This year I've been trying to use Web 2.0 skills in my classes. I'm really hungry to learn more about video recording and editing. I've been using some very round about, back-door methods to get things done because I lack the equipment and software to do them in a more professional way. I've been watching the KVCC web site for their postings of summer classes!
What worked: The blogging we did in Computer Related Technology class was a good thing. I would improve it by being more on top of having students make weekly entries. I am going to use blogging in our Career Prep class last trimester. I intend to have them post their resumes and video to help them present themselves in a positive light to prospective employers.
Oh, and using Ning to create a private site where my students could post their work was great. This was the first time through, so I know I can improve on that, but it was really very useful and worked well. What I would improve: Forums. I need to track these better and make a point of having students take time to respond.
The videos we made in Digital Storytelling were pretty good. I would spend more time on some lead-up exercises and on story boarding. I think we learned some ways to get better productions. On the other hand, I am happy with the hands-on experience students got in using Audacity to edit music and export it in MP3 format. I am also happy with the experience they had with Movie Maker, although I think that could be improved with a couple of short, individual projects. The group work had it's ups and downs. Individual work gives everyone a chance to go through the whole process. Otherwise, students tend to rely on the person in their group who "gets it" best. I want all of them leaving with the ability to do this on their own.
What didn't work so well: the wiki we tried to create in our history class. The big problem was the wiki site. People would type text and it wouldn't save. It was rather limited, too, in the ability to add pics or vids. I need to find other sites (free, of course) that would work better.
Last trimester I intend to follow through on more blogging. Also, I will use the WeSeed site to give my students a chance to try out investing pretend money, but with real results. I also am going to video tape their job interviews again, but this time I think I'll be able to provide them with their own copies (something I wanted to do in the past, but never got quite done).
There is still a lot to learn. I hope I can get a loan to take more classes. Actually, it would be nice to still have a job, too. With Michigan's economy in the toilet money for programs like the one I teach in is scarce. Grant money isn't to plentiful, either. We've all been walking around this year with the specter of unemployment looming over us. It does rather affect morale. This is the "take a deep breath" part, where you just have to keep moving forward with the presumption that we'll be here next year.
