Motivation at the End of the Semester

Motivation-the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal;  the reason for the action;  that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

This semester has been very challenging and rewarding for me.  I have learned more about web design than I ever thought was possible and I am proud to say that I did all of this while unpacking (that took two months) after a brief tour in Afghanistan and working long hours and weekends.  This week was particularly bad.  I've worked the past two weekends, had an army physical fitness test, and a civilian concert and rehearsal.  Yet, I still survived.

It's been a pleasure working with all my classmates.  Now it's time for my next challenge. Moving to Oklahoma right before I start school next fall.

The End of the Social Media Experiment

I still am still confused by Classroom 2.0 and find it hard to make a connection on this social learning site.  The site is so large that it seems overwhelming.  I know there has to be good information on here somewhere.

At first I was concerned that, since anyone can post, credibility of the information might be an issue.  I soon discovered that might be true with factual knowledge, but the people on this site provide a wealth of experience.  These people on the site have actually the technology and can share with us the positive and negative aspects of a particular technology.

I was determined to make the social networking experience a positive one so I asked myself, “What information can I really use right now?”  In the process of completing my webpage, I am having some accessibility issues so I did a search on accessibility.  I found the suggestions that some members posted to be quite useful.   I found this California State University at North Ridge site particularly useful. 

I don’t think I will be using social networking sites very much in the future.  It just seems like every time I register for a site I get a lot of junk mail.  I will keep such sites in mind when I have a particular problem such as the one I had with accessibility.

Slowly Becoming more Sociable

I don't really consider myself a person who joins groups, but I am slowly becoming more sociable on my social networking site. Tonight I actually joined some groups.  They are:

Instructional Technologists
Technology in Adult Education
eLearning for Music

In one of these groups, I found a member who posted on the topic of copyright.  By reading her story, I learned a little about gaining permission to use a work.  It was encouraging to read about someone who was successful in gaining permission. 

Since new web 2.0 tools are constantly emerging, it is hard to keep up on all the latest tools.  This site helps me to keep up and learn about different ways to use the tools that are familiar to me. For example, I am using NoteFlight for my website. One of the members of one of the groups found a different use for this tool.   This particular use won't help me with my website, but I can use it later.

I really have a hard time seeing how this site can be used.  There is very little on here that I can use personally and to me its' just another site to sign up to use, another password I have to remember, and more junk mail in my inbox.  I'm going to keep exploring to see what else I find.

ClassRoom 2.0

I just joined Classroom 2.0.  I'm not really sure what to think of it as I have never really been a group person.  I tried to find the group that is appropriate for me since I don't teach.  This one best fits my needs.  I am still trying to find a group to join so I can meet some friends and share ideas.  I'm sure I'll find something eventually.

I can see the importance of social networking.  Instructional Technology seems like a small career field so it's a good idea to meet and collaborate with others in the field.  In the old days, we would attend conferences and pass out our business card.  Social Networking makes collaboration easier.  Hopefully I can make this particular site work for me.

Assistive Technology

I’ll admit that I did a bit of internal complaining while I was working on my website this week.  I was trying to figure out how to make my website accessible and feeling frustrated that I did not have the technical expertise to make that happen.  My frustration lies with the fact that I am not a professional web developer and I don't work  for a company that has all the money and experts to help make the sites fully accessible.
I never thought about accessibility until we discussed the topic earlier in the semester.  I imagine that someone with a disability could feel frustrated and left out if they don’t have full access to a web page.   With this knowledge in mind, I will go out of my way to make my sites accessible, not because accessibility is the law, but because it is the right thing to do. 

Even though I am using the website I’m creating for a private studio where I give students one-on-one instruction and can accommodate any disability, I will still strive for full accessibility.  My website will also be a resource for parents and it is quite possible that I could encounter a blind parent.

I also never thought that assistive technology could be used in music.  A friend of mine posted this video on his Facebook profile last week and it made me think of the possibilities for students with impairments.  The student in this video seems to love music and really wants to play.  It looks like he had supportive parents and band directors who focus on what he can do rather than what he can’t do.  Imagine what his life would be like if he couldn’t play an instrument.  Assistive technology helps him to live as close to a normal life as he can.

This video helped me to have a more positive outlook on accessibility.  Through this video, I have seen how technology can help benefit such students.  In the future, if I have a student with a disability who wants to participate in music and technology can help, I will find a way to make that happen. 

Technology resources for students with disabilities:

Access IT is a website by the University of Washington and it contains resources for accessibility.  Some information here can be helpful in developing a website.

Information Technology and Disabilities E-Journal contains articles on how technology is being is accessible to people with disabilities.

Council for Exceptional Children contains information on laws and resources available to children with disabilities.

Technology and Foreign Language

Today is the two-year anniversary of my departure from Germany.  This date made me think about learning German and how technology can help us to learn a new language.  There are many technology tools that can provide an enjoyable learning experience and help make learning the language more relevant to real-world situations.

There are many reasons one would want to learn a foreign language.  Perhaps a foreign language is necessary for a graduation requirement or a degree.  Perhaps it is necessary to travel to another country.  Perhaps it is a job requirement.  In my case it was necessary in order to survive as a military member in my host nation.

There are several ways a foreign language can be learned through the use of technology.  Alessi and Trollip (2001) suggest foreign key pals (pen pals over the internet) as a way for students to interact with native language speakers.  This could be accomplished through e-mail or Skype.  Of course the instructor would have to find the key pals in another country and that could prove to be a challenge. 

The instructor can also use a microphone and free recording software such as Audacity to either make a recording and ask students to answer questions based on the recording or to have the students make the recording and grade their pronunciation.  The instructor could also use programs such as book builder to have the students create a story in the language they are studying. 

In Germany, I found the best way to pick up the language was by watching television or listening to the radio.  The student s the class could listen to different radio stations to learn the language.  I found this website that lists German radio stations.  http://www.listenlive.eu/germany.html.  I also found a list of streaming German television stations.  http://www.live-tv-radio.com/tv/germany.shtm.   I would use caution when using these sites for students as German radio stations play American music and do not censor the lyrics. 

I found this website called mygermanclass.com.   This podcast provides action with dialogue so that the viewer understands what is happening.  The creator also provides script to go along with the action and dialogue.  These videos are an entertaining way to learn German.

I looked online to see if I could find a text translator and got this site. German Conversation.  I typed the words in English and the program created a narration in German.   This program can be used in the classroom as well.

These are just a few of the many possibilities of how technology can be used to learn a language. They are free and probably the simplest tools available to learn a foreign language. I wish I had known about all of them when I was learning German.  I will visit these sites as they help connect me to Germany.

Alessi, S. & Trollip, S. (2001). Multimedia for Learning: Methods and Development. Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.