Web Space

The webmaster showed me how to upload pdf files to the website today. This will be very useful for posting handouts. Oddly, the only thing that I'm putting off is taking pictures for the site. I don't know what type of pictures to take. All I can think of is a student in front of a computer for everything. Honestly, that's what will probably take me the longest. I'll obviously have to do it sometime this summer, though. I plan to have the site up and running before fall. I have 9 interested Comp I students for AskOnline. This evening I'll find out about Comp II students.

Learn to Write

The web-based software Learn to Write has a lot to offer. Combine Comment with Exercise Central and you have a general idea of what it's like. It seems just slightly easier to maneuver than those other two softwares, though. I'm thinking about it. If I went with this, it would be silly to use AskOnline as well. The thing about AskOnline is that it is so userfriendly and can be used for all subjects. I start the pilot program with AskOnline tomorrow. Once again, the more features added to the program, the more complicated it becomes for the student. Occasionally I feel bogged down by all the technological wonders available to me. Am I letting my obsessions with gadgetry get in the way of the real purpose - to assist students in their subject matter? I wonder if sometimes all this extra stuff just gets in the way. The thing is we live in a technological age, and students pursuing an education should receive a full education that familiarizes them with technology. But how much is necessary, convenient, or beneficial?  

New Stuff

A couple of reps have contacted me. I already wrote about Grammar Sense. Another rep contacted me about some reading software that I should be receiving soon: Learning 100 and Access 21st Century. Another Learning Specialist is promoting Learning to Write. I requested an access code to try out the demo.

My Skills Lab/Reading Road Trip

I have some unpredicted obstacles with this program:

1. Apparently I need to have a lot of faculty support for the reps to bother molding this program to my needs. I know some faculty members are not very fond of the program because of the hassle it has given us in the past. I'm going to have to convince them that this will help us conquer those past problems.
2. The reading instructor I have the most contact with has decided she does not like this program at all. She wants to go in an entirely new direction which means I'm going to have to redo lab assignments for her. She wants each student to have an individualized program to address his/her specific needs. While that would be ideal, I don't know if that is feasible. I'll do my best, but, ironically, I think my solution will be to modify Reading Road Trip.

Catch 22.

TutorTrac/PantherTrac

Oops! Next time I better read the overview. I was misinformed about this program. It is not for online tutoring; it is for tracking lab activity. Since I am part of a committee designing the PantherTrac (Accutrack replacement) program to do exactly that, I have no need for TutorTrac.

TechXplore III

It seems like all the bugs have been worked out of the program. The speech class met again today. They adjusted the mic settings on the computer, and they all seem to be working fine. That's the fun part about computers. Troubleshooting. Troubleshooting is just like it sounds - shoot from the hip until you find the right answer.

AskOnline II

I contacted two comp instructors about allowing me to pilot this program in their classes. One instructor has responded very positively about Ask Online, but the other is putting me off a bit. We'll see if he goes for it. I received 14 licenses and my administrator's code. While I'm excited about starting this, I'm not making any decisions until I check out some other options. I have an appointment with TutorTrac on 6/21 to go through a demo with one of their reps. I've definitely decided against Comment, but it had some things I definitely liked that I plan to ask for. Apparently we are supposed to be able to work closely with Ask Online to mold the program to our needs.

Grammar Sense

The EAP cluster is looking into a new ESOL series. Grammar Sense is a program that specifically targets ESOL students. We used to use Focus on Grammar, but it's very outdated. It's so bad, that recently after starting here, the disks were unusable. An instructor is looking at using the Grammar Sense books with the new Houghton Mifflin series that is currently being piloted. We'll see what we do. I figured the software should be mentioned here, however. It is brand new and not quite finished yet which has made a couple of people a little nervous about purchasing it. The new texts probably won't be in place until fall 2006 anyway, so I think there's plenty of time.

AskOnline I

As I have previously written, I've acquired web space to start an online English and reading lab with online tutoring being a main focus. I've looked into Comment, and decided it is not appropriate for my needs. The math lab on another campus is using AskOnline. This medium is supposedly appropriate for all forms of tutoring. I was originally under the assumption that it was geared toward math. I've contacted the math lab and have a meeting with a learning specialist over there tomorrow. I've looked at it a little bit, and I think it might suit my needs.

TechXplore II

The speech instructor using this software has left, and is using it long-distance with his class. Apparently, everything is working out fine. One of our tutors happens to be in that class, so I think he's helping to iron out the wrinkles. He told me that only two students were unable to speak to the instructor, but they all could hear him. A webcam was set up in the classroom so that the instructor could see everyone, and he had his tiny little webcam with him. I'm supposed to collect the webcam when the course is over. I wrote it here so I won't forget.

Comment

Comment is an interactive site put out by Bedford St. Martin's. I think it will be a valuable resource for instructors, but I don't think it's really appropriate for a lab setting. The software allows the instructor to set up a class, give assignments, and link to specific spots in various Bedford St. Martin's grammar and writing books. While that last feature is really cool, I haven't spent enough time in the program to figure out how to do it. I think this would be an ideal set up for an online course. One thing I didn't like was that the student had to upload their work in html format. For someone who's not computer literate, this program might be a bit overwhelming. It would be a lot of fun for me, though. :)