The Ups and Downs of Learning New Technologies

Learning a new technology can be both frustrating and exhilarating. Setting up classroom blogs has eaten up so much time these last two weeks that I am behind on my other writing goals/activities. Looking back on the process, I am frustrated that it took so long. It's so easy to do in hindsight. I feel exhilarated that I have accomplished my task; it's like giving birth - one forgets the pain after the child is born.
Last semester I learned Dreamweaver, another frustrating, but exhilarating, experience. I spent hours transforming a text-rich paper on Nathaniel Hawthorne to an engaging webpage. Finding pictures and outside links added to the look of the page; chunking the text so it was easier to read made the text feel not so overwhelming. Once I was done with the task (and had figured out how to effectively use the program), I was excited about the results. I can see the value of having a webpage for my classes. I can link outside sources and readings, add photos and videos that inspire, and organize the class schedule, syllabi, and discussions. Having my own webpage would be a great communication tool for my students.
When I started graduate school in the fall of 2007, I had never used D2L before. It took me awhile to get used to looking for classwork, news, discussion, dropbox, and even grades online. This fall when I started teaching 191, I spent time learning how to format the content and discussions on D2L. It was well worth my time as D2L was one of my main avenues to disseminate information to my students. I did not have time to work through the gradebook system. It looked too complicated to attempt on my own. I am aware of help and training sessions, but I just did not have time to take advantage of them. (Actually I rarely use training or help, as I prefer to figure out new programs and technologies on my own.)
I do like to play with technologies, but I know I learn the best when I have a reason or purpose for learning it. I have had some training on Adobe Photoshop, but I have not had a reason to spend the time to learn how to utilize it well. When I get frustrated with that program, I just give up and return to my old Print Shop program. I would probably have less frustration with learning new technologies if I would get some training when I needed to learn the technology. On the other hand, I would not feel such exhilaration when I break through my obstacle and achieve my objective. Learning new technologies certainly has its ups and downs.

Some success on classroom blogs

After some badgering and threatening of poor grades, most of my 191 students have accepted invitations to be on the blog and have made comments. One student has posted a good question for the others to comment on. Yeah! Since I only see my students twice a week, it is hard to reinforce the blog activity in class. I am hoping that now that most of the students are connected that they will develop the habit of checking the blog. Last semester I ran two D2L discussions. The students ignored the assignment until I strongly encouraged them (yes, I was close to yelling!) to do the assignment. It really helped to post their grades; that is an effective big stick.

I added some news, weather, and quote of the day to spruce up the look of the blog. I want to embed a youtube video as one of the posts. Having the ability to add pictures and videos is one of the advantages of blogs over D2L. I do not want the blog to be drudgery for the students; I want to entice them to visit the blog so they can get their peers' opinions and ideas. Maybe I should add the air hockey and mini golf games to the blog!

Setting Up a Blog for Class Discussion

I have spent the last two weeks reading and experimenting with setting a blog for the research portion of my thesis. It turns out that it is a very easy process. On Google's Blogger.com, all an instructor has to do is set up a Google account, format the look of the blog, decide on the settings, make an initial post, and invite the students to the blog. Students can accept the invitation and instantly then make a comment or post on the blog. If they do not have to make a Google account, when they try to accept the invite, then Blogger.com takes them through a five-minute process. They only have to type in four boxes: username, password, retype password, and verification word which is a slightly skewed nonsense word.
The process seems so simple now that I have done it. Though I had read sections of David Warlick's book, Classroom Blogging, and read the Help section on Google, the procedures seemed complicated. My students also struggled with making a Google account and accepting the invitation. I have spent hours emailing them with ideas for them to try. I spent classtime having them use my laptop to get a Google account. Some of the problems were that the graphics make it appear that a person have to create a blog in order to get a Google account. That is not so. By reading carefully, an account can be made without creating a blog.
Now that I have experiment and discovered many pitfalls, I have written some clearer instructions so next time I want to set up a blog for class discussion, it will be a breeze!

Audio Learners

On Monday, I have an eye examination. The doctor dilated my eyes; I had to wear sunglasses for hours. I wasn't able to do anything on the computer, not even play Spider. So I listened to the television instead. Guessing the questions on Jeopardy is harder than I thought when I could only hear the question and not see the question. I am a very visual learner; I actually find pictures and sounds distracting when I am trying to read and concentrate. A nice quiet library or sunny reading spot in my house is the perfect place for me to do my classroom reading and writing.
This experience of trying to be an audio participant made me think of the different ways or mediums in which people learn. When I helped with the high school marching band, I met some terrific audio learners. They could remember speeches, lectures, and all kinds of music. After hearing just a few notes of music, they could identify what piece of music it was from. Amazing! They could recite parts of famous speeches they had heard. Some of them were involved with theatre productions, so this talent came in handy.
When I am teaching, I am aware of these two kinds of learners. I try to write out clear instructions, but I also read aloud or discuss the instructions. If I had an instructor who only gave directions orally, I would definitely miss parts of the directions. I know some of the band students would not read directions, so they need to hear the directions. [I posted signs and instructions on putting away their uniforms which were not often read!]
Though audio and visual learners are not the only types of learners, I think they are the primary types for our present school system, especially at the four-year college level. I think it is prudent to remember these types of learners as we instructors write syllabi and assignment sheets. It is not enough to just give the sheets of paper. Discussing our expectations is important, too. Of course, that thought leads to how does an instructor discuss in an online classroom. More later.

Initial Thoughts on using technology for teaching

When I teach, technology is a tool, not just bells and whistles. I cannot understand why an instructor would use technology to be popular or entertaining for students. I use technology to add some variety to the learning process; a chalk board or whiteboard can serve the same function as the doc cam. The doc cam is also like the old overhead projectors (except that it does not get so hot sometimes that it burns my hand). The advantage of the doc cam that I had not had before is its ability to project textbooks (no transparencies). But, back to my point, I have used these machines/tools to give the students something else to look at besides me. These technologies add interest to my lesson. It gets pretty tedious to listen to a professor read from his yellowed notes for over an hour.
Also technologies allow me to give students a chance to experience the text like listening to Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his "I have a Dream" speech or watching a video on the Katrina hurricane. Some students learn better by doing so technology like the Internet or D2L discussion allows them to be active in their learning.
I am excited to learn more about the technologies presented in class and how to be utilize them. I want to know what other instructors have tried so I do not have to reinvent the wheel - so to speak. I also look forward to the class discussions; other perspectives from instructors remind me what I may have forgotten.