Auditing MLT

Really, was it nearly two years ago that I took MLT for the first time?
As with every audit to this point, I felt it was an amazing experience! Although the course assignments were only slightly changed, I took this opportunity to look back at my original work and celebrate the growth that is evident.
I loved doing the projects, reconnecting with Beth Strudgeon and making some new connections in the course. Perhaps most important, experiencing MLT with new eyes at this time is helping me to celebrate moments with my students and find some "color" in this pretty "grey" school year.

Podcast of my most meaningful educational experience

Brain Based Expert Visit

MLT Reflection Video

Auditing DAE

Normally I haven't audited in back to back months, but auditing DAE exceeded my expectations and resulted in a project that will make things easier for me during the first week of school. I decided to present my music room rules and procedures in my flash project so that I could be sure all 22 K-2 music classes received the same consistent information. It was great to reconnect with Lisa Smith, and my biggest take-away is that now I know how to make short animated flash to use in videos!

Music Room Rules and Procedures

My Schoology Adventure

The idea took shape over Chai Lattes in our local coffee house. My friend Angela was asking me about my EMDT experiences and wishing out loud that her young teens had more technology training at their school... I knew that I'd be auditing Learning Management Systems and Organization with Dr. Reo McBride soon... What if I could design a summer enrichment technology course in Schoology while auditing and then teach it to Angela's children? We both became more excited talking about the possibilities, and what components I might include... the adventure had begun!

Dr. McBride introduced me to Schoology and I found that to be a perfect fit for my course, "Exploring Web 2.0 Tools". My objectives for my students were to explore, experience, create, reflect and respond. I drew on my EMDT experiences in Rena Hanaway's and Kathy Craven's courses to include the creation of a personal learning environment, exploration of Web 2.0 tools, blogging, and digital storytelling as course activities. I enjoyed creating the tutorials and other media assets. My excitement was building as the implementation phase drew closer!

Because this was largely an experiment, I scheduled five "face to face" meetings with the students. Parents were involved in setting up accounts and the unveiling of the the course.
Heather, 14, and Justin, 12, were enthusiastic, and I was amazed by their exploration and creation throughout the month. Their unique personalities were very evident, and confirmed my intent to allow for their individual interests and needs to be met. Their final project digital stories blew me away, evidencing creative and critical thinking, organization, and skills they had gained! They exceeded my hopes!

I asked the students to write a blog post as a culminating activity reflecting on their experience.
"I just completed my technology course for the year. I explored web tools like Prezi and Stencyl. I learned about digital stories. I made a movie with Windows Movie Maker. I had a great time and I loved the course. It is one of those things that I would do again."

"I liked being able to steer the course towards things which I am interested in and good at. This course can take many different directions depending on the projects you decide to do for each assignment. I have learned many things this summer, and I think that was the best part of the course!"

In my own reflection, I consider this adventure a great success and am excited to see what path it takes in the future. I have already had a request to offer the course to a home schooling family during the school year, and will most likely offer a similar one to my "pilot" students next summer. I will definitely cut down the number of "face to face" sessions and rely more on the grading and feedback options that are built into Schoology.

For me, the passion and life changes that began with my EMDT year just continue to grow!

Link to Dr. Siegel's EMDTMS blog post

"Auditing Awesomeness"

Game Design... a new passion?

This audit was an epic experience... the BEST so far (and the other two were amazing!)
I learned so much about game design and found the PICK A SEAT model that Dr. Siegel shared to be very valuable! I use games all the time in my music classes and am an avid World of Warcraft player for stress relief and fun with friends. Now my new quest and dream is to someday supply the engaging game pitch and have someone else build my ideas! It's a different relationship, auditing, and for this life-long learner truly inspiring and engaging!

Auditing GSM

I am auditing GSM this month and am excited to experience the changes to the course that Dr. Siegel has made in the past year!
I had to laugh at myself as I quickly clicked off as many assignments as I could! True to form, my default settings!!

Cityville is a new facebook game for me. It is fun, and I've been managing my time today around the energy of the game.
So glad it is summer and I have extra time to play! Probably just exactly what I need!

EMDT in Wisconsin!!

