MEIT Program Reflection

As I look back on my journal entries throughout this cohort, I am reminded of all of the interesting programs and strategies I have been exposed to since day 1. I had always thought of myself as being rather technically savvy, but I feel like this program gave me the boost I needed to push me out of a technology rut I had no idea I was in! Yes, there is life beyond Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office...who knew?!

One of the areas of this program that helped me the most had to do with using technology to build collaboration. Whether it is in a classroom setting or in the workplace, today's world requires people to come to the table ready and able to play. Traditionally, we have been taught to work as individuals; we may have been asked to make contributions, but those parts were put together to make a whole end product. Through the tools that I've been introduced to, such as Google Apps and the various wiki applications, I have been able to create an online structure for my staff to help promote communication and collaboration that I am not sure I would have been able to do prior to this program. But, it's not just the technology aspects that helped me develop my skills and strategies to promote a collaborative workplace; we learned how to change our delivery styles from sage on the stage to guide on the side, which is so important when you are attempting to encourage participation from all. Through those pedagogical strategies, as well as our weekly group work, I developed a better understanding of how to effectively facilitate a discussion rather than taking over and being the sole decision-maker.

I truly enjoyed the MEIT program and believe almost every course provided me with a challenge and I came out of each class with new tools to add to my set. I think my staff also benefited from what I was learning; I was able to get them excited about technology in their classrooms and introduce them to online applications to keep things fresh with their students.

Although it is a relief to be finished because there was a lot of time and work invested throughout this program, I can honestly say I will miss our Tuesday night class meetings! It's been fun getting to know everyone both personally and professionally. Thank you for changing my view of online learning; it is most definitely possible to effectively learn, collaborate and develop relationships with fellow students with whom you never share a physical classroom. It's been fantastic~

CEDO 599 Project Update

I am about 2/3 the way through my project in terms of constructing my updated company Intranet site and I'm feeling good about what I've done thus far.

I have the "Current Events" site set up in a way that my staff can view top line, most recent events right from the Home page. I like this set up much better than my previous approach to posting announcements because it makes the latest and greatest information take center stage, rather than people having to navigate in order to find it.

The "Resources" site was a bit more of an undertaking than I had originally imagined. This section of the Intranet is static documentation for the most part. In my original Intranet site, the resources became mixed in and among all of the other more dynamic information and it became difficult to find. My intention behind the Resources site is to keep it simple. I am not going for a lot of imagery or bells and whistles--I just want my staff to be able to locate the documentation they need quickly and easily. I have set up the home page to list any recently edited or updated documentation by category in order to alert staff members of changes made to documents they may have printed on site.

My last section to tackle is the "Team Building" site. I saved this one for last because I think this is probably the most important element to the updated Intranet. As a company, we are looking into an online application called Curriculum Loft that is set up to share lessons, as well as facilitate basic feedback and align entries to Common Core Standards. I plan to include a link to the Curriculum Loft application on the Team Building section of the Intranet site. Along with that, I will include a place for my staff to submit requests for review of interactive websites they would like to use in their lessons. My Supervisory Team is developing a rubric to assess websites and determine whether or not they meet the needs of our skill development programs. I am also going to have a place to put contributors in the spotlight on a weekly or monthly basis (not sure yet on frequency). I think I am going to use blogger for this job because that will allow for an entry and a place for staff members to add comments and provide feedback.

Things are really coming together, so I am excited to see how it all works out!