Week 4..We are halfway there.Whohoo!!

We are halfway there! Does this really make any of us feel any better? Um...Not really. Ask again at Week 8.

I feel a lot better today. Still sad, but I have to continue moving forward. Time waits for no man.

In all honesty, is it just me -- or is the summer semester going by sloooow? Like a 90 year old driving in the fast lane.

Since I am complaining -- lets talk about the heat....Is it just me? It is HOT! If this is God's warning to me what hell will be like, God -- I am sorry for all my sins. I promise, I will do better because there is no way I would last one hour in this type of heat. I cannot think straight.

Dr. Wang -- is there something in the student handbook called a "heat clause" that we can use as an excuse for not completing assignments this summer? Like can we get a doctor's excuse that says, "Sonya will not be able to turn in any assignments until the temperature is below 100 degrees - she is having problems with her thermastat -- it is permanently stuck on one degree from hell."

Okay -- enough of my rant. Lets talk about Week 4. Group one discussed, reviewed and tested a number of asynchronous and synchronous applications. I learned quite a bit because I was not familiar any of them except Skype.

Skype is a synchronous application that can be used as a chat, IM or telephone. It is free Skype-to-Skype; it is not free if you call someone who does not have Skype.

One disadvantage -- firewalls at various organizations. For instance, my group member, Kala, could not download or access Skype at her job.

I use Skype in the classroom by using instant messenger as a tool for office hours. I also have a Skype voice mail. Students can leave messages asychronously versus calling my home or cell number. I can also use Skype to call students anonymously.

My group member Kandi introduced us to Wikispace, a asychronous application. What a wonderful interactive tool! She gave us an activity to add information to her space. At first, group members could not complete the activity because Kandi had to give us permission first. After permission, we were able to complete the activity.

My group member, Kala, introduced us to Twitter for Teachers, an asychronous application. Without Kala's instructions, I would have been totally lost. It is similar to a discussion listserv.

My group member, Madelon, introduced us to Chatzy, a sychronous application. I really enjoyed Chatzy. Chatzy is a great tool to use for group chats. It is easy to set up. The cool thing about this feature is that there is registration or download. The moderator sets up a chat, sends invitations to each member and that's it versus Gmail -- the moderator can send an invitation for group chat; however, each group member will need to setup Gmail first.

Overall, I enjoyed using the above-mentioned sychronous and asychronous applications and will try to incorporate these applications in future courses.

Oh -- I just reviewed the directions for the NVU - the teacher website. Um....I'm lost -- like a prostitute on the wrong street corner. Is it just me??? Help!

Have a great weekend!

Sonya