Having EMDT in Wisconsin for the New Media Consortium really capped off my amazing week! Yesterday I had the privilege of being Kathy Craven's tech assistant in her session on digital literacy and then sitting in on Dr. Holly Ludgate and Dr. Sue Bedard's presentation about Challenge Based Research. Both experiences made me feel so proud of the EMDT masters program and Full Sail University and fueled me with renewed energy and excitement!
Tonight's dinner, again brought to light the unique connections that are made in different aspects of the program...with a mix of students, alumni, mentors and course directors there was much laughter and great conversation, with the common bond being an ONLINE masters program! The relationships are real, and they are there for anyone who reaches out. Social media is wonderful and facilitates these connections, but face to face time, now THAT is really special! :)

Social Media and Relationships...My Story

Recently I was interviewed by a local news anchor for a story on Social Media and Relationships. She did a wonderful job with the angle of "Now and Then"! However it was not my angle or my story...

The story I wanted to tell is how social media and EMDT have given me amazing connections and relationships. When I began the Education, Media Design and Technology masters program through Full Sail University online I was already a Facebook user. I had experienced instant messaging, and had heard of Skype... but I had no idea how vital the use of social media was about to become!
First there was the profile...what information should I include to portray myself to my classmates and course directors? Skype and iChat soon became the norm for communication...type chats with icons, video chats, screen sharing, as well as conference calls for group meetings helped me build relationships and feel connected. During class Wimba sessions, my group of friends would often have either Skype or iChat open as well to safeguard against accidentally typing a private observation to the "main room"! Social media enables this masters program to have the personal, connected feeling that would not be expected in an online program.
Being a mentor in the EMDT program has resulted in many more connections and relationships, and again, social media facilitates this. When my father died suddenly in February, I was auditing a course as well as being a mentor. I was overwhelmed by the heartfelt support that came in the form of emails, facebook posts, Skype and iChat messages...some from EMDT students I had not even "met"!
I can't begin to imagine life now without social media... a message popping up that makes me smile, the opportunity to reach across time zones and miles to answer a question, brainstorm, just connect!
The rich relationships that have been added to my life....that is the story I wanted to tell!

ETC Audit

Auditing ETC has been a wonderful experience! It gave me the nudges I needed to 1. create a podcast and post it on my teacher website and 2. develop the tutorials for udutu that I've been talking about... now I'm ready to pitch a staff development session idea to my district's Director of Instruction! So much has changed in Rena's course...(which is why I wanted to audit)
I so love being a mentor for EMDT... and I feel that auditing courses not only feeds my life long learning quest, but also helps me to be a more effective mentor!

LMO Audit ends...

image created at Wordle.net

Auditing LMO was a really amazing experience! The flavor of the course was distinctly different from when I took it in July 2010!
I learned about creating a course in the LMS Schoology (see my presentation at the end of this post!)
I so appreciated my former classmate Joe Huber, who viewed my initial assignments and gave me feedback! The Month 10 students were very welcoming, and Dr. Reo's video check-ins during wimba sessions really nurtured a community feeling!
Two weeks ago, I experienced a really low time and seriously considered ending the audit...it was the day after my dad's memorial service, I felt overwhelmed and was just beginning the assignment that was due the next evening (unheard of for me during my EMDT year!!) Yet I was determined to get the most I could out of the experience and pushed through. Now, with all the activities completed, I can say that I finished strong, and I am proud of that.

Note to self (and others who will audit courses) It was REALLY unsettling to have to leave assignments (all AR related) incomplete and see those ZEROS in the grades (even though grades don't count for an auditor!!) :)

The Audit Adventure Begins

image created at Wordle.net

I am an EMDT auditor!! I have thought about this for a long time (way before I graduated!)
I have prepared myself for the experience to be different....no fantastic friends by my side this time to chat with in Wimba, to bounce ideas off of, to laugh with and encourage...but I'm not auditing for those reasons.

I'm there to learn, to contribute, to create, to be a productive class member, but also to be respectful and mindful of the current students...this is THEIR year, THEIR EMDT experience!

So excited! Ready for the LMO audit adventure!

