Wendy

Wendy Osipowicz
**LinkedIn:** Wendy Osipowicz **Facebook:** Wendy Barszcz Osipowicz **Twitter:** wodogo70 **Skype:** wendy.osipowicz toc My name is //Wendy Osipowicz.// I graduated from CCSU with my B.S. in Elementary Education. I currently teach writing to students in grades 1-3 at Chamberlain Primary School in New Britain. Our school is a National Demonstration School for a program called Project CHILD. I work on a cluster with two other teachers, and we each specialize in a specific content area (reading, writing, math). We keep the same students for three consecutive years. Prior to teaching in the Project CHILD program, I taught All Day Kindergarten. In my free time I enjoy photography, cooking, and hiking with my husband and our Springer Spaniel, Trapper.

This is my second class in the Educational Technology program. I'm looking forward to becoming more familiar with the various technology tools available. Unfortunately, I do not have a SMARTboard or ELMO in my classroom, however I do have access to both and I use them periodically. I have an iPad that I use in the classroom for DRA administration and progress monitoring. I also use the iPad with various educational apps when providing Tier 3 interventions to individual students. I plan to advocate for additional funding for technology in my school through grant writing.

1. May 31, 2012 Summary of Webex Meeting
My partner for this class is Rachael Leupold.

After reviewing the substitute online recordings of the Webex Meeting for the 5/31 class, I found the following information to be very helpful: top
 * Anchors: How to add these to our Wikipages.
 * Table of Contents: How easy it was to add a Table of Contents, and how useful this tool will be to navigate around our Wikipages as we add more content to them. While trying to add my Table of Contents I found that everything I had typed on my page (including my name and bio) was showing up as a link in my Table. I realized that my name was typed in Heading 2, and all of my text was typed as Heading 6, therefore it was all being included in the Table. That was easy enough to fix, and now my Table of Contents is functioning properly.
 * Revisions: I like knowing that an accidental deletion of information on my page can be easily recovered by referring back to the revisions tab.
 * Discussions and Comments Tab: How know if a discussion has been posted, as well as any comments to that post.
 * The links posted on the Resources and Case Studies page are great. The link for How To Cite Anything and Grovo were particulary helpful.

2. Reflective Essay #1
What I Know And Don't Know About Research June 7, 2012

I define research as the process of investigating a specific thing (or person, theory, event, etcetera) by finding and reading various resources. I majored in History with a minor in English Composition for my undergraduate studies; therefore I’ve had to complete research to fulfill course requirements for essays and term papers. An important factor to consider when performing research is to ensure that the sources being used are reliable and unbiased. In addition, a variety of sources should be utilized so that one can compare the consistency of the findings or reports on the topic. I understand the necessity of properly citing sources to avoid inadvertent plagiarism. I have used both MLA and APA formats to cite, however I would not attempt either format without consulting a reference resource. The majority of my personal experience with research has been reading scholarly articles, professional journals, and reviewing the findings of other researchers, as opposed to conducting my own research studies to share with others.

I just recently completed a yearlong action research project for school last week. I collaborated on the project with three colleagues, all writing teachers. The goal of our action research was to collect and analyze data that we could use to make improvements to our instructional practices to enhance our students’ learning. The focus of the project was on improving our third grade students’ skills in the genre of narrative writing.

What I want to learn as a result of the research we will be doing in this course is how to find current research that is relevant to my specific technology needs in a primary language arts classroom. I’m concerned that much of the research done in educational technology is completed in upper grades or higher education situations. As a primary teacher (grades 1-3), I want to ensure that the research I’m utilizing is appropriate for my targeted student population. I’m excited to learn about the various technology tools available in education, and to see the impact those tools have had on student achievement. I’m particularly interested in seeing what the research shows about the effectiveness of technology with the various subgroups of my student population. I have a high number of ESL students as well as students with Individualized Education Plans receiving special education services. I hope to find technology resources and tools that will allow me to further differentiate the content, the learning environment, the instructional process, and the product for these students.

