CEDO555: Professional Portfolio Experience Week 1

This week we were formally introduced to the topic of creating a professional portfolio of our work throughout this cohort. There are different types of portfolios, determined by the purpose or the message that is being conveyed. We reviewed professional portfolios that are posted online, which was helpful in visualizing different interpretations of an electronic professional portfolio. A resource I would like to come back to in the future is the Carnegie Collection of e-portfolios for the variety of educators represented and the structure of the portfolios.

I think my portfolio for this masters program will serve a few purposes; to reflect on the process, to provide examples of the work I've created and to show that I can identify how it all connects to the standards. While coming up with examples of work and reflecting on the process should be pretty natural, I am nervous about connecting it all to the standards. I believe that once I get started and know I'm on the right track, I will be fine...I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed in the moment! I think once I develop the structure and list the categories to be included, finding examples of work represent the topics should fall into place.

CEDO 550 Week 6

1.	My students are gaining 21st century skills by . . .
	Using technology to create as well as research, collaborating in small and large groups, using higher order thinking skills.

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	2.	I understand the Virtual Schools Legislation in Wisconsin and am concerned/excited about . . .
		I am excited about the potential for students who do not excel in the traditional classroom, or who do not have the resources within their district, to be able to have the option and opportunity to have their needs met through an online program. I am also happy to hear the outcomes of the audit because it supports the idea that online/virtual classrooms are effective and an valuable resource to our students.

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	3.	My district involvement in online learning includes . . .
		From what I could see, it is somewhat limited although I would venture to guess that there is more blended learning going on in today's classrooms without them being identified as "online learning programs."

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	4.	During the module I was excited to learn about . . .
		the Learning to Change video. I found it quite eye-opening and enjoyed getting the perspectives of the panel of highly regarded professionals in the field of education. I think the potential benefits of online learning go beyond what we know up to this point and I look forward to staying informed and learning more about virtual learning as more ideas are revealed.

Week 5: CEDO 550 Reflection

	1. My experience with online communities has been …
	Overall, positive. For example, my experience with the cohort I've been participating in for the past year and a half has been very positive. I've met some interesting people and have had an opportunity to gain some new perspectives from the participants in the program. Because we are able to interact outside of the set class time through the use of discussion boards and small group meetings, I feel like I have gotten to know everyone in my class a lot better than I have ever gotten to know (an entire group of people) in my undergrad traditional setting.

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	2.	I believe the biggest benefit of collaborative groups is …
		Gaining new perspectives and coming up with something better than one can do alone. My experience has been that I come in with an idea based on what I have done and what I've learned over the years, but after talking things through with the group I come out with a much richer result due to everyone contributing to the process.

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	3.	I believe the greatest challenge is/would be …
		If the participants could not come to a consensus. Part of working in a collaborative group means being flexible and open to others' opinions. Consensus does not always mean 100% agreement, but if you agree to consent to the final product then you need to support the decision to go that route. I think that is more difficult for participants not used to working in a collaborative setting.

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	4.	My thoughts regarding the social development and socialization issues are …
		Just like most everything, the way we address social development and socialization needs to reflect today's world. Traditional schools need to actually teach socialization, rather than simply look at it as a by-product of students sharing a physical space. We can't expect kids to just know how to get along and act appropriately without those skills being taught to them. The online setting, because it is so new, does spend time addressing appropriate interaction and teaching students how to "get along" in that format. The fact that many biases or prejudices that can develop in a traditional setting are taken out of the equation of an online classroom (because students can't see each other), relationships are developed around what each student can contribute to the group. I don't think either setting is perfect, but it seems that more learning can happen in an online setting because of the emphasis on learning, developing and applying effective communication skills.

Week 4: CEDO 550 Reflection

Week 4 prompts:

In reflecting on my teaching experiences to date, I would say that the proportion of teacher centered versus student centered lessons has been …

I would say that until recently, my proportion of teacher centered vs student centered lessons was about 70/30. I have done much since beginning this cohort to make my trainings and lessons more student centered and find that my staff enjoys and retains more from that approach.

 

The rubric I created for my lesson clearly defined expectations and scoring for the lesson so that my students could …

 

...know the expectations in advance and understand that lack of participation in the synchronous as well as asynchronous activities would result in monitoring and support in their classrooms.

 

While working on this module I had success/difficulty while doing something new involving …

 

I think I had the most difficulty creating a rubric that was appropriate for my audience. Since I am in a training position with staff at my workplace, using rubrics to assess their participation and understanding is not a common practice. I am not sure how the use of a rubric would go over, but it would take some of the "subjectiveness" of evaluations out of the process.

CEDO 550 Week 3

Week 3 Reflection:

1.

What is the greatest challenge that I have encountered as an online teacher/facilitator and how did I manage it? (If you have not yet taught online what do you think would be the greatest challenge for online teachers/facilitators?)

