Tech Task #10

It was a very different experience participating in an online course. I was a little hesitant at first, but really wanted to take ECMP 455, so I knew it would be worth the risk. And in the end, it was! The one difficulty I had was not being able to "speak up" about many issues in class. Even if I were to blog them, that doesn't mean that everybody would read them. I know I'm a fast typer, but I don't think I could have typed my thoughts down quickly enough to address the topic before we had moved on. Another issue I had with the online course was that I have a short attention span and sometimes I could not focus on the content, especially if I was familiar with it. The nice thing was that we could listen to you talk and be doing other things at the same time. I learned well that way. I appreciated how the content was so detailed and laid out in such an easy to understand manner. I don't believe most professors would have done what you did for a course like this, but everything was easily accessible, especially if we had missed content. You were always available when there were questions. It wasn't like we had to wait for "office hours", because your online office is open all the time! You answered questions quickly and with enough detail to get the job done. I would recommend an online course for people who have never taken one before, but you have to be a fairly independent worker, and be able to keep up with the content. It's easy to fall behind. This course was great after my iTED internship. It helped me see other ways of incorporating technology and the neat things that were available to us for use in our classroom. Lots of tips and tricks were provided for future success. At some points I think you made us go out of our comfort zone, which was good for furthering our learning and builiding on prior knowledge. Specifically related to this course, if you're not familiar with computer content already, I would not recommend taking this course as an online course. There were points when I would be frustrated with some things, but that was when I experimented with the computer and the content. You should leave the schedule posted for us somewhere for future use, or don't take it offline right away, so that we are able to bookmark ALL of the wonderful webpages you have shown us. I feel my future students will benefit extremely from the content I have learned in this course.

I don't know how ideal online learning would be for K-12 students at this time. I feel like they need more experience with computers before they would be able to take the challenges of an online course. This would be through the discretion of their parents and past educators and how the student feels they would learn. I believe that all students should experience computer integration as they journey through their K-12 schooling, but done in a well thought out and safe manner. A lot of planning and consideration needs to be done before computers can be integrated into the classroom, in order for all students to benefit and succeed. There are many advantages and disadvantages to online education, and a lot of thought needs to be put into whether a parents' child would benefit from such. Each individual learns in a different way, and online education might be the route for some. I believe in the years to come we will see more online courses being taken by K-12 students, but right now I feel it is still in it's early stages, and has some years to go.

Thank you for all of your help throughout this semester. It has been a long and wonderful (semi-painful) journey. :) I wouldn't have made it without you!

Tech Task #9

Refer to ECMP 455 Wiki

Tech Task #8 - CFL PRIDE

Here's the long awaited Tech Task #8! Get voting away baby!

Who is your favourite CFL team?
	Saskatchewan Roughriders
	Calgary Stampeders
	Edmonton Eskimos
	BC Lions
	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
	Ottawa Renegades
	Montreal Alouettes
	Toronto Argonauts
	Hamilton Tiger Cats
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Survived Cow Town!

