Week 6: Tips & Tricks Recap

[Vanessa]

Isn't that on the schedule for this week? Yes, I know - we are all in
a state of EVO-exhaustion. Still, why not take a few moments to
reflect and share.

We are all taking away more tools and ideas than we can process
without indigestion.

Which ones do you think will stick - be the most useful?

Which ones are interesting but need more processing and training
before you take them into your classrooms?

What is the single item or detail that would most improve next year's
Tips & Tricks?

[Vilvi]

The thing that strikes me is that I'm taking away from this class what
I know I can use. I look at what we've done and learned here, and I
process everything through my needs and abilities. For example,
SecondLife is very interesting and could inspre some students, but my
computers can't support it at work, the regular teachers won't be able
to use it without a lot of guidence from me, and my students would not
get a lot out of it. However, the WizIQ program we used is more
practical for my needs and I can (and have) use it. Lesson: we use
what we find applicable.

Possible future emphasis: it might be helpful to mention one or two
real-world examples of "I used X -here's why". You're right, there's
a lot of info the process -to much to absorb. Honestly, I'll probably
do what I do at the end of a conference -file the info somewhere and
look at it in my spare time -in a year or two. If you mention a real-
life example of using it, maybe we'll be able to use it quickly? Just
a thought...

Vilvi

[David]

Vanessa and Vilvi ask an interesting question: which tools will
stick? A lot depends on 1) your situation --- blended or purely
online, what kind of computers you and your students have, whether you
have a big display screen in the classroom and 2) your teaching style
-- are you into helping students speak more or do you prefer teaching
writing, etc.

I think what happens in reality is that given a passing acquaintance
with the tools, we then go to those tools that fit with our needs and
inclinations at that moment. It's a natural thing.

Personally I like Web 2.0 tools because there's no download required
and they work on all platforms. I'm of course very intrigued by the
potential of Second Life but not convinced yet that students will take
up the SL cause: it seems to appeal more to teachers at conferences
than to students, at least as far as I can see. However, that may
change.

How would *you* answer Vanessa's question?

Dave

[Vanessa]

Vilvi

Even if you aren't sure HOW you'd use a tool, do you have access to a
lab classroom where you could introduce students to, say, WiZiQ or
another. Just give them a tours like we got in Tapped In and maybe a
simple exercise or activity using features that would not be too
confusing or time consuming to set up. When I was teaching blended
classes @ UNM using the lab classroom a couple of days a week, I found
the curve steepest at the beginning when introducing older, not
traditional students to computers. It was even a challenge with the
computer literate younger students since they weren't used to the
specific tasks and features - just as resistant in their own ways to
the new and different. You have to invest in training time before you
can begin to see other benefits.

Vanessa