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3. Paired Assignment: LinkedIn and Facebook
June 7, 2012

Rachael and I joined LinkedIn this week and explored the website. Our goal was to locate some of the authors of the research articles in our textbook, as well as the other assigned readings. We were unable to locate any of the authors on either website. We did, however, find some groups on LinkedIn that were of particular interest to us which we joined. My membership is still pending with the following groups on LinkedIn: K-12 Education Technology, Technology Integration in Education, Technology in Education, Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards, Edubloggers, and the International Society for Technology in Education. We're interested in learning more about using iPads in the classroom since our district was able to purchase them for the language arts teachers in our school through a grant. We use the iPads to administer the DRA-2 three times a year, however we also use them when providing Tier 2 and 3 instruction inour classrooms. We also have access to a SMARTboard in our school, however neither of us have individual SMARTboards in our classrooms.

We already have Facebook accounts so there was no need to join. What did find some pages on Facebook to "like" and join, such as SMART Technologies, iPads for Special Education, and iPads in Education MSSD. These pages seemed to have frequent visitors and provided links out to various blogs and websites.

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4. YouTube Videos
June 21, 2012

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 * Document Cameras.** This video addresses the use of document cameras in the elementary classrooms. It is from the perspective of the students and teachers. I was pleased to hear students comment on how they take pride in their work, and enjoy hearing compliments from their classmates when they get to share and present their work on the document camera.

This short video focuses on using a student response system in the preschool population. I liked that it addressed the youngest population of students. Although these children are younger than my 1st-3rd grade students, I can appreciate the challenges that early childhood teachers face when it comes to using technology since I previously taught kindergarten.

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This video shows how a self contained SPED class is using technology to help facilitate student participation in the classroom. I chose this video because I'm very interested in seeing students with special needs be successful in the classroom, and how various technologies can aid that.

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I chose this last video because it focuses on some of the technologies that students are responsible for using in the primary classroom such as blogs, class webpages, videos, and Skype. Once again, this video is from the perspective of the student and how they see technology enhancing their own learning experiences.

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5. Inquiry Activity Plan - DRAFT
June 21, 2012

The research study that I am using as a model is //Use of Wikis in K12 and Higher Education: A Review of the Research// by Khe Foon Hew and Wing Sum Cheung. The purpose of Hew and Cheung’s article was to review multiple research studies that had been completed on the usage of Wikispaces in K-12 classrooms, as well as higher education settings. They were unable to determine whether using Wikis in the classroom had a direct impact on improving student’s writing abilities. I would like to conduct an action research project using a secure Wiki in my own classroom to see if it can indeed improve students’ narrative writing skills, since the study noted above was inconclusive. The specific writing skills I will focus on are: organizational structure, sequencing of events, and elaboration. A secure Wiki will be used so that the students’ work and/or photos are not accessible by the public. The Wiki will only be used during class time, therefore the only people with access to the class page will be the students in the Wiki group, my principal, and myself.
 * Study Being Used**

(in progress)
 * Literature Review**

Students in my grade 3 writing class are not scoring a 4 or higher on narrative writing prompts. The Direct Assessment of Writing (DAW) on the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) counts for 60% of the students’ total Writing Score. Writing prompts are holistically scored by two independent scorers, and a combined score of 8 out of 12 is considered meeting Goal by the state. These grade 3 students will take the CMT in March, 2013 and must improve their narrative writing skills to receive a score of 4 or higher.
 * The Problem**

The class will be divided into two equal groups of 12. The groups will be equally divided by gender, ability, and baseline scores. Both groups will have ESL students as well as students with IEPs. The groups will be referred to as the Wiki group and the pencil/paper group. All students will receive the same whole group instruction and mini lessons on the narrative writing process. All students will be required to complete the same writing exercises, activities, and writing prompts. One group will complete these tasks using standard paper/pencil methods, and the other group will complete the tasks on Wikispaces. The Wiki group will access additional resources such as videos, photos, word lists, etcetera via the Wiki homepage. The paper/pencil group will use the standard resources that we’ve been using in the classroom. Students will peer edit their partner’s work in both groups.
 * The Activity**

The audience for this action research will be the 24 third grade students in my writing class. The class is composed of 13 boys and 11 girls. Seven students are Caucasian, five students are African American, and twelve are Hispanic. Of these 24 students, two have IEPs and one has a 504 Plan. One student is hearing impaired and uses an FM system and two hearing aides. Seven of the students are ESL students, however only three of them receive ESL services. Seventeen students receive free lunch, and two receive reduced lunch. Five students are below grade level on the DRA-2, 16 students are reading at grade level, three students are reading above grade level. All students have experience independently using the computer as part of our school’s literacy curriculum. None of the 24 students have any prior experience with Wikispaces.
 * The Audience**

