CEdO 565 Post#2

This week revisits an old friend in data analysis. I have always been concerned with putting too much stock in data, because beauty is often in the eye of the beholder. My school district is data hungry, and I often question making decisions based on data returned in the form of surveys. In one sense, survey takers are often conflicted about having to take a survey, and consequently, results can be skewed. In another sense, I often wonder how the data is analyzed. The focus can often be misplaced, or areas are highlighted that ignore some obvious concerns.
What I have enjoyed with the Winns site is that the data seems a bit more black and white. Data based on standardized tests is hard to minipulate because of the uniformity of the test. With that said, my high school still finds a way to paint a picture that seems a bit too rosy for my taste.
As a language arts instructor, my focus has always been on making my students better writers. I have examined the data concerning student abilities in the areas of reading and language. As readers, my school has results that surpass or at least rival many schools. Language results, on the other hand, shows that we are woefully deficient. So I have to ask what causes my students to struggle in the area of language. My contention is that students have fallen behind in my district because grammar instruction is no longer emphasized in the classroom. Further investigation shows that many educators in my district claim to provide some form of grammar instruction for students, but when put to task, grammar instruction is more theory than reality. Some teachers incorporate small bits of grammar instruction, whereas other teachers avoid grammar like the plague.
From the data studied, I think it is fair to say that grammar instruction needs to be a priority in my district, and it is also evident that it should become very focused prior to the WKCE test during 10th grade. My department has decided to include formal grammar instruction during 9th grade, and to be continued throughout the high school experience.
I remember some national data that was gathered showing that grammar instruction didn't have an impact on student writing. I never saw the data, but read the conclusions with caution. I have always believed that there is a connection between grammar and writing abilitiy, and I think my high school's data supports my theory. I look forward to incorporating some "old school" grammar instruction at my school, and I will be curious to see what I think will be improvement in student scores in the area of language on standardized tests in the future.

CEdO 565 Post#1

I believe that every educator is a leader, but how one accepts the role of leader varies from person to person. In one sense, I would love to be more of a follower. Not in an apathetic sense, blindly going where others tell me to go, but in a behind the scenes capacity. I would prefer to do the heavy lifting without having people recognize my role. Call it self-deprecating, humble, or just plain silly, but I have never really felt comfortable being considered a leader.
When I was in my 20's, I accepted a position as the assistant general manager of an upscale restaurant. Aside from my sports background, this was a time in my life where I learned the most about what it meant to be a leader. Being responsible for 100 employees was a constant challenge, and I learned a lot about what I could and could not accomplish.
I finally became a teacher when I was 30, and within a year I became the department head at my school. I enjoyed the responsibilities of the position, but didn't enjoy the politics involved. During this time I also coached, and I learned a lot about conflict resolution.
These experiences helped forge my leadership skills. Now I am in my third year of teaching at Bay Port high school, and it is my tenth year as an educator. I think this graduate program has allowed me to be a leader in my department. As we continue to adapt our curriculum, I am asked to lead the way in presenting technology tools that might be viable alternatives to methods that are currently practiced. Although I am far from an expert, I do feel comfortable making recommendations concerning technology in order to improve student learning.
I also lead when it comes to the writing process at my school. I am on a committee that is evaluating current writing practices (or lack thereof) and trying to develop solutions to improve student writing. I feel comfortable sharing information with staff concerning classroom weaknesses in the area of writing, and can deal with the often frigid audience. If I do anything well, it would be my ability to disarm the defensive strikes often volleyed by teachers when they feel threatened by inquiries. I never take sides, and do not form any alliances with groups. Impartiality has helped me reach more staff members, and I think people respect that about me.
My classroom is my favorite area for leading, because it is there that I feel most in my element. My students are often the castoffs from other classes, and many adults have given up on the chances of these students being successful. I feel that I can influence these students to a greater extent than any other groups at the school, for these students need the most direction. The daily interaction with these students has helped me become more organized, compassionate, and determined to be successful. In many cases, I am the only role model that these students have, and I cherish having that opportunity. Although I am not the best person to ask, I do hope that my students consider me to be a good leader.

CEdO 555 Post #3

As I finish my search and rescue project concerning assignments and standards, I am now focusing my attention on my major project. My project involves the study of Google Wave. At a glance, Wave is intended to be what email would look like if it was created today. Forty years of email has been effective, but a new way to communicate was desperately needed. Whereas email sends the message to viewers, Wave is a hosted conversation. People come to the message rather than the message coming to the people. Viewers are invited at any stage in the process, and a playback feature allows them to see the stages in the development of the message. Drag and drop features allow for easy placement of content, and everything updates in real time. Gadgets can be employed such as Blogger, which automatically links the wave to a blog. A translator gadget can be used to allow communication to cross language barriers. Other forms of gadgets can be used to add graphics to the messages. There are many more features of Wave that allow for a great way to communicate and collaborate with others.
With that said, Wave is far from being perfect. The Beta version doesn't allow for users to access many of the features that will be available in the final product. The user is teased with the idea of using many features, but as of yet, Wave is still in the stripped-down test mode.
I am anxious to continue my study of Wave because I think it will be a great tool for classrooms and schools in general. Will it make current email a thing of the past? Probably not, but it certainly has the potential to be a powerful tool for the toolbox. :)

