Reflecting on 521

Looking back on the last class, it seems like A LOT of time was spent presenting and listening to presentations. I really enjoyed watching the samples of multimedia projects from Ed's classes. I also really appreciated the time we were able to spend working in our groups. Learning about the LoTi levels was interesting and eye-opening. I do wish that more time was allocated to learning ABOUT multimedia and how to do it, and I wish we talked about more ideas and ways to incorporate it into our classrooms. I really think there NEED to be time limits set on the presentations in the future. While I see some value in listening to the unit plans, listening to the same group presentation over and over didn't seem like the best use of our time. Activities like Ed's examples make me think about all the things I could be doing in my classroom; they get me excited about the possibilities. Listening to five versions of the LoTi levels, on the other hand, leave me clock watching and daydreaming.

I know there are certain things we are expected to cover in each class to complete our program, and I don't mind doing the presentations. I do think, however, that something needs to be done so that they do not take the ENTIRE class. I think Ed was a great teacher, and he made the class more interesting and more "user-friendly". I hope we have him again for another class!

Reaction to the Blogs

After reading all the blog entries from the class so far, I guess I am a little surprised. When we were given the assignment, I thought there must be a lot of disgruntled posts. There really weren't. It seems like many of us are frustrated by the lack of clear criteria provided for us in previous classes. I know I personally really appreciate the rubrics we've had in this class. It is really the first time in this program I felt that I knew what was expected of me. (Thanks, Ed!)

Most people seemed to enjoy seeing the different LoTi group presentations. Some felt it was repetitive. I guess I agree with both! I think, as I stated in the last post, that it might be more beneficial to assign different topics to groups for presentations. That way we would not only see the different presentation styles (and get ideas from them), we would also be learning new information.

Another topic mentioned more than once was the discussion aspect of the class. Several people have posted that they really get a lot out of the time when ideas are shared. I completely agree with that. It really gets you thinking about what you can do in your classroom when you get a group of people bouncing ideas off each other.

It was also comforting to read that other people were stressed out. It is nice to know that I am not alone!

Session 5: Unit Presentations

I really enjoyed listening to the unit presentations in class on Wednesday. I think that this kind of presentation is more valuable to me as a teacher than the LoTi presentations. I liked hearing the wide variety of ideas and thinking about how I can use them in my classroom. If they are not at my level, then I think about other teachers in my school that might be able to use the idea. Any sort of sharing activity is great for me because it gets me thinking. I start to adapt the ideas I hear to my situation or I pick out pieces that I can use in my classroom. I think a time limit might be a good idea for the presentations though because they have been taking up the entire class.

The LoTi presentation was a valuable activity in that it helped me understand what would go into a presentation I may have to make to a school board someday. I don't think it is as valuable to me, however, to hear the same information repeated several times. I do think it is important to do group presentations. It is a good skill to have, but maybe the presentations could be on different topics we don't have enough time to cover in class? That way we would still be "presenting", but we would be learning new information from the presentations.

LoTi Presentations

This class was definitely a little different than most. I think many of us came in with a lot of anger and frustration. I am glad that Louis came in to talk to us and listen to our concerns. All we really want is to know and understand what is expected of us BEFORE it is due. I don't think that is asking too much.

After asking questions, I feel I have a better grasp of the unit plan assignment. It is really helpful to have that checklist to use while writing up the plan. I am slightly concerned about another presentation (Poster Session), but I am sure it will be fine. I am REALLY looking forward to the week off for Easter!

It was interesting to see the different interpretations of the LoTi assignment. I thought some of the presentations were really well done. A big THANK YOU to Bill for putting our presentation together! We felt that a video presentation would be effective because we were implementing the technology we were asking the "administrators" to make available to out students. We were a little concerned that our presentation was shorter than some others, but we were really pretending that this was for a meeting with the administrators. Most administrators don't have the time or patience for a long presentation. I hope we interpreted that correctly. We put everything in the presentation listed in the rubric, but we didn't linger on any area.

Slightly Overwhelmed

I enjoyed seeing the examples of how technology can be used in the classroom. I would really love to be able to do some of these things in my classroom, but right now my skill level is way below where it needs to be. I want to learn how to use iMovie, iPhoto, and Garage Band. I did go to Border's, and I bought a tutorial book with a DVD. Now I just have to find the time to use it!

I was very grateful for the class time where we could work on our group presentations. It was nice to have the time with Ed there to answer our questions.

Right now, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. The group presentation is taking us A LONG time - we are probably over thinking the whole assignment. Between that presentation, the unit plan, and all the regular homework, there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day... BUT I know we will get through it.

I thought the "Pay Attention" video was extremely effective! The simple format of the phrases with the music in the background really made me pay attention. It was very well done.