Selecting & Integrating Technology - National Service style!

It's done; it's OVER! I have learned so much this semester. In a word (actually two) practical application is the phrase that comes to mind. Though there were a few educational flubs that slowed me down i.e. Iowa Core Curriculum & Bloom's Taxonomy. I also had my fair share of wonderful ah moments or 'ooh, I can do that at work' while learning about Gradual Release of Responsibility or tools that we already use that are simply renamed with Universal Design for Learning.

At the end of it all, I'm pooped! My head is still spinning and I'm a bit unsure if I pulled this off correctly. In the end, there's only one way to measure success, with your feedback. So please, after you've eaten your second slice of pie and you've darted away from your friends and family to read cohort blogs check it out and let me know what you think about it.

Seasons Greetings! (until next semester)

Kicking it Up....

This posting is dedicated to my UNI Instructional Technology cohort. I love you guys and I should have posted this sooner!

Have you ever been in a situation where something feels familiar but you cannot quite place exactly how or why? Well, that has been experience as I journey through the last few semesters as a Master’s student pursuing a degree in Instructional Technology at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI).

In my cohort are a group of righteous educators who I am constantly encouraged by. In ‘small town Iowa’ schools across the state they are transforming the way their students engage curriculum using technology. They are kicking up the learning experience which allows elementary students a global skyping experience. Removing the the classroom walls and encouraging students to be creative and open up to peer-to-peer critique.

Though our worlds are different - them teaching in the classroom while my work is heavily focused on training, the outcome is the same: to educate young people, help develop their skill sets and prepare them for the workforce. Whether it's life after primary/secondary schooling or Life After AmeriCorps NCCC (LAA) we are helping to influence the leaders of tomorrow. Here's my adaptation for TIM for training young adults on a specialized skill who are engaged in national service. For more information on creating your own Technology Integration Matrix for your education program or classroom, check Dr. Leigh Zeitz's blog posting on TIM.

Image provided by: http://skreened.com/totallyawesomeshirts/kick-it-up-a-notch

Universal Learning Design: A Trainer's Perspective

For this assignment, I interviewed an educator who trains national service participants to perform community service projects over a 10 month period. Although learners aren't in a traditional classroom setting the method of UDL is implemented as a best practice for instruction.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

After reviewing the interview, I have learned that while the NCCC program has implemented UDL in their training settings, there isn't a strong emphasis on technology. Technology is infused primarily through lecture style power point presentations.

If the program had wireless devices available such as iPads, clickers, or other tablets members would have an opportunity to interact more in trainings, making it a more enriched experience. That being said, it is encouraging to see audio, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles addressed.

Cyber Citzenry!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

A bit tired, yet so inspired.

Friday was the last day of a 40-hour in class work week in my Emerging Instructional Technologies (EIT) at UNI. Though the experience has been physically draining, somehow I come away feeling exhilarated and encouraged. I have always enjoyed learning new things and though I'm not always the brightest or most disciplined student I feel at home in the classroom. Now, everyone seems to agree that the educational system in the U.S. is broken and after reading Christensen's Disrupting Class and witnessing final class projects created by my classmates that are designed to inject new life into K-12 curriculum. You can check them out for yourself on our class blog. I sense that we have reached a tipping point in education; a swift change is on the horizon and this time around the revolution will be televised - via YouTube ;).


So I ask my fellow IT 2010 cohort, now that we've got new tools and ideas can we keep up the momentum and put our ideas into action? I sure hope so, as Dr.Z mentioned in class, we are all change agents and you only need one person to start making a difference.

I wish us all wisdom, patience, and courage as we proceed. The next leaders of the world are depending on us.



image:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellyjean/35207214/sizes/o/#cc_license

Security in Obscurity

In cities across the MidWest, Team Companies is housing secured data of millions of people in non-descriptive buildings. Today in EIT we went on a field trip to the Cedar Falls location. After our 'official government ID's' were scanned into their system ( I always wonder what they plan to do with that information) we were given a tour of the facility. It was pretty to wild to see so much real estate and technology set aside to secure, cool, and monitor data.

Apparently, the Midwest is an optimal site for data storage due to the lack of rolling blackouts, seismic activity, hurricanes, terrorist threats, and flood zones. Statistically, the only catastrophic natural disaster that could affect the region would be tornado and the facility seemed well equipped should the need arise.

I gotta say it makes me wonder, if this is our solution in the U.S. How is data being managed from a global perspective?

Can you repeat that?

First things first, it was great to meet everyone in person today. Having the option to meet up online is great but it doesn't hold a candle to actually meeting people. We've got quite a few characters in class and I know it'll be a fun week.

With that said, Dr.Z's assignment to collaborate on a team project without actually being able to discuss face-to-face posed quite a challenge. This afternoon - Darnell, Deb, Marty and myself - otherwise known as the 'Dream Team' started out strong in class today. We met briefly, assigned roles and we were off. Ten minutes later... When faced with a challenge, I broke down and attempted to ring a teammate via the old 'can & string' phone. But, after a quick phone call (on an actual cell phone) I was back on track. Our group decided to meet via chat this evening to make final changes and it became a marathon of edits and repositioning, deleting, and addition of questions and wordsmith'ing' galore! At first, my head was spinning. I was toggling between windows (chat and docs). I was being asked to change 'this' and update 'that'. Thanks to my teams' patience and my brain finally starting to adjust to the information overload I began to understand the flow of commands being sent my way. Thirty minutes into the chat session our communication process became a well oiled machine. Practice makes perfect.

So the lesson I learned today is similar to what Cool Cat Teacher, Vicki Davis mentioned during our Skype session about the roller coaster of new learning: first the challenge is new and exciting, then frustrating, and just when you're ready to give it up you began to see the light! Go, team :)