Week 1

Good day all,
My name is Chris and I am one quarter away from finishing the program. I started the program way back in 1998 and completed my classes in 2000 but did not finish my project. I was burned out and really didn't have a direction for a project. I have been teaching computers in a computer lab for the last 3 years in a middle school. Before that I would have my students create projects using computers and would use the Internet when available. In the late 1990s, I would download the different quests from Classroom Connect that would connect my classroom to a project team that was in Galapagos and traveling through China. Unfortunately at that time, my school wasn't online so I had to download it at home on dial up.
My computer lab is a project-based class with the students having 10 days to create podcasts, webpages, videos or utlize different software to create multimedia projects. As I plan to develop new projects for my class, I am always trying to push my students. This quarter I started requiring my students to post blogs using schoolrack.com. The students are starting to understand that they need to develop clear thought out answers to explain what they want us to know.
Online Instruction allows students to use the internet to cover the class's material. In 2000, I took ETEC 675 (Telecommunication) and it was a class that looked at what could be done. At that time, it was using new technology such as WebCT and we looked at video cameras linked to different places. Part of the class was using WebCT for the class as well as creating curriculum for others using the WebCT for a lesson. At the time, I found it hard to use and had many problems with the software crashing. We would have online chats and WebCT would crash during the class so we had to use ICQ.
My District was involved with the JASON Project (www.jasonproject.com) and that really helped me understand the uses of technology because the curriculum was paper-based but it had the video connection that linked the students to the researchers on location. Jason also had a webpage that linked all of the data. The last year I worked with them, they had a training program that was totally web-based and part of my job as a trainer was to communicate with the teachers using discussion boards and answering questions via email.
That brings me to today. My class is totally online. The modules are mostly on the computer and I have developed webpages with instructions for the students. The students save their projects on the computer and email me and post their blogs.
I would like to learn how to utilize a tool such as Moodle to create the material for my class and maybe look at Skype or something like that for my class. I would like to learn how to use video conferencing if we are exposed to it. I guess I am always looking at how to make my classes better.