It’s the End of the Semester and It's Graduation!

What a journey this has been! I have finished designing and developing the Web 2.0 Tools for Teaching and Learning course in time for the end of the semester! I’d like to personally thank Professor Jamie Kretsch for sponsoring me in this graduate independent study course and her time in reviewing each section of the Web 2.0 Tools course and providing valuable feedback of which I am thankful. I'd also like to mention three books, in particular, that I found very useful and informative: Will Richardson's Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, Gwen Solomon's and Lynne Schrum's Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools, and Reynol Junco's and Jeanna Mastrodicasa's Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's Students.

Designing and developing the Web 2.0 Tools for Teaching and Learning course has been a very gratifying experience for me, and I have learned a great deal about Web 2.0 tools along the way. I'm happy that I was able to employ my instructional design skills with technology in such a large, creative educational endeavor. The saying, “the best way to learn something is to teach it” really holds true here. I designed a model that I think will work effectively for educator-participants: learn foundation concepts, participate in exploratory activities that build on the foundation, and then engage in real-world experiences using Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning in relevant curriculum content areas. In turn, it is hoped that educators will model the use of technology to their "Net Generation" students and provide them with engaging and meaningful experiences using Web 2.0 technology tools to enhance their learning. I hope to have the opportunity to teach this course to graduate education students in the future.

The completion of this course also marks the completion of my graduate program! On May 20, 2008, I will walk the procession with other graduates to receive a Master of Education Degree with a concentration in instructional technology and educational media. This is the fulfillment of a personal dream that began in 2001, while working full-time, raising my daughter, and taking graduate classes at night. If you happen to be at Commencement, I’ll be the one smiling ear-to-ear, as will my fellow graduates!

I began my first blog posting with “life is all about learning.” I’ll have to think about what I’d like to learn next. Well, there was that novel I always wanted to write . . .

(image source: http://www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=369276)