PD Workshop Grades

I've posted your PD Workshop grades.  Overall, great job!  I've really enjoyed having you all this semester.  FYI, since there was no PD Workshop Participation, I counted your grade for the PD Workshop Submission twice in grade center.  In addition, you'll see in grade center that I've posted your 50 points each for submitting a draft of your PD Workshhop as well as for completing peer reviews.  The last assignment due is your Reflective Post #13, which is basically a course evaluation narrative.  Please finish that by Saturday at midnight, though sooner would be great since grades are due shortly thereafter for me.  I hope the rest of the school year treats you well and is a little bit less stressful with your UF classes wrapped up! 

Clarifications on Final Submissions

This week, you should be spending your time making revisions to your PD Workshop based on your peer reviews and any insights you may have gained as you read through your classmates' sites.  Once you feel confident that you are finished with your PD Workshop, please just send me an email saying so, by April 26th at midnight.  I have a list of links to your sites on the course blog, so no need to send them again.  I just want to be sure I don't start grading them until you are ready.  So, to clarify, this week for your PD Workshop submissions, all you need to do is send me an email stating that you are finished.


For next week, please ignore that on the syllabus it says "Professional Development Workshop- Participation."  This is something I considered and decided against, but didn't remove it from the syllabus.  All that is required for next week (our last and final week) is a Reflective Blog Post #13 (or #14 if you counted the week of spring break).  In this post, I would like you to reflect on your experience in this course.  Please answer the following questions:



What aspects of this course did you find most beneficial?

What aspects of this course did you find did not meet your needs?  Please make suggestions regarding how your needs might be met.

What topics in this course were most interesting to you?

What topics in this course were least helpful/interesting?

How did your knowledge of issues in educational technology evolve over the semester?  Did you have any "Aha" moments?

Any other thoughts you want to share...

Module 13 Grades Posted

I enjoyed reading the disability discussion this week.  Very insightful discussion!  While reading, the Oscar Pistorius story came to mind (not the current tragic story, but the Olympic story)... He almost didn't qualify for the Olympics because his prosthetics were thought to provide an unfair mechanical advantage.  The idea that a double amputee has an unfair advantage sounds almost preposterous, but this is an excellent example of what we consider a disability being transformed by technology.  And it's also a terrific example of how complex the word disability is.  As Deb pointed out, she needs contact lenses to see clearly and a car to move faster than her body is able.  We are all deficient in various ways (I know I am!) and I hope this article helped you think a little more deeply about the way technology interacts with disability.  On a side note, if you enjoyed this article, you may be the type that would enjoy doctoral level work.  :)

Your grades for module 13 are now posted.  You should have your PD Google Site posted to the discussion board on Blackboard and to your blog.  Remember to visit each classmate's blog this week and leave a comment answering the following questions:

• What are the strenths and weaknesses of the Google Site?
• What questions, concerns, or comments do you have about this topic?

You will then have the following week to make revisions before submitting your final Google Site to me.  Let me know if you have any questions!  Good luck!

Module 12 Grades Posted

Module 12 grades are now posted in Blackboard.  I want you to know that I also find WebAnywhere very frustrating to use.  Free is good, but sometimes you get what you pay for!  :)  This week, you should be working on your last module (13) and preparing to submit your first draft of your PD workshop.  By April 12 at midnight, please post a link to your Google Site on your blog as a new post and on Blackboard in the Discussion section.  Starting April 13, you will be reviewing each of your classmates' Google Site and providing feedback as a comment on their blog post.

Just a reminder from the PD Workshop guidelines:

Your Best Practices Professional Development Google Site URL link is due to be posted to your blog by April 12 at midnight.  Once you have posted your presentation, please read ALL OF THE PRESENTATIONS AND PROVIDE EACH OF THE GROUPS with answers to the following questions as a comment to their blog post during the week of April 13th:

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Google Site?
• What questions, concerns, or comments do you have about this topic?

Module 13 Posted

Module 11 grades are now available.  You should currently be working on Module 12 and I just posted Module 13, which is our last "real" module.  Please also continue your work on your PD workshop, which is due April 12th at midnight.  We will then complete peer reviews and you will be able to submit a revised version.  Please let me know if you have any questions!

Disability Discussion

For Module 13, we will have a discussion on disability and technology.  Please see my questions in the comments below and contribute to the discussions with at least 5 separate comments throughout the week. 

Module 12 Posted

Module 10 grades are now available.  (Please note that they are listed as Reflective Post and Activity #9 because of Spring Break.)  This week reminded me of why I like to give students a choice on their assignments.  It's so interesting and engaging to grade a variety of projects.  I really enjoyed reading through your virtual field trips and your international collaborations.  I now have a serious travel bug!

Module 12 is posted early.  Modules 12 and 13 (to be posted next week) should really be one week, but I lightened your load a little bit for the next two weeks to give you a chance to work on your PD workshop.  The end of the semester is near, as hard as that is to believe, so be sure to spend some time working on your PD workshop in addition to your modules.