Week #2 in CEDO 599

Well, after all of the brainstorming and feedback I have chosen to complete a Moodle site for my Honors Physics Classes to use next year. I am looking forward to using the self grading quizzes feature to get the students some extra practice and having my class notes in a password protected site for the students to use.  Here is the first draft of my SMART Goal:


I will create a Moodle Website for my Honors Physics Classes to use next school year.  The website will have 3 sections per unit: an electronic notes/activities section, an answer key section and a self grading review section.  The notes/activities section will contain 3 different formats for the work so that students can choose their own device: pdf, SMART Notebook and zipped SMART Files.  The answer key section will be adaptively released so that the answer keys come available to students as the work is gone over in class.  The self grading review section will have 20 multiple choice and/or calculation questions that will present themselves to students in a random way so that students can use the review multiple times as a way to study.  The nine units that I cover in my honors physics class will be setup in Moodle over the next four weeks and will continue to evolve throughout the coming school year.

Again, any input you have on the shape of this project is welcomed with open ears... or eyes... how does that saying translate into blog speak?

Week #1 in CEDO 599

This week we took a look at possible projects that could be implemented in our classes.  I have a few ideas and if any one has some advice it would be appreciated.
Idea #1
Use Google docs and sites to create a series of templates for labs and handouts in my physics classes. Next year my school is looking at creating a "bring your own device" initiative that will enable students to bring technology into the classroom.  I would love to harness this tech in a non-device specific way in my classes. Google docs could provide an avenue to have my students have access to technology and be able to do the class work in an authentic way

Idea #2
My school has SMART Boards in most of the classrooms. With the new "Bring your own device" initiative next year it would be awesome to have the students have access to the same notes and assessments that I do in class.  By using the SMART Notebook online tool combined with a phased inclusion of the up coming SMART Notebook App I could convert my current classwork into SMART files that the students could use as their course work. This would lead to a great convergence of technology as the online option of SMART notebook would be non device specific

Idea #3
I will be department head next year and one of the big issues that has plagued my department is an inability to share equipment.  A few Google docs could be artfully created that give the entire department access to equipment, while making sure everyone knows what is available.  With such a system replacment of consumables would be much easier than it is currently in the budgeting process.

Idea #4
My school has access to a Moodle server. I would love to extend the school day for my Honors Physics students to include some self grading assessments, password protected readings and online help options.  The Moodle site would be created to better prepare students for the rigors of Advanced Placement Physics and to make myself more accessible after the school day ends.

Week #6 in CEDO 565

AS we finish up our second to last class in the ME-IT program we were asked to reflect on the following questions:

• How has your definition of leadership altered or been reinforced? Your definition of teacher leadership?

Through the discussions and readings my view of leadership has been a little bit more solidified. I always viewed a leader as someone in charge and my definition did not get any more complex than that. After the readings and discussions I realize that leadership is a large umbrella to cover anyone who promotes change to the status quo. You can be in a position of authority and not be a leader if you do not attempt to better the situation of yourself and your team.

• Has your opinion of your leadership potential changed?

I think I still have the same view of leadership potential that I have had since becoming a teacher. The best leaders, in my opinion, are the ones who don’t really want to be in charge, but help guide their team so that everyone gets what they need and most of what they want. A person with good leadership potential can work with a diverse group of people and make it so that they all come away from the interaction feeling like their voice was heard and their needs met without feeling pushed into a change that they are not on board with.

• Do you agree with our textbook's assertion about "improving education from within"? If so, what will you do to help?

I think that this is a very wise assessment.  Education policy makers can legislate all that they want , but teachers won’t change their ways unless they buy into the change.  We need teachers to step up and spear head education reforms to make our educational system better in numerous ways.  I am hoping to use my new department head position to better facilitate these changes and make my own educational community a little bit better.