Fait Accompli!!!!! December 13, 2007

What words can I use to express the way I feel at this moment. I never thought I could do it, but yes folks – I did. The steep learning curve I’ve been on since the end of September was not just steep. It was a vertical wall! I feel extremely excited at what I’ve learned. I know I still have such a far way to go but the feeling is great. I want to thank everyone immensely for your encouraging words and help and I would like to thank our mentor Glen for the patience you’ve shown over the last 2 + months. I know everyone has benefited from your knowledge.

Well, dear colleagues. Christmas is just around the corner and along with it comes a much needed and well-deserved rest. Remember to enjoy all life has to offer and keep clicking on those keys! Merry Christmas to all et Joyeux Noël à tous.

Videocast – Done! December 8, 2007

Un fait accompli! Yes, I am finally finished the pikiwiki videocast and you can view it at the link. I’ve learned a few things doing it like the volume needs to be a little louder next time. But that’s okay as it’s still audible.

MY Pikiwiki podcast December 7, 2007

Here is my podcast about blended learning and web-based tools. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Bright and early December 3, 2007

I can’t believe I am up so early – not making breakfast and getting ready for school. No, I am busy checking the bloglines and what a wonderful little tool it is. Since I’ve been reading everyone’s inputs I am now running a little behind so I better leave it at that. My lofty goal this evening will be to post comments on other people’s blogs. I’ve been reading them but have needed to take time to formulate ‘intelligent’ comments about all the awesome things people have been doing.

Football fotos December 2, 2007

Well, I decided to try out the photo function of pikiwiki. I uploaded my son’s football fotos of the final game of 2007. I am going to try and create a link so that they will appear. Here goes…

Well it worked – not exactly to the page I had in mind but that’s okay because this way you can also see the sample videocast I made on pikiwiki. To view the fotos just find the words ‘football fotos’ in the maroon box and double click. To view the demo videocast just double click on ‘demo page’.

Now that this is done I think that for my next project I would like to prepare a podcast and videocast of the French language lesson I mentioned earlier today.

“Podimatically” speaking December 2, 2007

Well Saturday Dec 1st proved to be a turning point for me. I was finally able to get things squared away with deli.cio.us, try out podcastiing and videocasting and look into piki wiki. I used podomatic and was able to make both trial podcasts and videocasts, previewed them all & linked them to my blog but after checking out my blog was unable to view the videocasts. Not really surprising considering my batting average thus far. That’s okay though because I think piki wiki will prove to be just what I need to complete the rest of my assignments. – minus the paper.

The wonderful news is that I think I can finally see the glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel (I think I was suffering a little from old-world tunnel-vision). Anyway, the light is beginning to brighten. I am even beginning to get a little excited about what I can envision doing in the classroom.

Since I am a French Immersion grade one teacher I plan to prepare a lesson designed to increase French vocabulary of the grade one student. Hopefully, I will be able to use piki wiki to create a page with a videocast, podcast and more – including music. High aspirations for someone like myself. But ohh! the fun is about to begin!

We are always told as teachers that what we teach has to be meaningful to our students. Well, this is all beginning to take on meaning for me. Now, having stated my goals does not mean that it will all transpire without a hitch or a glitch. I will most likely keep sending out those SOS’ just because those ‘WALLS’ just keeping cropping up. I feel like one of those characters in a video game where the ‘hero’ keeps having to do battle with the ‘whatever villain’ or cross the life-threatening ‘whatever’. Well, I’m tired of doing battle with the technology ‘demon’. True to my own character -being a pacifist- I just want to befriend it or as they say today ‘Embrace it”.

The ‘WALL’ December 1, 2007

Yes, folks. I’ve hit it once again. All week I’ve trying to work on del.icio.us but can not for some reason, get it to show up on my blogroll. Thanks so much to Dana and Anne for giving me advice. I’ve bee (I think) following your instructions to a T. But still it’s not showing up on my weblog. I must still be missing something. If anyone knows why my saved tags are not showing up there I’d appreciate some more insight.

Hopeful November 25, 2007

Today I’ve been trying to play around a bit with some of the features of the blog. I was hoping to be able to do some social bookmarking but so far no luck with del.icio.us. I just can’t seem to get it to work. If anyone knows what to do I would sure appreciate some more insight.

back on track – excited and a ‘little’ desperate November 25, 2007

Well after a rather substantial sufficient hiatus, I am more than glad to get back to figuring and ‘configuring’. Sorry everyone for not reading your comments and responding sooner but there have been challenges on the homefront. Now, with reports, parent-teacher interviews, and another university course behind me I am taking up the gauntlet and charging onward and upward into battle! The metaphor sounds a bit farfetched I know, but on some level that is exactly how I feel. There is a certain rush of adrenaline with the thought of entering the ‘battlefield’ of technology, pledging to do my best, suriviving the challenge, and coming out victorious. Enough of that…  

I began reading people’s blogs again today and, having missed the opportunity to use the course blog to get everyone’s blog on my blogroll, I finally completed the task along with an oops or two! For some reason (which made sense at the time) I typed in your name twice Jolene.  When I went to delete the unnecessary mistake I only ended up adding ‘Jolene” a third time and then when I tried to correct the error a different way I added you on the blogroll under the heading delete. I aplogize  for the mistake and if anyone can help me fix it I would really appreciate it asap.

Mistakes aside, I have been seeing some great things on everyone’s blog. I’m planning on spending Grey Cup Sunday working on the course and hopefully make some more headway then and to post comments.

Staying focused October 24, 2007

I am realizing that all the “bells and whistles” of blogs are amazing. Especially when I take a look at what other more technologically minded people are doing, I am inspired to try more and to be more adventurous. What is really needed is the time to do it all. Another thing that I need to keep in mind is that I need to stay focused. When I look at the long list of assignments that must be completed by the end of the course I realize that there is still a lot left to do or at least I think I still have a lot to do. I say “think” because I’m still not sure what some of the assignments mean. Terms like ‘establishing a news aggregator, a wiki, personal tagging account’ are still unclear in my mind and I would really appreciate if someone could clarify these.