This is our class blog. It will serve as our discussion forum, connection to each other, and the main webpage you will be accessing. Early this semester I will give you a detailed lesson on blogs and their use in the classroom, but for now you only need to know a few things.
This forum can be viewed by anyone, but will only allow the participants of edc921 to interact with it.
When you would like to respond to someone or comment upon a session, just click on the 'comment' link below each of my postings and choose the 'anonymous' button under 'choose an identity'; and
In the left-hand margin you will see links to individual lessons (accessible every Tuesday).
If you need to contact me then please email me at DaveFontaine1@gmail.com.
This blog, in addition to its use as an interactive communication tool, will also be where you can access and download your weekly sessions. The presentation links to the left will be accessible on a week-to-week basis (Tuesdays). When attempting to download always choose 'save' rather than 'open.' You may also download the syllabus here.
One more aspect that will be unique about this course is that I support a completely collaborative teaching philosophy. Following that mindset, I will keep your assignments, comments, and reflections viewable and accessible to future participants of this course. The 'goal' is for future participants to gain from the collective knowledge of your experiences, use what you have done, and incorporate new ideas into their classroom.
Of course, this information will also always be accessible to you, so in the future, many semesters from now, you may revisit this site and benefit from the ideas of all participants. In this way---you will gain from all the 'learning speedbumps' of those that have come before you--even though they are not currently enrolled in this course.
Before we go any further I would like each of you to practice using this forum and introduce yourself. We will be spending the semester together, so it is important to learn as much about each other as possible. Click on the 'comment' link below this posting (then you may click the "anonymous" button) and write a few paragraphs about yourself.
Please include:
-your name
-email address (so that you may contact each other directly if needed),
-your educational background,
-teaching history,
-current teaching position with location, and lastly
-what you hope to come away with when this semester is over, along with any additional information about you that you wish to share.
After you have finished posting your profile, come back to this page and click on the 'Session 1' link (in the left-hand margin), download it, and view it. When you are finished with the session please click on the 'comment' link again and add any comments, insights, or reflections you have for Session 1.
Sometimes it takes a little while to get the hang of using this forum. I have taken this into consideration by reducing the workload of the first session. Its primary goal is to make sure everyone is on the same page and skill level before we sink our teeth into the meat of this course.
Everything here is protected by Creative Commons. This means that you have complete authority to download, save, manipulate, share, and use all of the lessons in your classroom, but are prohibited from any commercial uses. You will notice that each slide of the PowerPoint presentation has the narration transcribed in the 'notes section.' This is to help you better understand my "Ro-diland" accent, but more importantly, it allows you to take these slides and use them in your own classroom.
Good luck this semester! I look forward to working and collaborating with you.
Dave Fontaine