Narrative writing prompts are holistically scored using the 6-point rubric utilized by CMT scorers. Students’ baseline writing prompt scores from the second grade June prompt administration are as follows: Score 0: 0 Score 1: 4 Score 2: 15 Score 3: 4 Score 4: 1 Score 5: 0 Score 6: 0

The objectives of this project are in alignment with the Common Core State Standards for Grade 3. Specific standards addressed are as follows: The following materials will be used: Secure Class Wikispace with student pages Individual task rubrics Peer editing rubrics 6-point narrative writing rubric Anchor charts Student computers Student writing journals Overhead projector Pencils, highlighters, Post-It notes, erasers Writing paper Narrative Writing Diamond (//Empowering Writers)// Various writing resources from multiple sources, including //Empowering Writers// and //Being a Writer// Student dictionaries and thesauruses
 * The Objectives**
 * CCSS 3.W.3 || Students will write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. ||
 * CCSS 3.W.3.a || Students will establish a situation and introduce a narrator/and or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally ||
 * CCSS 3.W.3.b || Students will use dialogue and description of actions, thoughts,and/or feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations ||
 * CCSS 3.W.3.c || Students will use temporal words and phrases to signal event order. ||
 * CCSS 3.W.3.d || Students will provide a sense of closure ||
 * CCSS 3.W.4 || With guidance and support from adults, students will produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. ||
 * CCSS 3.W.5 || With guidance and support from peers and adults, students will develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. ||
 * CCSS 3.W.6 || With guidance and support from adults, students will use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others. ||
 * The Materials**

Data will be collected as students complete the assigned summative and formative assessments. Rubrics will be used to score all assessments. Data collected from the assessments will be recorded and graphed.
 * Data Collection**

I will evaluate the effectiveness of Wikispaces by comparing students’ baseline prompt scores to final prompt scores. I will also compare the baseline and final scores of the paper/pencil group. The final scores of both groups will be compared to see if the use of the Wiki was beneficial in improving students’ writing scores. I will be analyzing authentic student work samples that were produced in class. I will administer a survey to both groups about their feelings on the writing process to obtain reflections on their learning.
 * Evaluation**

I will need 10 weeks to complete this action research. The projected start date for the project is September 17, 2012 and the projected end date is December 3, 2012. Breakdown of dates is as follows: Week 1: Baseline Prompt Week 2: Writing Exercise Week 3: Writing Exercise Week 4: Writing Prompt Week 5: Writing Exercise and Peer Editing Week 6: Writing Exercise and Peer Editing Week 7: Writing Prompt Week 8: Writing Exercise and Peer Editing Week 9: Writing Exercise and Peer Editing Week 10: Final Writing Prompt
 * Timeline**

I will share the findings of my action research by writing a report. I will present the findings to my principal, the District Coordinator of Project CHILD, and my colleagues on my writing team at school. If the results of my action research indicate that Wikispaces had a direct impact on improving students’ narrative writing skills, I feel that can strengthen my argument for the need for student laptops in the classrooms.
 * Dissemination**

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//6. Using Skype to Improve Student Interviews//, by Gayle Dietrick
June 21, 2012 Questions for Discussion

1. I felt that allowing students to use Skype addressed the issue of cultural sensitivity. In certain cultures, making direct eye contact during face-to-face meetings may be frowned upon, or considered disrespectful, and the use of Skype might help to alleviate this. Also, it is important for teachers to make students aware of any social or cultural differences when communicating with individuals in different regions of our country, or other countries. On another note, using Skype allows students the opportunity to “travel” and make contacts with individuals when they might not be able to do so due to cost or time constraints.

2. The learning experience appeared to be successful. Students were able to obtain interviews of a higher quality, and improve their skills. I also liked that students worked as team, further enhancing their interpersonal communication skills with their peers.

3. Another method of assessment would be for the students to conduct face-to-face interviews after their work with the Skype interviews. Giving students the opportunity to build their interview skills using Skype is beneficial, however students must be able to carry those skills over and apply them to real life situations that they will most likely find themselves in. The likelihood of the students encountering interviews in person, rather than Skype, would certainly be almost definite.