Graduation and Celebration Weekend Highlights

This video pretty much captures the excitement and joy of my graduation and celebration weekend in Florida at Full Sail University's EMDT World and of course at Disney World as well! :)


The path of the journey was always heading to this point! Some days it was motivation to keep going, other days made me want to stop time.
Now that it's come and gone, what next? There's involvement in the Mentor Program, skills I want to keep using, and I am now on my school district's Director of Instruction's "radar" for technology conferences! My husband commented today that there should be a wimba session after graduation to address the issues of readjustment, etc.
All I can say is that I have tears come at the oddest times, feel a bit lost, and am not quite comfortable with how the "new me" fits.

what a difference this year has made...

One year ago today my first FSO course opened up for me! I remember being nervous and excited and totally overwhelmed by APA which I had no clue about! It was fun to start my website, scary to venture into Second Life (but I did love Mouseworld) and that first video... I'm sure I refilmed it at least 9 times!!!
Now a year later, my countdown to Graduation has dwindled to 4 days. I look back and see where I've been...the leaps from my comfort zone; the new tools and knowledge to use them; the times I laughed so hard I cried; the relationships; the shining eyes of my students experiencing the projects I created; the LATE nights working,chatting,or playing WoW; Wimba sessions; iChat, Skype video; the feelings of insecurity and achievement; the passion for filmmaking; the blog posts that make reflection so effortless! I accomplished more than I ever dreamed I could, and became a WoW addict on top of it (who would have EVER thought???) Like a comforter out of its plastic packaging, I no longer "fit" in the package of a year ago.
What changes will this next year bring? More of the story is yet to be written!

Can it really be.......finished????

final presentation...final discussion board post...crossing the bridge...celebrations ahead...
new chapters to write... new tools to create... priceless friendships to treasure... moving forward, but ok to look back...
words can't express... EMDT...soon to be alumni

How Growth is Measured Part 2

It's all in the way you look at things!!
I could look at this graph and see failure because the September results are not as stellar as the May ones, but I choose to look and see growth! Definite gains were made from the Pre test results at the end of March! Growth means that I don't pack up my action research and put it away in a dusty file cabinet, but rather think about how I can keep improving my teaching practices and build more and more retention of these concepts.

How Growth is Measured Part 1

I'm thinking about how growth can be measured. I know that I've grown this past year... in confidence, in knowledge, in creativity, personally and professionally. I think all these areas of growth are evident in this Program Reflection video and that filmmaking in itself is an accurate measurement of my growth.

A Proud Teacher Moment

This month I have had the pleasure of "tutoring" two GSM students in the World Of Warcraft game. It's been fun to get to know each of them as we chat on Skype, and I still marvel at how it is so "normal" to make connections and talk with people I have never actually met in person, in this way! It has been a wonderful learning experience for me of when to get in there and protect, and when to hang back and heal/resurrect! I did a lot of thinking on how I can make this the most appealing experience for them! One evening while we were playing, one of the women "took the lead", and THAT absolutely thrilled me! It was a very proud teacher moment! EMDT has helped me see that "teaching" is not always limited to school or my studio, and "students" are not always kids!
Sharing my passion for WoW or sharing my passion for music...I am a teacher at heart!

Paradigm Shift

This has been a difficult day with a lot of tears…but then, it is really on these kinds of days that significant growth can take place. As I am attempting to make a paradigm shift between being an achiever and being a contributor, two friends contributed by making me take a hard look at myself. They did not “sugar coat” or tell me what they thought I would like to hear, hence the tears, but perhaps showed greater care for me by being honest.

How will I be a contribution today? “Unlike success and failure, contribution has no other side” (Zander, 2000, p.57).

Source: Zander, B. & Zander, R. (2000). The art of possibility.Boston, MA:Harvard Business School Press

Keep Both Hands On the Wheel

"Driven" is the word that keeps coming to my mind when I think about how I'm feeling these days! Might be that I've spent lots of time behind the wheel recently, or maybe it is truly the"pressing forward, not letting up for rest" that I am experiencing as I complete Month 10 and am constantly counting the laps before I'll reach the finish line of EMDT. I really loved Joe Bustillos' analogy of these next couple months being like merging into traffic on a busy freeway and that we needed to keep both hands on the wheel!

Silly Staff in Udutu

SILLY STAFF

Here is the link to my Silly Staff unit in Udutu. I am very excited to use this with my students next spring!
Much appreciation to Renee Hanson (Mentor Extraordinare) for her patience and help! :)