Is that Artificial Light at the End of the Tunnel?

PHEW . . .you're not finished yet, but you can see the end! If y'all take the time to look back at all you have accomplished this semester, you should be very proud of yourselves. I realize everyone probably feels overwhelmed. . .I just want to encourage you to keep going.

Assignments: I noticed that only 40 of my 61 students submitted a weblink for the Journals 6-10. . .please submit the same address as either a link or just type in the address. . .You still have the EdTechProfile, Spreadsheet, and Taskstream to finish. All past work is due this Friday!!!

Today & This Week: Monday you will finish your movies and iMovie software proficiency. On Wed, I would like to introduce Photoshop. . .so bring a .jpg of you or your family!

This week's question: Last week's questions seemed to confuse some of you. . .I am surprised by how the educational system has seemingly only taught us how to chase carrots; thereby, killing any intrisic motivation that we might have gained from book learnin'
To lighten things up a bit. . .tell me about your favorite assignment that you have completed in this class and why!

Does Big Brother ever Blink?

Lights, camera, social action! I hope your movies are coming along well. You have today and tomorrow to work on them. It might even be the case that you can work on them through the week (unless you are in my 364 class). I will be helping everyone polish their projects and finish the iMovie proficiencies!

Assignments: Don't forget the spreadsheet assignment, the EdTechProfile post test, and Taskstream. . .I gave feedback to everyone who submitted the narrative for NETS-1. It was due last Friday and a few didn't get it in :-(

On Wed, we will be participating in a Video Conference on how to use GarageBand. We will be meeting in Markstein Hall, room 104. If you have a Mac laptop, please bring it to class with you!!

This week's question: Last week we discussed the competency model versus the competitive model in grading. This week, I wonder if we need grades at all? In a standards-based system, who are the grades really for? Would you be less motivated to do well in class if all you received was a Pass/Fail? If so, what does that say about the source of your motivation? Is extrinsic motivation a good thing?

If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Did Someone Push it?

Enjoy the poster. . .it is from despair.com

Week twelve has arrived. . .how are you doing with all of your work?? I realize that many of you are a bit stressed about all that you have to do; however, there is still a lot of time between now and the end of the semester.

Assignments: I have graded everything that was turned in, including redo work. If you do not have a grade for your PowerPoint or Inspiration project, that means I do not have your rubric. . .I went back to Taskstream to check for the into work. . .and noticed that there are not very many of you who have written your first narrative. . .I need the first narrative turned in by Friday.

New Assignments: I posted the spreadsheet assignment. . .it is fairly easy to follow the instructions. The only problems I have seen in the past is with the graphs. . .so I included a screen shot of what the finished graph should look like!

Journals: all of the topics are out there. . .I gave you until the 27th of April to finish them. . . the longer you procrastinate, the heavier they get. . .

I am really impressed with everyone's contribution to the wiki. . .there are some awesome resources there. . .a few redundant sites, but overall, great!

This week: Hopefully, you have some video to download today. . .if not, you can work on your iMovie Software proficiency assignment. . .Editing takes time, so you really need your footage, pictures, and music loaded onto your computer ASAP!!

This Week's Question: In this class, I allow you to improve assignments to get full credit. I believe in a competency model versus a competitive, one-try method that often separates groups into A, B, C, D, groups. Do you believe that it is possible for everyone to receive an A, or do you think that should be reserved for the upper 10%, like many past educators have told me? Justify your answer.

Do Headphones get Charged for Long Distance?

I expect everyone is well-rested and ready to win the next academy award! We only have 5 weeks left! Y'all should be able to see light at the end of the tunnel.

This week: You will be pitching your movie ideas to me and either working on your software proficiency or another assignment. Don't forget that you do not have to come to class on Wed. . .take that day to do some filming! Cameras can be checked out in the library! Also, please get your first Taskstream narratives in by Friday so I can give you feedback.

Journal #9 & 10: Use a current or past issue of L&L for journal #9. . .for journal #10 (extra credit), search L&L for an article that relates to an issue of diversity, which you can also do for #9 if you wish. . .

This week's Question: How necessary is homework in a K-12 setting? Does a large amount of homework place some students at an advantage or disadvantage?

Does Art Imitate Life or Plagiarize it?

I assume everyone is soooooo excited to come back to class? Anyway, for the next few weeks we will be working on video production. . .from you learning how to use iMovie to small groups making movies around issues of social justice. And in between, you can work on everything else that is in your procrastination queue. . .

Headphones would be a great thing to bring to class for the next few weeks, as you will be working with music and dialogue!

Journal 8: Hopefully, y'all received the lastest issue of L&L. . .I would suggest reading the article "Virtual Schooling", by Niki Davis and Dale S. Niederhausen. If you find a more interesting article from the issue, feel free to use it instead. . .just ensure you cite it correctly in the blog.

This week's question: If you were able to change one thing about K-12 education, what would it be? Think about your personal history of education, the institutional structure of K-12 education, or the pedagogy of your teachers. . .