New Writer for Examiner.com

I'm the new West Palm Beach Public Library Examiner. I've written a couple of articles thust far, and I really enjoy it. It's given me an excuse to take my kids to the library and get them involved in the MANY activities there. We've visited several local branches, and it seems there is always some new program, activity, or training.

Some interesting tidbits related to this site:

• Computer training programs are offered for free at every local branch
• You can check out ebooks using an ereader or ereading software
• The PBC Library Website is extensive and very well done

nook rant

I have recently purchased a nook from Barnes and Noble. EReaders have been around for quite some time, and I've been looking at them for years, but I've put off purchasing one. None are exactly what I'm looking for. In a moment of weakness, I gave in to B&N's intensive advertising campaign and purchased their eReader. This is the first technological purchase I've made that I've regretted. I realized, after the fact, that what I truly desire in an eReader can only be found in the iPad. I want more than just an ereader for a particular vender, I want a multipurpose and adaptable machine! In addition, this eReader joins the other techie gadgets in my purse - my phone and my iTouch, so now I need a bigger purse just to hold all this junk! Ridiculous. I used to read using an eReader application on my iTouch, which worked fine and still gave me access to my music, videos, and other apps. But obviously the device is too small to read for long periods of time. This is what sparked my perusal of eReaders. When Amazon's Kindle came out, I was hesitant. I liked the size and the new screen, but I didn't like the fact that I could only get Amazon ebooks. Since its original release, that may have changed, but it has been a continual bone of contention for me because Apple has the same policy with music, video, etc. and its DRM keeps me from truly owning my own downloads. It also makes it difficult to fully realize media downloaded from other sources – although at least it’s possible to get media from other sources. Since I didn’t want to deal with these types of restrictions on yet another product, I avoided the Kindle. The nook, however, seemed slightly more promising. There is already a folder created to hold other documents besides the ones downloaded from Barnes and Noble. As a grad student who downloads a lot of articles from databases for research purposes, I saw a lot of possibilities. That is how I justified my purchase. Unfortunately I have been greatly disappointed in this area. What I see as the nook’s greatest weakness as an eReading device is the inability to create additional folders within the “Documents” folder and its lack of a search function. I have ebooks I’ve downloaded from my previous eReader software mixed in with research articles of various subject with no way to organize them. Very frustrating. I am hoping that as software updates are made, B&N will take a hint from some of the discussion posts on their own website and begin making changes to please their customers rather than adding relatively useless and unrelated features such as sudoku and chess.

AskOnline

There hasn't really been much change from last semester to this except that the teachers to whom I normally promote AskOnline have begun to approach me about it. That's a nice change. There are a few new tutors in the lab this semester, so I'm hoping to recruit additional e-tutors for AskOnline. Last semester, we had about 5.

BlackBoard

I haven't had much need for this program since I teach mostly college prep courses that, in my humble opinion, should not be taught completely online. However, I am a TA for an instructor at FAU and found that it can be useful for students as an additional resource. I've had a few "beginner" issues such as completely loading a class only to find out that it was Fall 2009 rather than Spring 2010 (oops), but despite a few mishaps, it's been pretty easy. At this point, I'm only using it as a place to post course information and additional readings, but there is a possibility that we may use the discussion board later in the semester.

Online English Tutoring

This semester, online tutoring has really taken off. Several instructors promoted the service, so we ended up getting a little overwhelmed before major deadlines. Several additional tutors were trained in the program, which helped lessen the load a bit. Next semester, I hope to recruit a few more.

Online Tutoring Plans for This Semester

I'm still promoting online tutoring.  A couple of instructors have actually approached me about it, so that's progress.  I'm hoping to do a brief presentation on the EWL and our "new" online tutoring at the adjunct orientation for Comp I and II as well as the English cluster meeting.  Still on hold about that.