4. I believe that self-efficacy was the primary focus of the assessment of this project because having confidence is an integral part of successful interviewing. Assessing how students’ perceptions of their own skills and abilities strengthened after the project should indicate the success or failure of the assignment.

5. My school has limited technology resources available, and webcams are something we don’t have. I would love to use Skype in my classroom to connect with students in other schools around the world, as well as to connect with community leaders, authors, or other professionals. I was just informed at the end of the school year that we will be using e-Pals next year in our writing classrooms to help develop a global learning community. I’m not sure of other conferencing tools that might be appropriate for primary students, but I think that the contacts that I can make on LinkedIN and Twitter would be a good place to inquire.

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7. Blog Assignment
June 25, 2012

I read the //Checking Your Facebook Privacy// blog by Brian Croxall. My response is below: Thanks so much for posting this. It was very helpful and user friendly. I have Timeline (unfortunately) and was able to follow your instructions without any confusion. I'm not someone who claims 500+ people as "friends", so 96% of my FB contacts are ACTUAL friends, family, and colleagues. I also don't post things that are extremely personal in nature, that I would need to be concerned that others are viewing. However, I'm still concerned over how my information can be accessed by friends of friends, or friends of those friends of friends. Thanks to your instructions I'm pretty confident that my timeline, photos, and posts are being viewed only by those that I wish to share with. I also wasn't aware of the "subscribers" feature until reading your article. Things seem to change so frequently on FB, hopefully these privacy settings won't be outdated too soon. Although I use my FB account for personal enjoyment, I can see the benefit of using it to establish professional relationships as well. I'm not comfortable combining both platforms into one timeline so I think the best option for me is create a second timeline for my professional FB activity. [|Fla] top
 * < [[image:http://mediacdn.disqus.com/uploads/users/2789/5555/avatar32.jpg?1340642085 width="32" height="32" link="http://disqus.com/twitter-604881648/"]] ||< Wendy Osipowicz  [|0 minutes ago]   ||

8. Podcast Assignment
June 25, 2012

For the Podcast assignment, I listened to a podcast that I found on iTunes by Dr. Tim Tyson, //Your iPad as an Interactive Whiteboard.// This is the first podcast I have ever listened to. It had both audio and video components, however most of it was presented in a slideshow. The portions of the podcast that were most helpful to me were those that contained recordings of him modeling various parts of the software on his own computer. The podcast was about how teachers can use their personal iPad as an affordable option to the interactive whiteboard in the classroom. This topic caught my attention since I can only dream of having an IWB in my classroom due to severe budget limitations, but I do have an iPad. The podcast was presented in a 4-part series. My hopes of using my iPad as an IWB were quickly deflated when he explained that a projector would also be needed (as well as a computer, and either Ink2Go or AirDisplay software). My chances of getting an projector in my classroom are just as low as getting an IWB. However, I did watch the entire podcast and found that using the iPad as an IWB had other limitations as well. For example, the iPad and the computer must be on the same Wifi network (another issue....we don't have Wifi in our individual classrooms), the Ink2Go software does not have a desktop keyboard or mouse, and it doesn't record computer audio. Although the overall usefulness of this podcast was limited for me, I feel it would be helpful for someone who does have the necessary equipment. He presented his information in a step-by-step tutorial and spoke slowly and clearly. It was easy to understand. Now I just need to find a podcast on how to go about getting a FREE IWB and all the "fixings" for my classroom. top

