What I did this week: This week I spent hours pouring through my Google Reader account in search of tools to enhance the research unit that is at the center of my Culminating Project. I also pulled out my (paper) notebooks from our program's courses in search of ideas. I settled on creating screencasts to aid students in citing websites, books, and magazine/journal articles (using EasyBib) they used in the research process. I used Screenr (super easy!) and created the following: citing websites, citing books, and citing magazine/journal articles. The bummer for my students is that Screenr is labeled as social networking, so they're unable to access the screencasts at school. I hope this hurdle can be addressed in some way. I'll have to contact our tech department to look into other means of sharing screencasts with my students as they're invaluable learning tools...Looked into AND Screenr is one of the suggested tools but is blocked...nonsensical...looking into further.
BAM!: I hit the AHA! jackpot and finally realize that my culminating project is essentially concerned with the work I do prior to any work in the classroom. This week I hope to hone in on finalizing the tools I can put in students hands to help them be successful and insure everything in my Google site makes crystal clear sense to whomever takes a peek at it!
Roller Coaster: This course is strange as for the first time in some 18 odd months I feel completely disconnected from my cohort classmates. I've come to depend on Monday nights for some humor, learning, and engagement my week doesn't otherwise offer...Internet camaraderie isn't as easily replaced as I thought it would be!