This semester in addition to my hours in the lab, I'll be teaching two developmental English classes, taking two classes of my own (Emerson and Thoreau and Theorizing Science Fiction), and working as a graduate assistant at FAU.  I am hoping to train a few more tutors on AskOnline and step back from the online tutoring project a little bit.  If I'm the only one promoting this resource and tutoring via this resource, it is not really an EWL project but my project.  For it to be a useful resource, it needs to be a resource of the entire lab not just one person.  

Twitter

Twitter is just plain fun. I recently set up an account, and although I rarely post, I've really enjoyed following some of my favorite people such as Neil Gaiman and Felicia Day. In an effort to be more informed about developments in new media, I've also been following RWW and Henry Jenkins (author of Convergence Culture).

Online Tutor Training

Well, I've announced the training for online tutoring in the lab, and several have already expressed an interest. Two have completed the first training session. I've also completed the paper trail so that the two tutors who helped with the pilot also receive credit for their training.

Multimedia presentation

I am almost finished creating the independent training program for Tutoring English Online. I created a multimedia presentation using Audacity, PowerPoint, and Soft Chalk. The process seems cumbersome. I think I can do the whole process using Garage Band on my Mac. Not counting the creation of the original Power Point, it has taken me a week and a half to complete this presentation.

1. I attended training for putting voice to Power Point using Audacity and Soft Chalk on the 17th.
2. I checked the lab for computers with this software and found nothing.
3. Since I do not have administrative rights to the computer I had to ask my supervisor to send a ticket to IT to install all the software.
4. It was quickly installed by the next day.
5. I spent 2 - 3 hours experimenting and recording my voice with Audacity and modifying my Power Point only to realize I was missing a plug-in to convert the Audacity file to an mp3 file. (In all fairness, I was told this plug-in was needed during my training session.)
6. I had to request an additional ticket from my supervisor to IT.
7. We had a 3-day weekend.
8. LAME (seriously, that's what it's called) was installed when I came in this morning.
9. I spent an additional 2 hours editing the Power Point and converting the aup files to mp3 files, and converting my Power Point file into jpg files.
10. I then put all this stuff into a very basic looking webpage in SoftChalk because I got tired of playing with everything.

Simple is good.

AskOnline summer update

This summer we opened up online tutoring to all instructors of Comp I and Comp II with the stipulation that they complete a brief form regarding each major writing assignment they assign their students. So far we have received one from an instructor I've spoken with in person. I've come to the conclusion that while many things work well online, extra initiative is needed from all participants. Instructors are much more willing to put forth the extra effort needed to recommend the program to their students if I've spoken with them in person (and often). This is the first full week of classes, so I hope to see some submissions later this week. Meanwhile this week we will be conducting most of our English Prep, EAP, and Strategies orientations in the lab.
I have 2 professional development workshops to attend this week, one on social networking through ning and the other on adding voice to Power Points in Lesson Builder. I'm also finalizing the tutor training for the rest of the tutors. Very little of the training will require the tutors to meet with me, so they can work at their own pace. I hope to have this completed and in place by Wednesday.

Convergence Culture Review

Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide by Dr. Henry Jenkins was a surprisingly fun read.  From grassroots politics vs. big-moneyed campaigns to transmedia storytelling and consumer participation, this book covers everything. I'm really excited about future possibilities.  Everything from Obama's grassroots campaign led by tech savvy volunteers to Joss Whedon's reaction of Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog to the writer's strike is affected by the convergence culture.  Yet, as often happens with books addressing trends in technology, this book published in 2006 is already out of date as it does not address media so monumental as Twitter and its instant effect on news.  See today's NPR story about Twitter: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103221268

PBCC - Web 2.0

The SLC now has a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1349720750

CEA Conference 2009

March 26-28, I attended the College English Association Conference, which was my first conference as a presenter. The theme of this year's conference was Design, and over 600 presenters explored this topic.  Various speakers presented their pedagogy, specific assignments and strategies, methods for optimizing classroom and online spaces, and their experiences - both negative and positive - in adopting the newest trends in education.  I presented alongside three PBCC professors on a panel addressing Design and the Community College Classroom.  We presented at 8 am on the first day of the conference, so attendance was low, but the audience was enthusiastic and interested in our topics.  My presentation focused on the English Writing Lab's use of AskOnline with Comp I and II.  I specifically focused on the college’s increased offerings of alternative methods of instruction, the need for online academic assistance, the opportunities and challenges presented by online tutoring, the necessity of extensive planning before adopting new technology, the reason for choosing the program AskOnline, PBCC’s use of the program by various SLC labs since 2005, our current usage, and our tentative plans for future use of the program.  