9. June 21, 2012 Summary of Webex Meeting
Rachael mentioned the difficulty in finding literature specific to kindergarten that is needed for her inquiry plan. Dr. Sponder mentioned that it is difficult to find a lot of research done at the kindergarten/early childhood level because of obtaining parent permission for research to be conducted on their children in the classroom. This explains why I’ve had such difficulty finding K-12 studies for my research, and that most studies are done at the college level. The conversation that followed regarding how we would feel about accommodating researchers in our classroom was insightful. I can understand people’s concerns over not feeling comfortable with having visitors in their classroom due to a variety of issues: increased pressure, students’ behaviors, fear of something going wrong, insecurity for non-tenured teachers, etcetera. My school is a National Demonstration School for Project CHILD. Because of this National status we frequently accommodate visitors, ranging from small groups of 2-3, to large groups of 20+ teachers/administrators from different districts across the country. No matter how many visits we have, I’m always anxious about how my students will perform, and how my instruction, classroom, or routines will be viewed by the visitors.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Review of the Webquest research was not as positive as expected. Emily had asked how people felt about Webquests being used in the classroom today. I have not had much experience with using Webquests. When I used them during my student teaching internship with 5th graders, the students were able use them with their classmates for a social studies group project. I’ve also had difficulty finding Webquests that meet my personal standard for rigor. I created some Webquests during my student teaching placement, but have not created anything new since having my own classroom. Prior to teaching in Project CHILD (which I’ve done for two years) I taught All Day Kindergarten, and the age group didn’t lend itself to independent or group work during which the Webquests would be used. I now specialize in a content area for grades 1-3 (Writing) which also takes on most of the Social Studies and Science curriculum. I can see myself using Webquests with the 2nd and 3rd graders as part of our Social Studies or Science units. I would have to revisit how to construct a Webquest, which I understand I will have an opportunity to do in EDT514.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dr. Sponder stressed that every technology has an optimal use and that not every technology is good for every situation. It is the teacher’s job to find out the best uses for the technologies available to us. Teacher must keep a bag of tricks, like we do for classroom management, differentiation, etcetera. We need to do the same with the technology tools and skills we acquire and use them in the best situation. Matt made an excellent point about trying to make the technology fit the content that we’re teaching. We can’t fit a square peg into a round hole.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dr. Sponder spoke about us taking on the roles of “expert” in the area of educational technology in our schools once we complete this program. My principal has already discussed possible plans for using Rachael, Craig, and myself as technology resources in our school. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I never had any experience with Skype prior to this course. I think it’s a wonderful technology to use on a personal level (connecting with faraway family and friends), as well as on a professional level in the classroom. I do wonder if there any issues that arise in the primary classrooms as far as obtaining parent permission/consent for their child’s image to be conveyed via the internet. Ways that I could use Skype in my classroom would be with our Social Studies units. While reading the article, I thought it would be interesting to contact authors that the students are familiar with so the students can interview them and discuss their books (I think it was Matt that had the same suggestion). I was not aware that I could Skype via an iPhone.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rachael had a question about the audience for the inquiry plan. I had interpreted it as being my students, however Dr. Sponder clarified that the audience is my classmates, professors, and administration.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tim mentioned that he uses YouTube videos for tutorials, which I do as well. It is necessary to weed through the nonsense videos, but you can find some helpful videos. I used YouTube with Rachael when we were doing our Flash projects, and I’ve used it at home as well. I was trying to teach myself how to knit, and looked to YouTube for some help. I used YouTube in school with my first graders when we were studying the Wamponoag Indians as well as researching penguins. I was able to find educational cartoon videos on Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller, and Rosa Parks for my 3rd graders to watch when they were doing research for their biography reports.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dr. Sponder offered suggestions for formatting our Wikipages. Since I wasn’t present to object, my page was used to discuss formatting issues. Yes, my dog Trapper is a Springer Spaniel, but not a show dog…a purebred field spaniel :) It was suggested to number the items in the table of contents, which made it much easier to navigate through the page. It is important to keep consistent font style and size. Dr. Sponder modeled how to add anchors to link to the top of the page, which was also useful. I finished adding anchors to the rest of the sections on my Wiki. top

10. Reflective Essay #2
June 27, 2012

Throughout this course, I’ve had the opportunity to read and discuss multiple research studies related to Educational Technology, and explore various tools and resources available to educators. My initial goal at the beginning of this course was to learn how to find current research relevant to my technology needs as a language arts teacher at the primary school level. I had concerns that most research available in the field was conducted at the secondary and college level. Unfortunately, this concern proved to be a reality. Although the availability of secondary school research was more prevalent than elementary level research, the vast majority of studies were conducted in undergraduate and graduate programs. I hope that we’ll see a change in this trend in the near future. I recognize the importance of utilizing research that is appropriate for my students, so I struggle with how to apply some of the research findings from the upper levels into my own classroom.

