You.com Assignment

http://about.me/pstinson

When I first reviewed this assignment, I was not sure what to expect as I had never created a digital portfolio, so it seemed as though it was going to be a daunting task.  After previewing each website provided, I decided to use about.me.  It was very easy to sign up in and get started.  After navigating the website and reviewing each category offered (Background, Biography, Colors, Fonts, Apps, Links, Contact, Promote), I began to personalize my page.  I decided to make the beach my background since it is one of my favorite places to go.  I added my photo and some biographical information so viewers could get to know a little about me.  It was fun manipulating the fonts and colors and making it my own!  I then added my apps; I clicked on them to be sure that they directed the viewers to the correct websites.  Next, I added my links and contacts.  I decided to not show my contacts or tags in an effort to keep as much other text as I could on the page when it opened.  This process was so much easier than I had anticipated! 

The only challenge I faced was not having the ability to attach my projects to my page.  I also investigated flavors.me, but I ran into the same difficulty without having to upgrade for a charge.  However, because I could not attach them to my original page, I wanted to add them to my blog.  Unfortunately, I could not attach them there either.  After surfing the web to find out how to attach my documents, videos, and projects to my blog, I came across a website that directed me to another website (app.box.com) where I could easily convert my files to links so I could embed them into my blog.  This was also extremely easy, and I was able to upload a few videos, documents, lesson plans, and reflections to my blog to complement my about.me page.  This was a great learning process which allowed for reflection while determining which documents and links to include in my digital portfolio.  As I increase my presence online, I will continue to update my digital portfolio, and I am looking forward to sharing it with my colleagues in the fall.

Wilkes Projects and Professional Documents for You.com Assignment

https://www.edmodo.com/home#/group?id=485734

Wilkes Projects for You.com Assignment

Broadcast Yourself

I was excited for this live broadcasting assignment because I thought it would be interesting to engage my audience in a different way for this course over the summer.  At first I was not sure which broadcasting service I would use (I investigated Google Hangouts and Ustream), but I was thankful that I was able to use Blackboard Collaborate since I am accustomed to it from my online teaching position, and it is the main avenue for communicating with my students, parents, and colleagues.  When I initially read the assignment, I knew I wanted it to be on something fun….10 things you should do before summer’s end.  Considering school is around the corner (it will be here before we know it!), I thought it would be enjoyable to present a live broadcast about fun things to do before we had to return to our classrooms.  Since I knew how to navigate Blackboard, I thought that I would also create a PowerPoint to accompany my broadcast.  I created my PowerPoint with 10 fun things to do this summer, along with photos to complement each item.  My next step was creating my session.  I logged onto Blackboard and used my demo course as my platform.  I named it Paula Stinson’s Summer Smiles and created a start date and end date.  Because I teach online, I checked to see what other teachers were online to invite them to my session.  I emailed my link to a few of them in hopes of them attending this session, as well as publicized on my blog for class members.  Because I do not have a presence on other social networking sites, I emailed my link to some family members as well. 

On the day of my presentation, I sent reminder emails to prospective audience members.  I also made sure that my blog post was at the top of my blog, so class members would see it easily.  Unfortunately, some of my colleagues were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.  On Thursday, August 1, at 1:00 p.m., I logged into my Collaborate session to upload my PowerPoint and made sure that everything was ready to go when my audience arrived.  After running through my presentation several times, my audience members began to arrive.  Unfortunately, only four members were in attendance (my only challenge for this assignment).  At 2:00 p.m., after welcoming them and thanking them for joining, we began our discussion on 10 things that you should do before summer’s end, especially since it was already August 1! I utilized the microphone, whiteboard, and web cam during the live broadcast.  I started the recording, and we had a wonderful time discussing things from going to the drive-ins to having a board game night to making shapes out of clouds!  It was so fun hearing everyone’s experiences about what they had done this summer and what they still planned on doing!  We even extended the list and added some things to do after school began! 

During my live broadcast, everything ran smoothly, and it was a lot of fun!  I was happy to have had the opportunity to work out any kinks that might have existed due to the summer update prior to my presentation, especially since I will be using this broadcasting service for my teaching.  It was also wonderful to speak to fellow teachers and see how their summers were going thus far.  It was also nice to have a PowerPoint to guide the discussion and make available to my participants.  It is very important to always be prepared for your presentations!  You should arrive early to be sure that your technological tools are working properly and to be sure that your resources are uploaded and ready to go before your participants arrive for a smooth and enjoyable learning experience.   

Attend a Live Webinar

On Wednesday, July 31, at 10:00 a.m., I attended a webinar hosted by Simple K12.  Melissa Edwards presented Cultivate Creativity and Critical Thinking of Gifted Students with Project-Based Learning.  I chose this webinar because I am interested in PBL and have never implemented it in my classroom before but would like to give it a try.  The webinar began with the host introducing the presenter and providing her educational background which I believed was important.  Both the host and the presenter were very enthusiastic!  Melissa shared very simple and attractive PowerPoint slides with text and photos which were very helpful and complemented her informative presentation very well.  She also added wonderful examples that spanned many disciplines.  This webinar ran smoothly, and Melissa provided resources during her presentation.  The website also delivered a backchannel with notes and chat.  The webinar concluded in 30 minutes as promoted with a question and answer session.  All of these aspects were viewed as strengths and created a wonderful atmosphere for learning.  I actually feel that there were no weaknesses to this webinar.  It was a fantastic experience! 

I would definitely participate in another webinar hosted by SimpleK12.  The people involved and the site itself were very friendly and easy to navigate.  The website offered numerous topics and presenters.  I would certainly recommend these webinars to my colleagues.  Since many of these webinars are only 30 minutes, it would be manageable to incorporate this type of format into the classroom.  Because there are so many topics offered by Simple K12, it would be “simple” to find subjects to share with your students.  For example, if you wanted to implement blogging or iPad usage in the classroom, you could locate webinars on Blogging or iPads & Mobile Learning and share with your students via projector or application share (Blackboard), thereby making them attendees through the teacher of these “mini lessons.”  As broadcasters, students may even be motivated to create their own “webinars” on topics of their choice to share with others.  The possibilities are endless with these informative webinars which can be utilized by teachers and students in and out of the classroom…free of charge!