CEdO 555 Post #2

As I head towards the conclusion of the graduate experience, I find myself revisiting many of the projects that I created throughout the course. In one sense, I wish that I would have taken more care organizing my work when I was creating it; and in another, I wish that I was matching my assignments to standards during the creation process. I agree with John that this is an excellent experience, but the projects were originally created to fulfill the requirements of assignments. In retrospect, I would have rather had standards in mind during the creation, so that greater care could have been given to meeting an array of standards. With that said, revisiting the work has brought to the surface my thought process during the creation of assignments and also how changes would be made if creating again.
My culminating project is also a good endeavor, and for it I have decided to take a closer look at Google Wave. I had thought that Wave would have been available for public consumption by this point, but it will be a good experience putting the tool under the microscope. I love the idea of collaboration with my students, but I know through experience that students are often looking for the path of least resistance. My initial approach to introducing technology in the classroom was met with resistance because I tried to incorporate too many tools at once, and that is where Wave might have some value. Rather than having students use numerous tools for collaboration, Wave should narrow the field to one tool. I love how it ties to blogs, allows history of activity, and can limit who sees what. The control factor is one of the coolest features of Wave. Although working together, students and teachers can choose who can see what information. I do wish that Wave activity could be tied to an email account so that students wouldn't have to visit Wave to see if anything has been updated. At the same time, the fact that Wave can replace many tools will help to streamline my approach with students, and hopefully provide an excellent resource that they are willing to use.

CEdO 555 Post #1

This week I had an opportunity to start evaluating online portfolios, and I have found the process to be interesting. Prior to this task, I have always thought of teacher portfolios as collections of works gathered throughout the years and housed in locked filing cabinets. These guarded secrets were rarely talked about and seldom seen, but I always knew they existed. I applaud the willingness of teachers to put their work into cyberspace to be closely scrutinized by graduate students. With that said, there are varying degrees of skill and thoroughness in these portfolios. If these portfolios are reflections of the teachers that created them, then there are a wide variety of talents available for employment.
As I embark on creating my own online portfolio, I have initial feelings of trepidation. Throughout this program I have tried to complete my assignments to the best of my ability, and now we are asked to match our assignments to state standards. I am hoping that I will be able to accomplish this task, but I also wonder if this will be something that can be improved throughout the graduate program. It stands to reason that artifacts to be included in the collection would have been created with standards in mind, rather than now trying to figure out which standards they meet. This is not a criticism of the program, but something to be considered in the future. I wonder if I will have to significantly alter my work to make assignments adequately cover a wide range of standards. Hopefully, for the sake of my sanity and marriage, that will not be the case.
I am looking forward to pursuing a project of my own choosing. There are so many areas that I feel need further study, and I am enthusiastic about exploring some of these areas. I think the biggest challenge with the assignment will be limiting the scope enough to be effective. I don't want to take on a task that is either too large or too small, yet it will be difficult to determine this at the onset. Either way, this might be the most meaningful assignment of the program for me, and I am gearing up for the challenge. :)

CEdO 550 Post #6

I will use what I learned in this course over the next 30 days by . . .
getting my Ning up and running. I think I have a much better understanding of the power of online learning, and I feel more comfortable offering components of online learning in my face to face classes. My confidence in facilitating lessons has grown to the point that I know what I want to do with my classes this year.

I will use what I learned in over the next year by . . .
continuing to develop what I have learned in the course. Just like my knowledge has grown considerably from the start of my graduate work until now, my knowledge from the beginning of this course until now has shown considerable growth. I will continue to look for ways to involve online content in my current classes. I believe that in a years time my students will have a much more fulfilling experience because of the addition of online content that was developed in this course.


After completing this course I would like to learn more about . . .
what I would need to become an online teacher. My school has started an online program through Kaplan, but the plan is to have Bay Port teachers take a more active role in teaching some of the online offerings. I think the timing of this course works well with the implementation of the online course at Bay Port. I am not sure if I would be the right guy for the job, but this course has enlightened me as to the possibilities of teaching some online classes.

CEdO 550 Post#5

I am currently spitting mad. :) I have finished my synchronous lesson, and it didn't run quite as smoothly as I had planned. I went against my usual delivery style and spent significant time practicing my lesson. I usually spend my time preparing the material without running through the delivery. Be doing so, I am more flexible in dealing with issues that arise. For this lesson, I spent my time in a Vroom practicing the delivery of information, and I got an idea of how everything would run. When I delivered the lesson to the class, something happened that didn't occur during practice, and it really threw me off my game. I wasn't sure how to fix the problem, and it put my timing out of whack. My mind had a practiced idea of how things would happen, and I was somewhat bound to that plan. Although I am hoping the lesson wasn't as bad as it seemed to me, I am still disappointed in the delivery.
At the same time, I have to understand that it was my first lesson with the Elluminate tool. Now that I know that the issue that I encountered could happen, I will be a stronger presenter the next time around. I do like the tools that are available, and I can see how students would have a great experience in Elluminate. Teachers should also feel comfortable with the available tools, and the flexibility that Elluminate provides. In the back of my mind, the lesson further developed my interest in teaching some classes online in the future.