Share! Learn! Be!

Friday, May 17, 2019

News or Fake News MM14 Edition

Moodle MOOC 14 Introduction

I will introduce myself by telling two things about Sheryl Ann McCoy that are true and one...not so much. Please read my introduction and comment in the Moodle MOOC 14 Introduction forum. After the third person makes a response, I'll share which story is not true. Good luck with your guesses.

Fake or Real #1 When I first began teaching Earth Science, I learned of the VLA, located near Soccorro, New Mexico and New Mexico Mining and Technology University. I always wanted to go there, so I planned a trip. My family and I traveled what I call the "Volcano Tour". After traveling to through the volcano flats of Northeastern New Mexico, we visited the Clovis Man Museum in Clovis, NM. After that we traveled to many sites along the way, forts, museums, and other exhibits until we arrived at Roswell, New Mexico. We collected "Pecos Diamonds" on a bluff above the "Bottomless Lakes" located just east of Roswell. We ended our visit to Roswell by going to the UFO Museum.

Fake or Real #2 WaterFront, the TV Series, started in February of 1954, and I was born in October 1954. While my mother was waiting for me to arrive, she was watching a really exciting show called WaterFront. The WaterFront TV Series revolved around Captain John Herrick, his family, friends, and others on the waterfront and his tugboat, the "Cheryl Ann". It was a 30-minute crime solving movie.

WaterFront was more a family show that happened to be a "whodunit". My mother loved mysteries. She'd read all the Agatha Christie novels and other similar novels. Even today, she enjoys watching a good mystery. While I was growing up, I watched many of these movies and TV shows, which is probably why I like mysteries also.

Mother told me that I was named after the tugboat "Cheryl Ann" in the WaterFront TV show. I thought it was cool, but other kids can be cruel if they find out you're named after a tugboat. She loved the mystery surrounding the family and their tugboat who helped save lives and fight crime. I'll take that namesake any day.

Here is a segment from the second season:

This TV show was so popular, that models of the tugboat were sold for quite some time. Here is a picture of a special edition model that was well-made.

WaterFront may have been a very popular movie for women who were mystery buffs. It seems that many other women around my age were named Cheryl Ann. My mother didn't like C at the beginning of my name, so she changed it to Sheryl Ann. That's my name, Sheryl Ann McCoy.

Fake or Real #3 After I graduated from college and moved to Louisiana, I spent my first summer hunting alligators in the Three Rivers Area. It was quite an experience. Most of the time a group of us lived on a flatboat in the marshes. The biting and stinging insects were terrible until we developed our screen system. We set up mosquito netting to keep the insects at bay. Every day we fished for our meals and foraged for edible plants. It was an experience that I will never forget.

Image of Tchefuncte River

Image of fish in the clear waters of Tchefuncte River

Image of wild azalea on the Tchefuncte River

Saturday, August 11, 2018

MMVC 18 Technology: Teach Learn Collaborate

Please Participate in our very brief survey on Digital Tools. Nives Torresi and I hope to gather more data before we publish our findings in the MMVC18 book. Click here.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Fake News and Fact Resistance - Ola Rosling

Friday, April 27, 2018

Moodle MOOC 12 Introduction - News OR Fake News?

After the third person responds with a guess in Moodle MOOC 12 Introduction Forum, I'll share the Reality Check about Sheryl Ann McCoy. Can you guess?

As we introduce ourselves to other participants in Moodle MOOC 12, we do have a basic set of instructions. Participating in the fun project is a good way to show your serious side and your humorous side. Here is my version of the basic instructions:

Please introduce yourself.

Share two real stories about yourself and one fiction (lie).

Tell a story. The information must be in a form of a story.

It's not all about you or me. To introduce, you must meet.

Look for 3 people who haven't received a response yet. Respond to them.

When you finish your stories, respond to 3 other people.
Share what you think are their true stories and what is not.
Enjoy!

I live on a houseboat on the navigable portion of the Arkansas River. My husband moves the houseboat several times a month, so we can fish and glean wild edible plants. In the Spring, we begin our northward migration. We spend the summer as close to to the river source as possible. In Autumn, we move our houseboat south all the way to Louisiana on the Mississippi River. Once we end our southern migration, we move through the bayous in Louisiana and find good winter sheltering places.

