A Thousand Words

Disney 23 Picture Thousand Words, originally uploaded by _Justice.

How appropriate.

ComputeR + You = SmaRt!

Computer You Smart 2 KP, originally uploaded by _Justice.

This is my final posting for EDUC 481. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will let this image speak for itself. However, let me say that this photograph clearly portrays my complicated emotions for technology and EDUC 481. I'm trying not to cry as I express my inner feelings, so please don't laugh at me.

LOOKIN' GOOD!

Thumbs up, originally uploaded by _Justice.

WOOOoooww!

Wow webcam, originally uploaded by _Justice.

The wonders of technology truly amaze Billy Bob.

Persuasion

Jabba Uzi, originally uploaded by _Justice.

Fortunately, we found a way to make Windows 98 cooperate with us.

The Evil Windows 98 OS

Windows 98 horns 1, originally uploaded by _Justice.

The operating system that should have been our ally became our nemesis during the filming of Project #4. Crash, crash, crash! I thank God that we were finally able to save the students work through an external ZIP drive, though it took several hours to accomplish it.

Probeware cards

03 15 Probeware cards KP, originally uploaded by _Justice.

Here are the probeware cards up-close and personal. You can read the different connection ports' labels to see what they do.

Webcam and Probeware PH sensor

03 15 webcam probeware PH sensor KP, originally uploaded by _Justice.

These are three items we became familiar with in EDUC 481. The webcam can be used for stop motion animation or time lapse photography. The probeware card measures thermal properties, PH balance, sound waves, and light. It connects to your computer via the silver parallel port adapter (the side near the webcam). The white wire that looks like a telephone cable is the external PH sensor. It plugs into the back of the probeware card on one of the two connectors that look like telephone jacks. The black tip (in the middle of the picture) covers the actual sensor, and can be is inserted into liquids such as a soft drink, orange juice, or water with anti-acid tablets to measure the PH balance.

Dr. Rosenberg's Animation Goodies

03 15 DrR Animation Goodies bin, originally uploaded by _Justice.

Oh, the EDUC 481 memories that are in this bin. Play-doh no no!

Final Class!

We just finished the final official session of EDUC 481. There are four of us still in the lab, typing away and creating/revising artifacts for our portfolios. Erin H. is a phenomenally organized student; she is the only person in our class who submitted her portfolio this evening.

It was wonderful to finish the preventing presentations this evening. We all gave solid presentations; it was obvious that everyone put much thought into the Project #4 lessons. Denise and I are attempting to burn CDs of the final presentation folder, but not a single computer has functioned properly. All attempts have met with the same message: "Your media may be damaged." Sigh. Just one more unexpected detail on the path to education. Fortunately, we are finishing this section of the path tonight.

Happy Scrabble Work

DSC04014 Happy Scrabble, originally uploaded by _Justice.

We are animating Scrabble tiles coming together to form spelling words. As you can see from the looks on the students' faces, they are enjoying themselves.

Project #4 Scrabble Work

DSC04017 Scrabble Work, originally uploaded by _Justice.

Here are several of the student completing the Stop Motion Animation for Project #4.

FREEDOM!

braverheartfreedom, originally uploaded by _Justice.

Photo courtesy of www.americanrhetoric.com.

Home Stretch!

Well, here we are... counting down the days until EDUC 481 is complete. Project #4's rubric and final lesson plan implementation, the class portfolio, the Project #4 PowerPoint presentation and a class handout are all that stand between me and FREEDOM!

Progress of Project #4

As of today, Erin and I are 2/5ths done with Project #4. YAY! After two unsuccessful attempts to create a stop motion animation with our students, this third time was a go. The software and webcam worked as they were supposed to, so the students animated the words 'morale' and 'efficient' with Scrabble tiles. It was fun, and the final product is about 14 seconds long. Next Tuesday we are aiming to finish animating the last three words: utensil, potential, and ethical. Success!

AB 1059 Candidates

It is wonderful to be this close to finishing a Professional Clear Credential. SB 2042 Candidates have the additional requirements of completing another portfolio during their BTSA program, but AB 1059 candidates are not required to enroll in BTSA if they have their Professional Clear upon being hired. AB 1059 candidates at Cal Poly may obtain their Professional Clear through meeting the following requirements:

• a Special Education course (EDUC 440)
• a Computer Education/CTAP Level II Technology course (EDUC 481),
• a Health Education course (EDUC 250 or 443), and
• CPR certification (good for one year, done through Red Cross).

AB 1059 candidates with a Clear must still enroll in a teacher induction program when hired, but this is not the same as BTSA. BTSA has yet another portfolio requirement (after all the portfolio requirements from student teaching) and additional paperwork. An induction program does not. AB 1059 candidates can overstep the BTSA requirement, but only if they take advantage of this approved 5th year of study while at Cal Poly. From what I understand, if an AB 1059 candidate is hired without having first obtained the Clear, he or she will be treated the same as an SB 2042 candidate by the hiring district. This means placement into a BTSA program with all of its additional requirements. Another portfolio and more paperwork are the last things new teachers need during their first two years of teaching.

Avoid this extra work. Meet the above requirements and apply directly for your Clear credential instead of your Preliminary credential.