Finally!!

Finally, finally, finally! After three attempts at trying to upload, then download The Guitar Heroes' paper prototype, I was finally able to do it at 11:00 p.m. tonight! The internet at our school has become sporadic, which has made uploading/downloading nearly impossible.

We're a bit stressed at our school, because we have so many grants going on at the same time. We're a model school, which means lots of training and implementation of new technology, PBLs, teaching strategies and techniques. We have the state EETT grant that I am associated with; the Globaloria; and an Afterschool grant running at this time. Our equipment is beginning to flow in, which is exciting. I tested our chalkboard tonight. It is an AMAZING tool! It easily replaces the Smartboard. Anyway, I 'm rambling on because the other grants have affected some of my time in Globaloria. I missed the webinar tonight because I was at the grocery store buying food for our Afterschool program that will be launched to the parents tomorrow. I'm feeling absolutely terrible about missing the webinar. But I am also thankful and absolutely grateful for the technology of today, because I will have the opportunity to log into the wiki and really not miss any information discussed.

Today in Globaloria we filmed the Gamevision group's paper prototype. I tried, again, to upload/download The Guitar Heroes paper prototype with no success at school. I was able to transfer their presentation from the flip camera to my computer while at school; then used my internet connection at home to upload/download the video onto Teachertube and then the wiki. I know they will be happy to see the outcome of their work. In class, Tyler is thrilled because he took a bouncing ball and had it ricochet off an imaginary wall into a black hole. It was terrific. The whole class gathered around to see it. Phyllis is also excited because she is mastering the layering on Flash. She gave a mini-tutorial to Tyler and Chelsea. We wanted to get the Fourth Column's new group picture since we lost Chris from the group, and picked up Cody. Unfortunately, Dillon was absent so we'll need to postpone. Cody is catching on quickly, and fits right in the class. He navigates easily in the wiki and blogging. He is currently filling out his community issues.

Monday morning

I was not in Globaloria Friday because I was helping the math department present a project-based lesson all day. We're reading electric meters, calculating the price per Kwh. We're excited about the project. Unfortunately, missing Friday's Globaloria, I did not know about Tyler breaking his wrist. I was ... need to run and film Guitar Heroes paper prototype.

Getting in Touch Again

Our school had been turned upside down the last couple of weeks. We unexpectedly lost one of our teachers. We also have had quite a bit of teachers out sick. I've been here in the building, but administration has utilized my flexible schedule to help cover these classes and positions. Yesterday, I got away and came into Globaloria. How I missed this group!!! Globaloria was the best part of my day yesterday!
The Alliances practiced their paper prototype for me. Ms. Barker then filmed the Alliances and the Fourth Column's paper prototype. I took the recording and uploaded it to Teachertube and then to their group page. They were excited today to see their work on their page. I was pleased that they were happy to see their progress!
The 2nd group continued working on their paper prototyping. I sat with Shane to help him upload his Flash text and publish. They are coming along.

Progress Report Time

So, today was the due date for progress reports, and I finished it up and sent it in! I have to thank Denise for reading over my report and providing input! Working on the report helped me realize more of my personal progress in Globaloria. It helped me identify my weaknesses - filling out my progress notes and contributing to my blog ... or lack of doing so. I am reflective today, thinking about what steps I need to take in order to perform better at these tasks. I think my charting in progress notes will be easier now that the startup stage of waiting on uploads is over. I will probably have more time the last five minutes of class to jot something down. I also have to overcome the blogging experience. I'm used to tackling my challenges, taking the necessary steps to overcome my challenges, and then arriving at an acceptable state of accomplishment all in the privacy of my own mind and space!!
So, here I am. I feel that it's New Year's eve (actually, it is Rosh Hashana today!), and I have set the resolution that I will blog more frequently!!

There is not a day that I am not learning something in Globaloria! I never thought I would have a need for RSS feeds, but here I am going to my Reader to pull up what my students have written in their blog, or I'm looking at what they've done on their wiki. I added Steward to my RSS today because I noticed that he had written a tip sheet for record-keeping. I'm always open for all tips! I also found myself playing games and getting to know more of what my students are learning. We're getting to know our students and learning a little about their strengths and weaknesses. This information will be helpful when we put them into groups. We thought Denise had a great idea (info we got from her blog!) to create a survey for the students. We're putting one together for next week so that we can better place them. I'm pleased with our progress!

Information Sharing

Yesterday I had an opportunity to explain Globaloria to a new teacher. The students are moving along nicely. They are beginning to get in the habit of visiting their blogs and making notations on their progress notes. We have told them that they do not have to blog every day, but that we would like to see them either blog in their own account or look at another's blog and make a comment at least five times a week. They have adapted well. The students' blogs are beginning to reflect that they are more at ease with the process. They are playing games and talking about their thoughts and comments on the games they play.

Getting Started

Globaloria has incredibly enhanced my teaching in technology!! And it's only been two weeks of school!! I am amazed at how comfortable I am feeling at navigating the wiki. And in showing the students how to set up their blogs, I am feeling more at ease with its use! When the RSS feed was introduced to us this past seminar, I thought I wouldn't have a need to use this tool, but I was wrong. I have my students on my g-reader, and I am constantly going in to look at what they're doing. The repetitiveness is wonderful for me! I look forward to learning more!!