So what's my problem?
What's prompted me to write this time is my first conference presentation. I chose a local conference, UCET, for my first venture into the public realm of academia and I find that I am very nervous. I don't know whether I'm more nervous that lots of people will come or that no one will come (the conference presentation most aligned with my topic, a presentation titled "Open Professional Development", is in the same time slot as mine, so no one coming is a very real possibility.)
My conference presentation is called Professional Development 2.0, and it focuses on creating Personal Learning Networks to guide professional development. I felt qualified to give this presentation when I submitted the proposal. After all, I use my PLN daily and have found it highly beneficial. This semester, I have made it a component of the technology class that I teach. I'm familiar with a variety of tools and I've made valuable connections with other professionals through my network. So what's my problem?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Learning Contracts
After a lot of thought and discussion, I decided to significantly redesign my "Teaching with Technology" course. My goal in the redesign was to provide my students with more flexibility to pursue learning goals that were important to them. This requires the assumption that teaching with technology is something that they want to learn about. When a course is required, that's a big assumption.
The day that the learning contracts were due, I overheard a conversation in my class that made me think that I might be on the right track. One student excitedly said to a friend, "What's on your learning contract? I'm going to learn PowerPoint." I have to admit, that I had hoped (and still hope) that my student would set her sights higher than PowerPoint as the pinnacle of educational technology, but she was excited about learning and excited about being in my class.
This semester, I've noticed a different attitude among my students and I can't help but think that the learning contract has something to do with it. The other thing that I think makes a big difference is that I now have a personal philosophy about technology and learning, something that I was just beginning to figure out last semester. Last semester, I was trying to help students "teach with technology", this semester I am hoping to help them learn with technology (and about technology) so that they can help others learn as well.
The day that the learning contracts were due, I overheard a conversation in my class that made me think that I might be on the right track. One student excitedly said to a friend, "What's on your learning contract? I'm going to learn PowerPoint." I have to admit, that I had hoped (and still hope) that my student would set her sights higher than PowerPoint as the pinnacle of educational technology, but she was excited about learning and excited about being in my class.
This semester, I've noticed a different attitude among my students and I can't help but think that the learning contract has something to do with it. The other thing that I think makes a big difference is that I now have a personal philosophy about technology and learning, something that I was just beginning to figure out last semester. Last semester, I was trying to help students "teach with technology", this semester I am hoping to help them learn with technology (and about technology) so that they can help others learn as well.
Busy-ness
I am teaching three university courses this semester. I am taking four university courses this semester. I work ten hours a week at the Center for Teaching and Learning. I teach a children's Sunday School class and I am the treasurer for my home owner's association. I am a busy person.
Several faculty members of commented on my schedule this semester. However one professor in my department constantly tells graduate students how easy we have it, and how much busier professors are. I frequently hear him talk about "faculty member's valuable time". The context in which he uses this phrase implies that other people's time is less valuable than his own. This bugs me to no end. I hope that I never make my students feel like their time is less valuable than my own. I am NOT the only busy person in the world.
Several faculty members of commented on my schedule this semester. However one professor in my department constantly tells graduate students how easy we have it, and how much busier professors are. I frequently hear him talk about "faculty member's valuable time". The context in which he uses this phrase implies that other people's time is less valuable than his own. This bugs me to no end. I hope that I never make my students feel like their time is less valuable than my own. I am NOT the only busy person in the world.
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