final 632 PLE thoughts

First things first- I just submitted my final ISD model project! YAY!

It definitely took me a lot longer than I expected. Since I had spent so much time on constructing the model and its components, I thought explaining all of the bits would be easier. It wasn't "difficult," per se, as I felt like I knew what I was doing, but making sure that I addressed everything I thought was needed, based on the grading criteria in the syllabus, made it more challenging. That, and creating new sections and section breaks on Every. Single. Page. to make sure the formatting was what I wanted.

I am very happy that Fantasia reviewed my model for me. We were able to chat a bit in class, and she always had good comments about my work as it progressed. She was also one of the few people who commented on my postings on this blog- there was a point when Fantasia was the last person I had heard from in a month. As we all got closer to the end of the course, the idea for a shared community emerged a bit more, but that seemed more like we were checking out what each other was doing to make sure we were on the right track. (I know, because I did my own fair share of lurking on others' PLEs.)

In theory, the PLEs could be a good idea. In reality, there are a lot of confounding issues. First, everyone needs to have some level of tech savvy. We can all be brilliant individuals, but maintaining a blog does not tend to be one of those skills you just pick up now if you haven't had one before. The format of blogger is very easy for me to use, but I keep looking at my snark at the beginning of the course about this serving as a possible procrastination tool. To be frank, I spent too much time trying to wade through modules to really worry about adding more than the weekly post.

That's another issue I had with the PLEs- weekly posts. They made sense to me, since it reflected what we talked about in class, and seemed like a simple assignment. What was frustrating was that people tended not to keep up with them- a real pain if I was scheduled to review that person's thoughts and they hadn't posted in a long time. I know that it was usually not until the next week when I had time to post, but I still did it before the next class.

I also have been suffering from information inundation. Maybe it's because, when it comes down to it, I like things to be low-tech. I always print out papers to read them, and doubt I will ever buy a Kindle or anything like that. I like having all of the information I need in one place, rather than checking through a mountain of handouts and multiple websites. My ADD self can't handle too many things going on at once. That's probably why I never really explored the feeds, links, etc. on others' PLEs--I was suffering from a form of cognitive overload. That, and I didn't really have the time.

I do read others' blogs, just usually not the school/ID-related ones. I know how to subscribe to a feed, but my inbox is too full as-is, and I still like checking my bookmarks to see if someone posted a new story. I like taking in information when I'm ready for it- I don't think I could handle another avalanche of stuff.

Will I add anything more to this blog? I don't know. I might if I need to do something similar for another class. I am thinking about a possible online portfolio, but that would be different. That also would be something where I can rely on myself for feedback, keeping things up-to-date, etc., and something that can be organized in a way that suits me.

waitasec...I have a blog?

Considering how much I usually like all things Internet-related, I never expected to be writing my own blog. Read others? Sure, especially as procrastination fodder. But write my own? I haven't made a valid contribution to the web since I created a website back in 1995 with rudimentary HTML skills. I don't think I've updated that since 2002, but every few months I get e-mails telling me about a broken link. They're usually from teachers who stumbled across the site and are using it as a resource for a class project, so I haven't had the heart to take it down, antiquated and outdated as it may be.

As much time as I spend connected to the Internet, I have a surprising lack of skills when it comes to technology. Basic is good, as long as it gets the point across. Fancy tricks are neat, and I learn things when I see someone else do something cool with a program, but my abilities are likely well behind others in my program. I'm open to change, though.

I've been pondering the context I'm going to be using for IDE632. All I know at this point is that I want to focus on secondary ed, especially the 10-12 range. I taught English literature, mostly to 11th and 12th graders, for 5 years in an urban HS just outside of Philadelphia. The school was grades 10-12, with approx. 1100 students, about 15 English/Language Arts (ELA) teachers, and class sizes usually averaging around 25.

My first thought is to examine some aspect of one of the myriad intervention programs used at the school. One was ELA- and math-specific, and all programs were done to increase state test scores, show adequate yearly progress (AYP), and avoid state takeover.

I'm not sure yet of what program/aspects of programs/completely new ideas to work with for my context, but hey, it's a start.

Not to mention, I've now got a blog.