I've worked my way through Module 2. Biggest difficulty lay in finding the links! Maybe it's my "Mac" mentality working with a PC template, but I just don't follow the logic of some of the pages and/or links. Fortunately my persistence outweighs my frustration (at least for the present.)
I doubt that I'll be able to keep up this pace with the lessons and/or blogging now that the musical in underway. "Annie" is progressing well but we've also run into some crazy frustrations--the musical went through a "revival" a few years ago so the script I was working with is no longer the script that the students are using.
Now, for anyone wandering here because you want to learn about news from Ironwood County . . .
I worked hard between the one-act and the musical to finish another read-through of the "Heartstone" sequel. Once the musical is over and senior seminar papers are read (at least a few weeks there), I hope to re-read/edit it before it goes to the publisher. So . . . if you haven't read "Heartstone" yet, do so now so that you can be ready for the sequel coming out in the fall. It is also available for the Kindle (along with "Passing Through Paradise"). "Heartstone" has been selling well in the UK as well as the US. For a few weeks it was in their list of Top 100 - selling fantasy Kindle novels in the UK.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Beginning with technology (with some Ironwood County news)
educational news from John Schreiber:
I've started this class on online teaching. As a student, I can understand some of the frustrations with technology. I can spend a significant amount of time looking for a link that may or may not be where it's supposed to be (sometimes, I admit, it's user error). Also, I never read well information "on the screen"--I can blame my glasses or just the fact that my eyes are used to the printed page.
At the same time I like some of the things I've discovered--like the Wordle and things like this. Putting this information on a blog isn't new for me since I've used blogging with a class before. I can say that students really enjoy instant blogging back and forth with each other. It is also a way for teachers to get instant feedback to specific questions. I should do this more often with more classes because students certainly are motivated to write in this way.
As far as creating a sense of community, I'm not sure how that can be accomplished as well as in a classroom. I'm not a Ludite, but I do think that posting information is never the same as actually talking face-to-face. It is a challenge, and, from my readings, it is a challenge that many recognize and are trying to solve.
Now, for those who want actual Ironwood County News . . .
Angela Kiln is well into her third year of teaching. Jack, her father, continues to do well in the newly consolidated district. Matt Blake had a winning football season for the first time as a head coach in Hillcrest. Andrew Johanson, the local publisher in Ironwood County, is nearing retirement, and he recently helped local writer John Schreiber to get his supposedly-fictional novel "Passing Through Paradise" on the Kindle. His epic fantasy, "Heartstone" has already been selling well in Kindle form in both the U.S. and the U.K.
I've started this class on online teaching. As a student, I can understand some of the frustrations with technology. I can spend a significant amount of time looking for a link that may or may not be where it's supposed to be (sometimes, I admit, it's user error). Also, I never read well information "on the screen"--I can blame my glasses or just the fact that my eyes are used to the printed page.
At the same time I like some of the things I've discovered--like the Wordle and things like this. Putting this information on a blog isn't new for me since I've used blogging with a class before. I can say that students really enjoy instant blogging back and forth with each other. It is also a way for teachers to get instant feedback to specific questions. I should do this more often with more classes because students certainly are motivated to write in this way.
As far as creating a sense of community, I'm not sure how that can be accomplished as well as in a classroom. I'm not a Ludite, but I do think that posting information is never the same as actually talking face-to-face. It is a challenge, and, from my readings, it is a challenge that many recognize and are trying to solve.
Now, for those who want actual Ironwood County News . . .
Angela Kiln is well into her third year of teaching. Jack, her father, continues to do well in the newly consolidated district. Matt Blake had a winning football season for the first time as a head coach in Hillcrest. Andrew Johanson, the local publisher in Ironwood County, is nearing retirement, and he recently helped local writer John Schreiber to get his supposedly-fictional novel "Passing Through Paradise" on the Kindle. His epic fantasy, "Heartstone" has already been selling well in Kindle form in both the U.S. and the U.K.
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