Reflection+for+TSLC+2007


 * A Reflection on the Tech Savvy Learning Community**
 * Summer & Fall 2007**
 * Nilah Cote**

Using an ipod
Sitting by the lake enjoying the water and the sun was a great way to listen the many podcasts on the ipods. Even though it was quiet and there were no distractions, I found myself taking notes as a way to have the information come back to me. This was a very new way for me to gain ideas and hear conversations around educational issues. Several times I have checked out my notes to recall some program that was mentioned. I learned how to find my way around the contents and its organization. I found most of the podcasts interesting; even the science topics caught my attention. I didn’t particularly care for the video viewing for some reason. My husband bought me an ipod this summer and I’m still learning how to use itunes to download podcasts from the Internet and onto it.

**Delicious**
This has been a big time saver for me. I use it all the time and find it very useful to have my bookmarks available to me at any computer. I like having the ability to share bookmarks with others and the ease of sending someone a site.

Wikispaces
I’m glad my team used a wiki for our project. I became much more familiar with its format and we easily could share our ideas. I set up a wiki for my class for our forest project and I can see where I will continue to set up pages for several other topics we will study this year. My students loved think.com last year but I’m hoping I can get more content and writing on our class wiki.

Podcasts
I started thinking about podcasts last June when I wrote a grant for the equipment. I had hoped to get started by late September but everything kept getting delayed. NECAP testing consumed a week or more in October and I was also waiting on a grant from the Northern Forest Alliance. The first two interviews were done at the beginning of November with the last interview happening on November 26th. They were excited and one student remarked that it felt like an adventure going together after school to work on this project. We successfully completed one podcast and a 6th grader played it for the class. The students became frozen in their seats and the silence was golden as they listened to the music introduction and then Mikayla’s voice. One 6th grade boy came into class with a logo he had created at home for the podcasts. They voted to be called the Student Woodland Investigators. (SWI) A take off on the show CSI on TV. During the in-service on November 20th, I learned that the 5/6 share folder had been deleted and could not be recovered. I also discovered that my home computer’s hard drive was almost out of memory. Luckily, I found all the deleted photos on my home computer and thumbdrive. I had forgotten that I had done this. I’m not so lucky with the digital recordings. These will have to be uploaded again with zamzar.com and the editing will have to be done again. The number one rule using technology is to make a back up of everything. I found myself at Staples at 6 a.m. buying a 120 MB external drive for storing such projects in the future and for gaining some space on my C drive. For the most part of this class I have spent my time planning and organizing for the podcasts. I can see ways that I can continue to integrate podcasts into my class. First, students need to listen to more podcasts by other students and then as a class decide how they might want to continue making podcasts.

**Online tutorials, blogs, wikis, and the K12 Online Conference**
The vast amount of information online is overwhelming. I began to think that I was spending too much time reading online and not enough time integrating technology into my own classroom. There has to be a time when new learning is applied. I find reviewing web sites I receive from Kathy Shrock and Pete MacKay a productive use of my time. Some sites are useful and can be integrated into my curriculum. I will continue to use online tutorials, read blogs and continue developing my classroom wiki. The k12 Online Conference will always be there for me to continually be updated on ways technology can be integrated into my class.

**What have I learned?**
Enough to know that I have a lot more to learn! The more I read and see what others are doing with Web 2.0; I’m overwhelmed with the learning curve. I have made some progress and I feel good about it. The 21st century goals will keep me focused.

Learning With Lucie
Your class structure and use of a moodle was very new to me and it took me a while to find my way around the moodle, however, this moodle and online communication forced me to be more independent and to rely on my team members for support. You offered many learning opportunities in this class. I'm signed on to your blog and will continue to learn from you. Thank you for everything you have done to make this a successful learning experience with the new web 2.0 technologies.