BP2_Moodle

For my first exploration I decided to research Moodle. I had heard good things about it from peers and colleagues. I must say that I was very impressed.

After watching some tutorials and spending a couple of hours playing around I created a working page. Moodle is great for creating an online environment where students can access everything. As a teacher it helps bridge the gap between the normal classroom and the online classroom.

I started by turning the editing on so that I could access the main page that the students would see. The great thing about the Moodle interface is that I can constantly see exactly what the site will look like. A problem that I was having in my classroom was that I didn't have a place to post all of our notes and extra resources. Our school uses ProgressBook but it was not "fun" for the students. Here I was able to post notes from every lesson, videos, Vokis, links, online quizzes, games, grades, calendars, blogs, and much more.

After a little bit of trial and error I created a basic page for one chapter that I will teach in Advanced Geometry this upcoming year. I set it up so that my students can click on a chapter at a time to see all of the materials associated with it. There is also a setting to set it up by date if someone has a similar schedule every year.

First I added an adobe link to each section of notes that I will teach in class. Then I added links to the textbook they will be using and links to videos they might find interesting. I also added a link to a Voki that I created to make the appearance more playful. 

Another use would be online quizzes if a student were absent on a certain day. The notes would be online, they would have to review them and take the quiz to makeup the participation points. I really love the endless possibilities and the ease it offers to teachers and students alike.

On the technical side of things I have the option of looking all of my files and links up in a giant library. It is nice to know that I can lock and unlock material as I go so that it is not too overwhelming for the students. There are also numerous reports that I can see as the teacher. Additionally, it is very safe for the students. Nobody can enter my online class unless given the passcode.

This is a Web 2.0 tool that I highly recommend and that I am going to continue to work on this summer for next school year.

BP3_iGoogle Screen Shots

I just finished making my iGoogle PLE. This was a really cool assignment. I have been using iGoogle since month one, but I did not know that I could create tabs on the side like a binder. I am going to look and see if our school blocks this, if not, this would be great to show the students. Here is what I created in my PLE.
1. My Home Page:

2. My FSO/CBR Tab

3. My ETC Tab

I can't wait to see what other cool Web 2.0 tools I learn how to use this month!!!

BP1_Welcome to my blog.

So here I am, blogging for the very first time. It does feel sort of nice to be talking to the whole world. Here is a little bit about me. My name is Jessica Kellogg and I am from Dallas, Texas. I currently live in Cleveland, Ohio with my husband and adorable dog. I teach high school math and love my crazy students. 

I decided to take on my masters program less than one year after graduating with my bachelor's degree. I am a very A-type personality and I love being busy. If there was a paying job to be a professional student, I would take it. This program has been amazing because it mixes my two favorite things: teaching and technology. 

I am looking forward to sharing many thoughts on this blog with all of you out there listening. My life might not be the most exciting thing to read, but it can be pretty amusing at times. I hope you enjoy and maybe I will make some more great friends along the way.