I worked on my PowerPoint most of the last week, and it came together pretty easily. The main format was not difficult to construct; most of the time spent was on the incorporation of aninmation and transitions. I think I have chosen content and images from my web page that successfully represent the work that I have done. I have a few more adjustments to make, including the incorporation of music. PowerPoint is a new application for me that I will definitely use in my instruction.

Ryan:

I have developed my web pages. My home page is complete; I just need to fine tune the arrangement of the page. My instructional web page includes a variety of interactive web pages, as well as links to complimentary activities. This page will effectively augment a unit I currently teach on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. As I near the completion of my page, I must now turn my attention to the PowerPoint presentation.

I have been working on constructing my web pages this week. I have completed most of the components for the professional homepage and will begin the instructional unit page tomorrow. The main problem I am having is becoming more comfortable working with the tables. When I type within tables, it changes the format of the table, and I am having problems with the realignment. Also, I have not been able to successfully FTP from my home computer, so I will have to complete this portion at Northeastern.

This week I spent time searching for instructional websites that would be applicable to units of study I am currently teaching at the high school level. I was searching for sites that were interactive, while being appropriate for the levels and classes I teach. Some of the sites were rich in content but did not lead to interaction; other sites that I found provided general ideas to aid instruction in a variety of content areas. I am definitely becoming more adept at refining searches and pinpointing necessary information.

Chapter 6 and 7 opened my eyes to different search strategies and advanced search methods.  Although I was already aware of Boolean Operators and Phrase Searching, some of the other search methods were new to me.  In the past I have almost always used Google searches.  Some of the other search engines offered different search techniques.  I have rarey utilized the specific search engine instructions to help modify my search.  The information will have a great impact on personal research projects, as well as research instruction for my students.

I have a pretty good grasp on most of the assignments to this point. Although I am getting more comfortable creating my website with Composer, I am having some difficulty launching my website. Some of the differences between PCs and Macs have made it difficult to follow some of the directions. Once I overcome this obstacle, the creation of my website will be more successful. In the homework assignments this week, the Learning Type Measure was interesting. It gave a detailed explanation of my learning style in relation to my role as an educator, and currently as a student.

In response to the technological applications of learning set forth by the state of Illinois, I have been successfully utilizing these applications in English Language over the last seven years of my teaching career. One of my classes, English Composition, is specifically formatted to focus upon the use of varying resources in research. Students are taught methods of retrieving information, while determining the validity of the sources. Students must then integrate their research into a variety of methods of discourse, utilizing word processing and other presentation applications. The state application standards are fairly broad and don't address the necessity of teachers familiarizing themselves with the most current technology. That is what I am most excited about acquiring in this class.

I feel fairly confident about everything we have done to this point. My main concern is over the construction of the web page. I'm trying to determine which program to use, and if this will cause any problems going between a Mac and PC.

This entry was posted by Michael Pietrzak, an invited author to this blog. Ryan, thanks for the invite. Mike