AskOnline

Funding for the CEA conference has been approved, so we presenters are beginning to make preparations. Since my work with AskOnline at this campus is fairly new, part of my preparation will be documenting the use of the program. Last semester was only preparation such as the web page content, tutor training, partnership with a faculty member, etc. This semester is our actual trial. I've been very concerned about the usage of the site. My work in this program at a different campus did not produce much response, yet another campus had an overwhelming response. It's very difficult to predict. I'm optimistic, however, because our first student request was submitted today, and we have not even announced it to our trial group yet. I'm scheduled to meet with the class next week. This student stumbled upon us while working with math. The math lab has been using the program for maybe 3 years now, and they've been quite successful.

CEA Conference 2009

I will be presenting at this conference in March along with 3 others from PBCC. My part of the panel discussion will focus on AskOnline.

OWL 2

Online tutoring has been postponed until the spring. I have recruited two very capable tutors to assist me in this project, and we will be working closely with one instructor and her hybrid class. I am currently working on some method of marketing to entice her students since she is not requiring her students to use the program but only making it available to them. The Math Lab has had some success with various marketing strategies, so I will work with the Math learning specialist on this. I've had one tutor training and plan to have one more tomorrow.

OWL

I was asked to resume my work with online tutoring for the English Writing Lab. If you've read earlier blogs, you know this topic is fairly controversial. The math lab has been very successful, but math is a completely different animal. The fact that our subject not only relies on typed text to convey the message but that the typed text is the message makes the project a little daunting in this abbreviated txting, l33t world. I pulled out my old research and did some additional research to prepare a presentation, and, for better or worse, we've agreed to begin using AskOnline with a limited group of students in the fall. Lake Worth is the main campus of PBCC, so implementing this program here will be much different than implementing it in Belle Glade. I've been asked to recruit a couple of tutors to volunteer for this pilot, which will be tricky. I need to find tutors who are tech savvy, don't mind a little extra work, and would support the initiative. I've asked one who's a little reluctant because of the extra work. I haven't yet decided on who else to ask. I may find three to help me out.

"Quotation Marks"

I'm creating a handout for quotation marks to go in the student resources section of our website, and I came across this site: http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/. After listening to the BBC radio show of Eats, Shoots and Leaves, I'm always on the lookout for comical punctuation. Who would have thought quotation marks, commas, and apostrophes could be so hilarious?

Back at PBCC

Well, I am back at PBCC as an English learning specialist.  I am extremely happy to no longer be teaching high school.  Not only did I have no time to spare for this site, but I also had no time to spare for anything else!  The most techie project I dealt with (besides RenWeb) was the few weeks I taught on informational and visual media.  The students were required to do a multimedia presentation.  I felt like we could have gone so much further with these, but with everything else the students had to learn throughout the year, there was no time.  I enjoyed the focus on literature, which I had missed working at PBCC previously, and I enjoyed the majority of the students, but that was about it.  I won't miss the mounds of grading, paper work, lesson plans, record keeping, phone calls, supervisors, etc.  It's nice to be back in my niche.  

mac

I've finally purchased the incredibly hyped mac to pursue my educational tech interests. Compatibility problems will be an eternal problem. Most educational facilitie rely heavily on PC/Microsoft; therefore, I purchased the mac version of the Microsoft Office Suite. I felt very wasteful since Pages and KeyNote seem quite sufficient for what I need.