I think one of my greatest challenges will be managing the synchronous discussions while getting to know the tool I am using (such as Elluminate). Right now I'm struggling with making notes on the whiteboard while keeping the conversation moving.

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	2.	Some things that I feel are really important to consider about synchronous and asynchronous facilitation as I prepare to facilitate my threaded and web conference discussions are. . .
		I think it is really important to consider having my prompts and participation expectations clearly stated in my asynchronous discussion thread because if they are not clear, the conversation could get off track very quickly. Preparation for the synchronous facilitation is also really important. I think just having a plan on paper that will get the conversation rolling, as well as how to transition from one part of the discussion to the next, will allow me more freedom to work through unforseen challenges without losing focus on the overall objective.

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	3.	I chose my particular discussion topic because . . .
		This topic is a pretty natural fit for me in my line of work. Providing professional development for my staff of teachers is an ongoing process and I am always looking for ideas on how to improve in this area. I think in facilitation a discussion about effective vs. ineffective ongoing training and support, I can learn more about how people view training and what works best for them--I hope to gain a new perspective.

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	4.	One thing that I thought about when developing rubrics for the 2 different discussions was. . .
		I thought about how the rubric will help participants know the expectations ahead of time and how that will hopefully motivate them to bring their "A" game!

Week 2: CEDO 550 Reflection

Here is this week's reflection:

1.	Identify at least two synchronous and two asynchronous online learning tools that would be appropriate for your targeted online learners.
	I work with adults in more of a professional development setting. Some synchronous learning tools my targeted group of online learners could use include the Learn Central Elluminate rooms, and web conferencing tools such as skype, oovoo, or Live Minutes. As far as asynchronous tools go, my learners could use wikis, discussion boards, and email to name a few.

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	2.	List four different types of activities that you might use with your targeted online learners and identify an appropriate online tool to use in implementing that activity.
		1. Plan a project using a wiki. This could be done asynchronously, allowing for participants to add and edit on their own time. 2. Share ideas / effective lesson plans with the team using a shared Google Doc. Each month we select a HOTS Level and a 21st Century Learning Skill to integrate into the lesson plans. I've set up a Google Doc with a table for the teachers to share any lesson ideas using the skills of the month that they feel were especially effective or innovative. 3. Collaborate in developing an online presentation during training. I've done this with my staff at the beginning of the year when reviewing test administration. I share a Google Presentation Doc with the slides set up to include headings. The staff worked in teams to complete the assigned slides and then each team shared their contribution to the presentation. It was an engaging way to review somewhat dry subject matter. 4. Brainstorming. Use Wallwisher.com, provide a prompt and give participants a set amount of time to post their note/contribution. As a group the responses can be categorized and used as a way to facilitate the discussion.

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	3.	Is my initial contact warm and inviting? Are there things I did particularly well or could do better in the future?
		Yes, I think my initial contact is warm and inviting, as well as appropriate for my audience. I think I did a good job of providing information to describe our first steps in the training. I tried to be reassuring by extending myself for assistance both regarding the online session and in general as a resource within the organization. I hope that by asking participants to share a little about themselves, and by giving some insight to the objectives of the session, they will have less anxiety about starting a new job. I am sure it could be better, and I tend to edit and revise as I get feedback from those who are on the receiving end of the information.

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	4.	Is my initial contact clear and concise and yet user friendly? What are some strategies that help to format your contacts to make them as clear and concise as possible?
		Overall, I believe it is clear, concise and user friendly. I used bulleted lists to help break out the information visually for the reader and that helped take out some of the "wordiness." I shared objectives and gave the participants an opportunity to ask questions via email or phone. I provided a link to the online meeting space, made them aware of the headset / audio setup, and let them know I would be online early should they need any assistance.

CED550 week 1

This is my first week of Taming the world of online learning and so far I have been happily surprised by how much new we've been introduced to in a short time. We are using a lot of the same types of tools, but we are now learning about them from a teacher perspective, rather than the learner perspective.


Our first synchronous class allowed us to explore the Elluminate room with moderator permissions, which was pretty eye-opening. Features such as application and file sharing are a lot easier to use than I thought and just having the time to try it out in a supportive setting helped me to get over any hesitation I had about using those tools. I can see using Elluminate to communicate with my staff who are at multiple remote locations across the city. I could use it for training sessions, or simply to conduct a virtual meeting online. I would also like to try using some of the moderator features when meeting in future study groups in order to continue to feel more comfortable with the tool.

As far as our course management system goes, it is new and it takes some getting used to, but I am almost always up for a challenge and I like the opportunity to try new applications. I am curious if this is a free or paid application...

I am looking forward to gaining more experience and exposure to resources that will help me become an effective online teacher.