Reflection is good...

This week's assignment was the caption, and as I reflected on my work in this class over the semester, I'm just so proud of what I've accomplished. I know it's just a very simple website, but the most valuable part of the process is what you don't see. I really learned how to zero in on a need and how to design material to fill that need. That's huge for me. It was especially satisfying that I had designed a tutorial for teachers, as well as a research activity that children can participate in independently, so it doesn't require valuable classroom time to build skills. I think that's a great idea - kind of like the AR program for reading, but this is for research. I can't wait to see how it flies in a real school!

This has been one of my favorite classes, because I learned to much about effective design, of not only curriculum, but a website. I love getting every aesthetic and component just right, so it was a lot of fun.

This could drive a person nuts!

Okay, I've got the assignment tucked in nice and neat, but I can't get the additional tutorial I've posted to work. Drat! I think it is because it is a PowerPoint and I have some videos inserted on each page. The ppt comes through but not the video. I can't seem to package that. Drat!

Well, this week's assignment did go well. I'm getting to where I can add and edit pages lickety split. That's a nice feeling! Now if I could just get my ppt to work. Drat!

Back to it...wish me luck...

Busy, busy...

This has been a huge assigment. To fulfill the requirements of the assignment, I created my student activity within the first week of the alloted time. But because my website is a teacher resource, a student activity wasn't really appropriate for the site. Plus, at the beginning of the semester I asked a librarian friend if there was something useful I could create for her. She requested a tutorial for her teachers on how to effectively use the Destiny OPAC system, so I've been working on that as my "real" activity - although it doesn't really fit the requirements of the assignment. It's a tutorial for adults, not an activity for students.

What's especially interesting about how this is all coming together, is I've recently been learning about some video tools in another class that I've been able to utilize for this tutorial. Handy coincidence! Although I realize it's not up to Hollywood standards, I'm pretty proud of my first attempt at combining tools to create something that will be of real use to a faculty. I did it! And I learned a ton of useful info in the process. Hurrah!

Sticky Stuff

Copyright laws are tricky for me, and murky, too. Although the articles in this assignment defined the laws more clearly than any I have encountered before, I still am a little uncertain about my do's and don'ts. I hate to avoid material because I'm afraid of using it, but I also don't want to open my county up to a lawsuit. And often it seems you would not have the months I imagine it would take to get permission. I'll be in the media center, so this is really important to me, especially with the collaborative push. I'll be looking to my district office and fellow librarians for advice and direction quite a bit...