The first project was creating a blog and lesson plan. I make at minimum three lesson plans a week but use a different format. This seemed like a lot more work than the lesson plan template that I already use and if I had to do it 3 times a week, I would go crazy. The blog was interesting. I have written a blog in the past but it has been so long that it was somewhat like riding a bike. I am sure it has a place in some classrooms, but I will not be using it in my classroom. I have a transitional student body so it would be too much effort to make a blog that would not be viewed much. Another aspect was comments on my peers blogs. This was not an issue as I also comment on news websites, other blogs, other websites, etc. Since I will not be using a blog in my classroom, I don't force any need to be commenting on blogs.
The second project was our technology survey. I did not have any issues making the survey, except that I made it in excel first because I didn't have internet access when I created it. Later, I transferred the survey to google docs but mistakenly submitted the excel version as my work. I already use surveys in my class but I usually just use a paper version. I will most likely continue to use the paper version that I have because my survey is given constantly and at different times of the year.
Third, we collaborated with our teammates on a document and presentation. This was actually useful to me. Even though I didn't want anyone to "mess up" my work, it actually turned out great in the end. I would like to see something like this project happen in my district in the future.
The fourth project was a spreadsheet showing grades for the students. The program we use in my district has more functionality than this project so I will continue to use that. However, it was nice to brush up on my excel skills because I rarely use excel.
Fifth, we created a podcast. I can see myself using this for my classroom. I only had one issue with this assignment and that was finding a quiet spot to record. I can see using this for one of the classes that I don't always have to teach, such as mythology, African American authors, or Mississippi authors. It will be used by having the student listen to the podcast while I actually teach the English students in the classroom.
The sixth project was a movie story. Once again, it could have a place in my class but it really will depend on what else is going on in my classroom. I did have some issues with this assignment because I made my movie entirely in PowerPoint and I used functions that I had never used before. It was quite a learning experience.
The seventh assignment was building a course website. Although this wasn't difficult to create, it was rushed because we only had a week to make it with everything else that I had to work on for that week. I doubt that I will use another course website for my classroom, but since one is already created for mythology I will probably use it for that class. Time constraints would prevent me from putting the effort into creating a new site.
Eighth, we created a quiz and forum for our course websites. I thought both of these features were great. They provide new ways to assess student knowledge. If I was going to use websites in my class, I would definitely be using these. I already use verbal discussions int he classroom and an online version would be useful for keeping track of who said what and what they know.
Ninth, we worked with the first set of online web tools (Rubristar and EasyTestMaker). I already use these in my classroom and plan on continuing to use them. To me, these are probably the most useful projects we did all summer. If I had no experience with them, I probably would have been jumping up and down with joy at discovering these.
Finally, we created an interactive image and a publication channel. I thought both were interesting ways to present information. I will most likely not use the interactive image for my class due to the environment. However, I look forward to using the publication channel. I feel like that will be an easy way to gather information for my students or coworkers to view.
When it comes to technology, I have some strong and weak points. I am willing to learn new tech and how to use it, but only if I have to. I am married to a computer programmer so when something tech needs work, I usually will pawn it off. That being said, I feel like I have taken the initiative in this class to only ask for help when I truly needed it. I wanted to learn these technologies for myself because I can't rely on my spouse when its my planning period and I want to create something. The only time I asked for help was with the movie and that was only because I was having issues with the audio and video matching up.
I work at an alternative school so my students are there for 30 to 45 days, depending on the infractions that brought them to the school. I can have all 4 grades of high school English plus any of 3 electives in one class at a time. Some of the the technology we learned about will be useful in this setting. Some will just be a waste of my time. Every day is a struggle to reach these at risk students and I try to actually work with them as much as possible instead of pawning them off on some technology while I work on something else. I want my students to know that I am there to help as much as possible so I feel like too much technology may cause a disconnect. I would like to continue to learn about emerging technologies that would be useful in my classroom and plan on taking some technology training through my district.
Updated Work
Tech Survey
Google Spreadsheet
Cleaned Up Website