I've been learning about Voki's. At first I didn't see how they could be used in an online course, except as a way to produce a quick message for students when they entered the front page of the course. But Voki would be a really cool tool for students to use in an exercise where they need to introduce themselves to the class. Of course, the student could always upload a picture of themself or a favorite activity or place, but the avatar allows for a little artistic freedom. Plus it's a lot of fun! The Voki in the sidebar is my attempt to create a Voki image that I could use in my class. Alternatively, cartoons are fun, too, but it could be tricky to use a cartoon as an introductory image.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Random: Sleepwalking Dog
A friend sent this video to me. I don't know who took the video, or I would give credit. It's a real hoot, guaranteed to make you laugh. I'd sure love to know what he's dreaming about!
Not-so-random: Use the Tools!
I have to admit I've been struggling with getting a handle on all of the tools available for online teaching. Honestly, how can one person keep track of so many places to make entries (yammer, twitter, blog, bookmarking), and those are only the ones I manage/create, not the ones I follow! But I think I just had a break-through of sorts, thanks to a conversation with my tech buddy, Marilyn. The important thing is for me to learn about what tools are available, how they work, and how they could be applied to teaching. It doesn't mean that we have to use every tool in our teaching, but to develop an appreciation of how they can be used. Now I'm inspired to try to figure out a few new things, such as how to insert a video clip into the blog. Hopefully this won't take 3 weeks!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
First posting of random and not-so-random thoughts
Welcome to my blog!
I have to admit mixed feelings about having a blog. On one hand, I love to talk and share ideas and stay connected with my friends. On the other hand, I have NEVER been good at keeping any sort of journal, even though I have regretted this at certain points in my life when I am trying to remember certain events or lessons learned. That's the problem with a selectively leaky memory!
Not-so-random thoughts: In this blog I plan to post updates that pertain to my online CEL 580 class in which we are learning about tools and techniques for online teaching and learning. This is all new to me, and I feel like I'm in a puddle at the bottom of the learning curve. But I know that I'll pull through it, and occasionally celebrate successes. After all, I can Skype and I managed to create this blog, two things that would have been unthinkable two months ago. If you'd asked me before CEL 580 what a Skype was, I probably would have told you it was a less than flattering reference to a British hooligan.
Random thoughts: This is where I'll talk about stuff going on in my life, some just newsy (I'm getting ready to plant a garden once I'm out of the wheelchair: hey, by the way, I'm in a wheelchair - what's with that?), and some more introspective phil0sophical-type stuff (the value of positive attitudes during difficult times, which isn't always that easy to manage...).
Okey-dokey, that'll do for now. It's a gorgeous day here in Las Cruces, and now matter where you are, I hope some rays of sunshine warm your spirits today!
I have to admit mixed feelings about having a blog. On one hand, I love to talk and share ideas and stay connected with my friends. On the other hand, I have NEVER been good at keeping any sort of journal, even though I have regretted this at certain points in my life when I am trying to remember certain events or lessons learned. That's the problem with a selectively leaky memory!
Not-so-random thoughts: In this blog I plan to post updates that pertain to my online CEL 580 class in which we are learning about tools and techniques for online teaching and learning. This is all new to me, and I feel like I'm in a puddle at the bottom of the learning curve. But I know that I'll pull through it, and occasionally celebrate successes. After all, I can Skype and I managed to create this blog, two things that would have been unthinkable two months ago. If you'd asked me before CEL 580 what a Skype was, I probably would have told you it was a less than flattering reference to a British hooligan.
Random thoughts: This is where I'll talk about stuff going on in my life, some just newsy (I'm getting ready to plant a garden once I'm out of the wheelchair: hey, by the way, I'm in a wheelchair - what's with that?), and some more introspective phil0sophical-type stuff (the value of positive attitudes during difficult times, which isn't always that easy to manage...).
Okey-dokey, that'll do for now. It's a gorgeous day here in Las Cruces, and now matter where you are, I hope some rays of sunshine warm your spirits today!
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