One of our assignments for last week included a group effort for preparing a proposal for a class assignment for this course. I was impressed at the creative ideas expressed by all of the groups. One team proposed an assignment that challenges us to examine potential positive and negative effects of student learning with video games. Another team proposed mapping out an evacuation route in the event of a tsunami using Google maps and a social media tool such as Instagram.  

This week we will work in groups again to explore cloud computing. It seems the more I read about cloud computing the more I realize its potential, both positive and negative. For the most part, I feel the positive outweighs the negative in most cases. I am reminded that when designing instruction, it is important to stick to fundamentals in order to assure tools are used to enhance instruction, not replace it. It’s important to remember the assessment and analyzing part of your design process. Our team meets tomorrow to discuss our position and to formulate a statement. We have other ideas of how to convey our findings beside the basic write up that is required. Stay tuned!

We completed our first group assignment over the weekend. Another great opportunity to hone our group collaboration and social learning skills! It was a productive session of brainstorming, sharing of ideas, and developing a proposal for a potential class assignment. I can appreciate this form of learning because in the end, if we are successful, we can say social production is the result of social learning.

Tonight, our class session included a spirited discussion of social media with guest speakers Burt Lum and Melissa Chang who both shared their personal experiences with technology and social media. I was pleased to see so many questions being asked! There is so much to learn. I found myself intently listening to the discussion and failed to formulate a question of my own, GEEZ! I began to think about social media, social learning, and social production. How can we utilize social media in a learning environment? I think social media is a tool and not the end all for pedagogical strategies. Social media can facilitate a culture where students are interdependently analyzing, evaluating, creating, implementing, managing and sharing the outcome of their learning. This type of synergy produces something greater than the sum of these components. Students can take ownership of a learner controlled environment.

Whew! I’m looking forward to more in this class!

I spent most of the first week of school in bed with sinus issues that required antibiotics, ugh. I don’t remember the last time I felt so ill. BUT, I am beginning to feel better and am looking forward to catching up with the rest of my peers.

Our first assignment was to produce a media piece introducing a classmate. I decided to use Slide Rocket, a free online presentation tool that I have not used before. It is quite user friendly with useful features. I was able to create a slideshow presentation, add transitions, and add audio. I feel this is a great tool that can be effectively used for educational purposes. Here is the link to my presentation. http://portal.sliderocket.com/BCOKS/ETEC647-Introduction---Filemoni-Lauilefue

First session of the semester started off great despite my having to leave after the first half hour. It was great to meet up with so many friends and to meet new friends as well. This course will focus on evaluating tools and strategies for emerging technologies in learning. I’ve decided to use Weebly for my blogs as I have done in the past. I feel it’s a nice repository for my blogs from various courses in the ETEC program. I’m eager to learn with everyone this semester. Technology is in a constant state of growth and emergence so this should be exciting! Here we go….