CEdO565 - Leadership and Planning Class 1

The first chapter was difficult to read for me.  I have had some very negative experiences with individuals in a position of leadership and reading about what makes a good leader really puts me in a bad mood.  I won't go into it here.... but let's just say I've felt slighted and somewhat bullied.  I didn't feel the support that I think would make me a better professional.


I have learned a lot about leadership when I worked in Japan as a director for three summers.  For me, the 2nd year was the hardest because  That was because I romanticized the first year and compared too many things and people to the first year.   The third year I did this, I had learned from the first two.

What I learned came up in the first chapter in one form or another. I learned, in a nutshell the following:
1) Be honest  2) Follow the rules that you expect other to. 3) Make an extra effort to talk to everyone so there is no perceived favorites  4) Admit and apologize for mistakes you make  5) Ask for and listen to feedback.   6) Know there are better ways to do things and incorporate them when they are brought to you.  7) Don't force how to do things on people. Try to guide them to an acceptable way.  8)   Pressuring someone usually ends in worse result. 9) It's ok to let the people you're leading to make mistakes and learn from them as long it won't really affect the program. 10) Be nice.

Those are just the ones off of the top of my head in no particular order.

Needless to say while I am really interested in learning more about what makes a good leader, it also makes me really angry when I think about leaders I have interacted with.  

520 --- Reminds me of a dance club name......

So, we've been charged with finding learning sites and reviewing them.  What I think will most likely happen is that we will all use sites that we are familiar with, which is OK by me.  I figure the more I know about a site, the better I can recommend it.  It will be interesting to see what sites other people use.

I have commented before and will continue to because I always think it's really interesting to find out what sites people use.  I find it especially interesting when you teach the same subjects.  You can learn a lot about someone's geek factor by the quantity and quality of the websites the know and use.  It's kinda like looking at the contents of someone's iPod.

As for my group.... it's super interesting.  It almost sounds like the beginning of a good joke, "The was a teacher, a Medical IT guy and a Cable Lady.... they walk into Best Buy...."  You can fill in the rest.

I think it's really cool to be in such a diverse group because we come from such different perspectives, I am learning a lot from them.  Rock on diversity!

Professional Portfolios - Clearer than Mud now!

So, last week I had a meeting with my professor and it is now clearer.  I still need to find some artifacts and link standards, but that shouldn't be too bad.  It just takes time.

My only concern is that I sometimes think my entries/descriptions should be more academic sound and full of the latest and greatest buzzwords. And other times I think that doesn't really matter.  After spending quite a bit of time thinking about this since the start of this portfolio project to now, I have come to a conclusion that works for me.  I figure there is no point in being high-brow know-it-all with what I write because it's not me.  Not to mention doing that would make the information and opinions I post less accessible to some.   Also, as we have discussed in several of our classes, it is harder to get your "voice" across in a text document.  So much depends on the mood of reader.  So I finally decided that it's ok to have some fun posts and show more of the human side and less of the academic side.  There is a lot to be said about being personable AND easily understood online.

cedo520online- Week 2 Has come and gone....

Ok.... we talked about sites and tools.  This class is more about discussion, which I like.  I always learn so much from my classmates in classes like this.  I really enjoy how even though all of us are probably some of the more tech savvy teachers, probably in the top 20% of the population, all of us come to the table with different websites we like and use.
I'm currently away from my own computer, but I remember going to several of the websites mentioned in other peoples blogs and in class to check them out.  I even book marked several of them.

The only problem, which came up in class, is that sites come and go quickly. A site you may love and use often may just vanish on you. Jim mentioned a site that made animated movies that is now gone.  Too bad because it sounded amazing. Screenjelly.com that I used in a previous class to make some screencasts on how to make a google account and a subsequent blogger account have gone to the virtual data grave yard.  

I look forward to seeing what other sites people share with the group at large.  So classmates, if you're reading this, keep on posting those sites. Feel free to post some here, too.  If another teacher is using them, they're probably have some merit and have already been peer reviewed and endorsed... which saves me time.   So bring on the links!

Professional Portfolio Experience CeDO 555 Blog #2

Last night was good.  We clarified our projects a bit more, which is good.  Now it's time to get to work.  I have a meeting scheduled at 1:00 today.  So after I run a few errands, work some more on my portfolio, I should be good to go.

Note to self:  Re-read current status of page to make sure there were no mistakes and make a list of questions.

Doh!! I can't believe I missed the 1st class of 520!

Well..... chalk this one up to OVER dependence on technology.  I am actually in a different cohort which meets on Wednesdays.   This past Wednesday we didn't have class.  However, I did set an alarm on my desktop to remind me that I would be having class on the 7th for the class I missed last summer.

That would've been fine EXCEPT that I wasn't on my desktop  yesterday (unless you count 7 in the morning to briefly check on something).   So, because I didn't check anything until 11:00pm last night... I missed my first class.   I have definitely got to get  "regular" calendar for this important stuff.  I feel like an idiot.   Hopefully, the instructor won't hold it against me.


Anyway, I've been listening to class and it sounds fun.  I am actually more classes ahead. With the other class I am currently taking not included, I only have 2 more classes to go.   So I've been exposed to a lot of different sites.  That being said, what I find really cool about Web 2.0 (and frustrating as well) is that there are ALWAYS new things to be discovered.  Even the most tech savvy learn things in classes like this where you share resources.   I always learn something new when discussing tools people like to use, be it a new site or a new feature to a site I use but haven't explored throughly.

  It's going to be a fun class.