And what a trip it was! First of all, I left Regina at 5:50am. I stopped by Tim Horton's for my ritual morning coffee, and I was on the highway. It was dark of course, and unfortunately, I had to watch the sunrise in my rearview mirror! Blinded by the light is right! The time flew by! I sang my heart out for 7.5 hours! I made a stop in Swift Current first. Being that I was travelling by myself, I always wanted to have a full tank of gas. I stopped again at Tim Horton's, having to empty my bladder first, and picked up another cup of coffee. I drove and made it to Medicine Hat in less than 2 hours. I was rushing to get gas, because it was 10:22, in order to make it to McDonald's in time for breakfast! Lo and behold, the time was different in Alberta! That's right, it was only just after 9. I definitely made it through the McDonald's drive thru, and while waiting for my meal, I rolled up my rim, and won an.....ENVOY!! OK, that's a load, but, I did win a coffee!! I got back on the road again and had to make a pit stop in Brooks. Coffee literally goes right through me! I was planning on driving the whole way to Calgary without stopping, but my host for the weekend told me I was driving too fast and that I couldn't make it to Calgary before 1. So, I pulled into Strathmore, stopped at Tim Horton's (surprise, surprise!), took a pit stop, got my FREE coffee, and sat in the parking lot reading my articles for math! Half an hour later I was back on the road, and half an hour after that, I was in complete stress mode!! 16th ave in Calgary, during spring break, is NOT fun!! Especially when you have a frustrated man on the other end of the line trying to give you driving directions. Yes, I made it!! Alive and well! I spent the afternoon doing homework, napping, and getting ready for my concert. It seems to me that everytime I'm in Calgary, the men I stay with work! All I end up doing all day is staying home and watching TLC! At least I got to watch TV! I got ready for my concert, and was looking pretty damn fine in my cowboy hat I must say! We arrived after the opening band, and had about 15 minutes before Keith Urban started (famous country singer from Australia...just for you Jo!). I went with my friend Casey (who I was staying with) and his friend Dan! We listened to Keith Urban play for over 2 hours. He was phenomenal!! He is such a talented man, and such a blessing to all of us women! There were men at the concert though, and I was later informed that their reason for being there was either a) they were with their girlfriends, or b) they were trying to pick up chics! The crowd was amazing. Full of all types of people. Lots of cowboy hats. Everyone's getting ready for Stampede a little early this year! After the concert, we went back to Casey's and I basically passed out. 4 hours of sleep, a 7.5 hour drive, and a concert! I was wiped!! The next day I spent shopping! All day! It was amazing! Let me tell you, shopping by yourself in Calgary can actually be quite fun. The only thing you're missing is an opinion, but you don't have anyone slowing you down. After my day at the mall, I went home and decked myself out for a night on the town. Hit Moxie's for dinner, then the LB, then the grocery store for some mix! While shopping there, I got a phone call from Mr. George himself! What a guy! And then, who do I run into in a city of 1 million people?? None other than,.... THE EX!! Let's talk trouble. Emotional fits. You name it! It kind of set the tone for the night, but after 8 months, I think I needed to get that out of my system. Let's just say, he was as shocked as I was. Let's also say, that unlike what they tell you in the magazines, I looked GOOD!! Yes, not to be conceited (I was ready for the bar), I looked great! And how did he look you ask?? Not very good at all!! I did it!! lol Well, we went back to Casey's and got drinking. Needed lots of shots after that run in. Headed off to the Whiskey. Ran into one of the Stampeders there. Sheldon. Used to play for Saskatchewan. Amazingly nice guy with a gorgeous fiance. Both from Saskatchewan themselves. Afterwards, we headed to the Roadhouse. Let's just say further discussion of the evenings events will not be tolerated on this blog! The next day, we found the new IKEA, and went shopping. It is absolutely HUGE!! If you haven't seen it yet, or haven't shopped in an Ontario IKEA, I suggest you go! For anyone moving to Calgary next year, it is THE place to buy beautiful, affordable furniture, for the outrageously expensive apartments we will rent! We went out for dinner again that night. I'm telling you, single men do not keep their cupboards or fridges stocked. No, water, milk, and yogurt, do not maintain a healthy daily diet! We went to the Back Alley that night. Absolutely disgusting and I will never go there again. If you've never been, DO NOT go! If you have, I hope you hated it as much as I did! After getting home and attempting to stay up and watch the time change on my cell phone (I haven't participated in a daylight savings for over 12 years), I passed out again. Only to wake up to the phone ringing at 5am. No, we will not discuss that! The next day, I woke up, showered, attempted to pack all of my stuff without forgetting anything (yes, I think I had more stuff in his house than he did), I was on the road by 1! I left Caglary around 1:30, and arrived back in Regina by 8:30. Definitely good driving time. It rained on the way back. Of course! It either rains on the way there or on the way home for me! I also won another coffee from the Tim Horton's in Swift Current. I'm telling you, that Envoy is there! Let's just say the weekend definitely did not go as planned. I love Calgary so much, and can't wait to move there, but the drama that occurs there is something that I'll have to adjust to. Let's just say a lot can happen in a city that big. Only 94 more days until Stampede drags me into town!

Tech Task #7

Alright, so Easter Sunday I spent on TappedIn. The session was actually not that great. The only reason I chose it was because it was the only one I was able to particpate in in March. The whole thing was about blogging. As soon as I signed in, the people in the room basically attacked me. They were asking me all of these questions about why I was there and how I used blogging. I explained ECMP 455 to them and about my various blogging experiences. At the same time, I was talking to Alec on MSN. I told him about the session and he decided to join. Basically the praise went over to him (because he actually knew what he was talking about) and I just sort of listened in and commented where necessary. I did not actually learn very much except for the fact that Americans do not know that much about blogging. It was kind of sad actually. In my eyes, they also did not understand how to effectively incorporate technology into the classroom, thinking that all students will have access to computers at all times. Due to the fact that I participated in the iTed research project, I think I have more of a heads up on how to use technology effectively and realistically in the classroom. I think participating in this session was not necessarily beneficial. However, I do feel that there probably were some beneficial TappedIn sessions that people may have participated in. I think the service is great for teachers if you are able to discuss things that are relevant to you and your needs.