I also love to make videos about my favorite teaching resources. This is an online resource that displays satellite images and curates interesting activity on Earth. Watch my shortest, latest video:

Fires Rage in Oklahoma

Teaching Reality

My last story that I'll share happened before my daughter was born. In 1990, I attended my first internet supported NSF grant summer project. It was called GENE: Genetic Education Network for Educators. We identified DNA, performed a variety of experiments with yeast as our most common lab creature. We used weevils, as models, in experiments, and learned all about Wisconsin FAST PLANTS ( Ask about the bee butts). It was a six-week workshop. We worked from dawn to dusk to bring new, up-to-date curriculum for our students. It was a wonderful experience, and we continued to be in contact and share throughout the next five years.

It's tricky to write a fiction story, but I've tried to do it well. I hope you can figure out which story about me is fiction. Enjoy.

Friday, April 6, 2018

We're Back in Drought Central: Teach our Children

Check out @kswateroffice’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/kswateroffice/status/979726232270069762?s=09

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Once Again! Two Truths and ONE Not

It's tricky to tell a lie, but I'll try. This is the way

Moodle MOOC11

participants introduce themselves. I hope you figure out the TWO TRUTHS I've shared with you. It's all about teaching to learn and learning to teach. Refresh ourselves at the Spring of Renewal.

The summer of 1972, I worked each evening at Medicalodge, from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am as a nurses' aide. My mother would pick me up after work, and we would travel home on a paved road that went straight to where we lived. We lived about 10 miles away.

One morning, I glanced up, and I saw a medium-sized farm truck carrying and dropping fresh ears of corn. My mother and I tried to get his attention, but he didn't see us.

We were Ruth and Naomi, the ancient gleaners, that day! Being the oldest of seven children, I always enjoyed those crazy, fun, short moments with my mother. We worked out a gleaning plan. I would just lean out of the car, when she stopped, and pick up the ears of corn. We gathered enough corn for two meals for seven people. Today, it's still a great story, and only one of many gleaning adventures with my mom.

One of my favorite trips was one I took along the Mississippi River, from South of Chicago through to Vicksburg, MS and on to New Orleans on an ancient wooden raft. I had a chance to see the invasive jumping fish, a type of Asian Carp...not native to North America. That was quite an adventure, especially when one jumped onto the raft and body slammed me. Good thing I was wearing a life preserver.

In 1990, I attended my first internet supported NSF grant summer project. It was called GENE: Genetic Education Network for Educators. We identified DNA, performed a variety of experiments with yeast as our most common lab creature. We used weevils, as models, in experiments, and learned all about Wisconsin FAST PLANTS ( Ask about the bee butts). It was a six week workshop. We worked from dawn to dusk to bring new, up-to-date curriculum for our students. It was a wonderful experience, and we continued to be in contact and share throughout the next five years.

It's tricky to write a fiction story, but I've tried to do it well. I hope you can figure out which is fiction. Enjoy.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

MMVC17 Presentation Review - Opening Ceremony

MMVC17 OPENING CEREMONY

August 4, 2017:

The Opening Ceremony for MMVC17 began.

Dr. Nellie Deutsch developed this session of Moodle MOOT Virtual Conference 2017.

She introduced the syllabus and the layout of MMVC17 learning and research areas. She's using the new WizIQ learning management system format. It's a very naturalistic and helpful interface. It makes WizIQ presentations more accessible and fun to use.

After sharing important information about the MMVC17 cohort of presenters, Dr. Nellie discussed open badges and final certificates.

While listening to Dr. Nellie Deutsch during the MMVC17 Opening Ceremony, I was able to comment and share conversations with other participants in the Chat Box. The new and improved WizIQ interface provides a much enhanced and enlarged Chat Box.

Dr. Nellie Deutsch

Learn all about Dr. Nellie infographic

produces so many excellent online courses and virtual conferences. If you haven't participated yet, it's time to join the learning fun.

I've attended other IT4ALL Moodle MOOT Virtual Conferences, so I knew the process. Even so, I was wondering what the presenters would have to say this year. Many are new to me, so it was exciting to hear what they hope to bring to the table of learning and teaching.

I try to keep my thought processes open during these conferences. I want to listen and think of new and old ideas in ways that encourage me to tuck them into my extant ideas, knowledge, and thoughts. It's the way I use metacognition.