Research that is conducted with integrity is a valuable resource. Researchers can skew data or cite studies in a manner that produces results that are positive in their favor. Referring back to the original documents or sources cited by the author is a worthwhile task to ensure the accuracy of research you are intending to emulate or apply with your students.

It certainly didn’t come as a surprise that the Internet is an endless source of information for research, however I never considered using social media as a tool for conducting research. Using Twitter, LinkedIn, Skype, and even Facebook as a means of contacting authors, and other professionals in the field has great potential when researching a topic. The course also provided me with insight into various technology tools that I was eager to learn more about, such as podcasts, Wikispaces, blogging, and interactive whiteboards. I attended a conference last year where I saw a mini presentation on clickers in the elementary classroom. We did not cover this specific technology in class, so I chose that as the topic for my research paper.

One area that I was hoping to find research on during this course was the effective uses of technology with ESL students and students with IEPs. Similar to my struggles with finding primary level research, I encountered the same difficulties with finding ESL research. This is an area that I plan to continue to research during my own time due to the high number of ESL students I teach. I noticed that most of the research studies concluded that technology had a significant impact on student engagement and motivation. However, the results were mostly inconclusive with regard to the direct impact that technology has on student achievement. This, of course, is a primary concern for educators and is the heart of all research I would conduct.

While I do feel as though this course has improved my knowledge about conducting academic research, I feel I need to continue to strengthen my research skills. I’m sure that my frustration over the lack of research available for elementary populations is a common one. This course has caused me to reflect on that void in research. I must consider my own responsibility as an educator, and future educational technology “master”, to conduct action research projects that can be shared with my colleagues and hopefully benefit others. Overall, I have developed a deeper appreciation and respect for those individuals that conduct large scale, long-term research studies. When conducted properly, and with integrity, research studies certainly are an invaluable resource for educators.

11. June 28, 2012 - Summary of Webex Meeting
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Hawthorne Effect is a belief that people act differently when they know they are being studied or observed. This is similar to what happens in our classrooms when students’ parents, principals, or other visitors are around; student behaviors are usually improved. I had the same reaction as Kathleen while I was reading the article. Our classrooms receive so many visitors due to our National Demonstration Site status, that I made a personal connection to that behavior. I wonder if I would have interpreted the research articles that we read any differently if I had read about the Hawthorne Effect at the beginning of the course. I will keep this in mind when reading future research. Rachael shared her experience with videotaping a young reader on her iPad during guided reading, as a way to improve the student’s confidence. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I am not using blogging in my classroom at present. Being a writing teacher, I would like to incorporate more ways for students to incorporate keyboarding and composition on the computer, and think that blogging might be an option, but I always feel that my students young ages are a factor. I recently ordered an e-book from Scholastic Teacher Express on teaching with wikis, blogs, and podcasts. I'll be reading it over the summer to get some ideas for the fall. Steve suggested using Edmoto, which is a blogging tool that we’ll be using in 514. Emily likes the commenting feature of blogging versus the chatting aspect. Dr. Sponder explained the differences between blogs and message boards. Blogs are initiated by a person, and responded to by others. They are a more self expressive tool. Typically, they are not moderated. Message boards are usually moderated. I responded to the blog about Facebook privacy settings. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The podcasting article was very comprehensive. Kathleen made a good point about the importance of being cautious with using podcasts longer than 4-5 minutes. Matt suggested that video podcasts are more apt to keep attention for longer time spans than simply audio podcasts. People shared the podcasts that they viewed for the assignment. The podcast that I listened to was found on iTunes by Dr. Tim Tyson. It addressed using your iPad as an interactive whiteboard. It was a 4-part tutorial, and it became increasingly difficult to focus toward the end; it was a little too long. The most helpful parts were those parts in which he was modeling the use of the software. The standard "slide" presentation of the rest of the podcast was informative, but not as engaging.

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Dr. Sponder asked if anyone listened to instructional audio CD's or tutorials in the car. I do listen to audio CD’s in the car all the time; usually fiction and for pure enjoyment. I actually prefer to listen to the books than the radio. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Dr. Sponder stressed again that no one technology is the “best”, but we need to learn to use each technology to the best of its ability. Know when to use the technology and not to use it. I found that as I was completing my research summary paper for this course. While I found the student response system technology to be beneficial for many, I didn't feel it would be the best fit for my classroom.