Category: Uncategorized

Well if you’ve followed me through the land of pages and posts, you’ll know there’s a bit of confusion here. I seem to have a bit of a problem adapting to this new blog environment with its html rules. I’ve never been one for rules and so it seems the online environment is no exception.

Recently, my group created a a wonderful LMS Evaluation Rubric to help us evaluate different learning management systems. It works well and posted easily to the group discussion for everyone to view. Naturally, I thought I would use it in my latest assignment in which we had to evaluate an lms.

Instinct told me not to add it to my LMS page just in case something went wrong (now why would I even think that) and then my LMS assignment could get messed up. So, I created a LMS Rubric page and added our fabulous chart to that section. You know it didn’t go well, don’t you?

Well, the chart is there in body but not soul – to be more precise, the left hand side appears but the right is nowhere to be found. Perhaps, it’s  out in cyberspace. The perfectionist in me said pull it off immediately before anyone sees what a mess you’ve made. Instead, I decided to leave it there with the hopes that someone will view it, take pitty on me and leave a message explaining what on earth I’ve done wrong this time.

So please, if you could spare the time to aid someone in need, view the chart and let me know how to fix it before I come to my senses and delete the thing.

My next post will be about the trouble with fonts. If you’d like a preview, scan my LMS assignment with eagle eyes and you will see that something just isn’t quite right.

I should also mention that I was a computer teacher for 7 years and took courses in technical writing and web design. Now isn’t that embarrassing? Who said educational technology couldn’t be fun?

I’ve been creating this web blog for several weeks now – sometimes on the computer and sometimes in an old fashioned notebook where a page is a page is a page.

It’s taken me this long to figure out that a page isn’t just a page. I wrote my flight path and posted it here  on the main page because I thought that blogs worked liked journals – add each new thing to the site as you write it. Apparently, that’s not always the case. I should have pasted the flight path into the page labelled flight path! It’s so simple really, isn’t it?

Then I posted my reflections into a section I created called reflections. This was not the proper thing to do. It should have gone onto the main page which isn’t actually a page but a post area. Are you still with me?

So, the bottom line is the reflections belong in the post section because they are actually posts and the ‘special’ posts or assignments if you prefer should go into the pages.

Clear now? Good. Now I’d like to tell you my trouble with fonts and page layout.

Visual vs Audito Profiles

Currently, I’m working on my second and third ETEC courses – 532 and 565. My first task, creating a profile, was similar in both courses. But which would create a more accurate picture of me, I wondered?

Both methods created challenges I expected: finding an acceptable photo, writing or saying something meaningful, getting it done on time and posting it properly. Even the fears were similar: would I look like an idiot or sound like a fool?

However, there were challenges I wasn’t expecting. For example, this was my first experience using digital audio so I was a bit apprehensive but I wasn’t expecting my aversion to speaking on file.  In fact, I waited until the last minute to create my audio file/ without even understanding why. Was it the sound of my voice or just the fear of using new technology?

Posting a photo with a few chosen words presented its own problems one of which was vanity. Which photo would I use? Did I want to look professional, friendly or professionally friendly? I finally settled on my Facebook photo so that people will recognize me from place to place.

In the end, I didn’t prefer either the visual or the auditory profile more than the other. In fact, I would probably recommend combining both so that those I take classes with can see how professionally friendly I look and sound.

Welcome to my ETEC 565 Blog. I am so glad you found your way here.

I am excited to start my adventure into the world of educational technology which was just a dream a few months ago. With a leap of faith, I started a brand new job as a Learning Skills Advisor and went back to school. Now I find myself learning new things and meeting great people amongst a whirlwind of change.

Please join me on my journey! I sense the excitement is just beginning.