Here's How I do it:

Using an overarching theme of

Question Answer Relationship (QAR)
AND
Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains

Question-Answer-Response Strategy in the Bloom/s Taxonomy of the Learning Domain n2teaching 2017

I'll focus on QAR for MMVC17 GUIDELINE questions:

Reflection and Sharing

Give the title, date, presenter, course number or name, and where the presentation to place. (online/face-to-face) (Right There)

Describe the event very briefly. (Right There)

Did you connect with the other attendees or the speaker? If so, how? (Author and Me; On My Own)

What questions came up as you watched the event? (On My Own)

How did the content relate to you as a teacher and/or learner or individual? (Think and Search; Author and Me; On My Own)

What were some of the thoughts that went through your mind as you watched the presentation? (Author and Me; On My Own)

How did you feel as you watched the event? (On My Own)

If you felt good, what made you feel good?

If you felt discomfort, what made you feel discomfort?

What challenges might you encounter in implementing some ideas?(Think and Search) (Author and Me) (On My Own)

What steps can you take to resolve the challenges? (On My Own)

What would you like to do in the future as a result of what you heard, read, saw? (Author and Me) (On My Own)

Write a question or two, that you would like to research (look into) as a result of the event. (Author and Me) (On My Own)

I'll use these metacognitive applications to evaluate various MMVC17 presentations.

As an effective teacher, I must always remember to be effective in my work with students, parents, and the community. The content presented represented a variety of topics that are trending in the field of teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language.

The main thought that I had while I watched the Opening Ceremony was

How Wonderful the new WizIQ Interface was,
Teachers and Students will really benefit from the new WizIQ interface, AND the
Excitement of seeing previous and new presenters.

Presentation Reflection Criteria Questions 7-11

As I was watching this event it felt wonderful to see Dr. Deutsch. She offered more opportunities and presentations from experts who work in this field, that of online teaching, virtual, blended, and face-to-face.

Several people, representing over a dozen countries planned to share presentations. I was looking forward to seeing them as they explained their most recent work. I had questions to ask them.

Since this was an opening ceremony, it has a basic format. There is a description of the class and the presenters, so there were no challenges that I would have encountered. I’ve attended the Moodle Moot virtual conference before, so I know the general routine.

After the opening ceremony, I hoped to look at the online descriptions of the presenters and their topics. Then I usually choose which ones to attend.

What I’d like to do in the future is what I’ve been working on for the past year. I’d like to coordinate what I know with what the presenters know. I’m hoping to formulate a cohesive model whereby we can all understand the similarities of the educational goals we’re working on.

For instance, many MMVC17 presenters are explaining their research. Some of the research is based on meta-analysis.

In a meta-analysis, researchers ask a question and analyze all previous, similar research to determine a plausible answer. In other words, they’re looking at various research studies to glean what really works everywhere over time.

Then you construct new research opportunities to replicate that research to determine its efficacy. You can also use the meta-analysis to create new lines of research.

Meta-analysis is also the type of research evaluated by those who work within the Effective Schools Research Model.

For me, the most important question is:

How do the frameworks such as CLIL, Content and Language Integrated Learning, within Teaching English as a Foreign Language coincide and overlap the methodologies and research of the Effective Schools Movement? How can I integrate the best ideas of both.

I spent many weeks surveying research and reading about new trends. I decided to use that information to compare, contrast, and evaluate these two methodologies and other frameworks to determine what I can create using both.

Now, I'll put all this information into a video format, so I'll present that on Youtube.

I've select at least 10 MMVC17 presentations with various topics that fit in the categories listed here:

· Teaching and Learning with Technology

· Teaching and Learning Online

· Blended Online Learning

· Badges for Learning

· Online Learning Environments

I’ll review those MMVC17 presentations that most closely relate to topics that I find interesting and important for professional development. Currently, these presentations describe research based, effective learning trends from around the world. All align with my state's professional learning goals.

Badges are awarded for a variety of activities. Badges that lead to the presentation of certificates are awarded for specific learning criteria. That criteria includes: watching at least 12 of the presentations, taking notes, comparing the information with what I already know, and discussing how I can implement the latest information into my professional development program.

I'll complete the reviews, answering eleven critical questions for each presentation and presenter. In addition, I,ll share my impressions and ideas for future use in my teaching, learning, or research.

After that, using PowerPoint with notes, I'll download the slides to Knovio or PresentMe and record myself reading the notes in ScreenCastOMatic, In the final project phase I'll pull all those parts into a video that I'll share through YouTube or Vimeo.

I've selected presentation from these topics in the categories of:

· Teaching and Learning with Technology