Artie O'Connor's Blog (7)

While I have been able to experiment quite a bit this past semester, I still need to develop continuity with the tools being employed or deployed. Most of my students have access to most of the curriculum material online at home. Though they have demonstrated little interest in using their computers to do work from home. Most still see this technology as ways to expand their social umbrella, and share the misfortunes of others, rather than as a way to accomplish tasks. On more than one occasion… Continue

I started this web journey a few months ago, and while I do drop by occasionally, I have yet to commit to any one following. The week with the K-10 Online conference I have begun to more clearly understand what I am doing. At least without being able to explain what I am doing, though I know that won't sit so well with my administrators who are trying to evaluate my progress.



Since August I have been glogging, blogging, and tweeting. Last week started iPodding and am Xtranormal,… Continue

I am so looking forward to the weekend so I can play around with some of the tools I have discovered this week. Most recently xtranormal.com and the ability to make an animated video in minutes. It's clunky and a little bumpy but I never lost any work. The students reacted well to the presentations and tomorrow the students will give it a test drive.



Not doing too poorly in developing the habits needed to keep blogging at leat once per week. Finished reading Will Richardson's book,… Continue

So what have I been up to?



I have a Ning for my class groups to communicate through. Did the Wordle stuff and found it potentially very useful for presentations. Uploaded a SlideShare and added a Youtube videos to the presenation (even though my district blocks Youtube and i won't be able to use the slides there). Began creating a wesite with Weebly to see what could be done by little ole me. Skyped, twittered and looked at plurking. Last week produced a few podcsts with my students,… Continue

Just finished the webinar on Electronic Portfolios and found it interesting. My quandary is that when I did the paper portfolio years ago, it appeared that the amount of time spent working on them always felt disproportionate to the product. I like exhibit A the student preferred exhibit K. We would discuss it, compare it to the rubric, and debate it over again before moving on to the next item.



I really like the idea of a Web 2.0 eportfolio where it is a truly (virtual) living… Continue

I am over the dizzying speed of web tool introduction, and have settled into overload mode. After a couple of days off my seat and out on the golf course I am now ready to enter the realm of "Why do I have to use all of these tools and abandon my current teaching methodology?"



After all I like sugar. Oh, honey is great in tea but it makes my oatmeal clump up. Sweet and Low artificial sweetener is besides artificial, bitter, I like bitter beer, and bitters in my whisky, but not in my… Continue

I am taking a course sponsored in my district on Web 2.0 tools. Though I feel comfortable dabbling in tech tools, I feel like a blind cat chasing it's tail. I know where the tail is, where it is going, but I'm geting dizzy chasing after it. While it is a part of me, I can't touch it, it keep one step ahead of me. Oh, I'm getting very dizzy but I can't help myself I've got to keep chasing it.



Finding one new tool leads to another gadget or widget, that opens the door to another new… Continue