Screencast is done!

So my screencast is done, which I guess means that my wiki is done. But... if there's one thing that life has taught me, it's that few things are ever truly done! My work in progress is at a place now where I feel like I can share it with students, at least. Phew! Check out my screencast and my class wiki! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1rSvdvO7T4&feature=g-upl

Feeling Accomplished!

I have completed my social studies and reading/writing sections! A large part of my reading/writing section comes from a set of assignments from Curriki.org, which is a great resource. I still need to submit my social studies coursework to Merlot. I'm looking for some simple physics lessons and I need to complete my math section. I have the math figured out, but I am still working on the organization. At least the end is in sight! My course website is lccged.pbworks.com

Overwhelmed

I may have the same post title for the rest of the term. I have most of what I want my math section to look like, but now I'm wondering about how to actually design the page to make it most beneficial and least confusing for students. I won't be using Moodle because it takes too long for our students to get into the system, so I'm going to be putting it all in either a blog or a wiki. I am hoping to find some example blogs of classes so I can see how they're organized. My class will still be taught in a traditional classroom, but I would like it to be user friendly enough that it could stand on its own. I'm also looking into whether or not to put my files in Google Documents, or Dropbox.

Gathering Assets

In another life, I'm a filmmaker. One of the things we do is "gather assets," which is the stage I'm at with my OER. I found this great place called dropbox.com, where you can save up to two gigs of files for free, then I can access them from my work computer, laptop, or desktop. I have to develop materials for five subjects: math, reading, writing, social studies, and basic science. I've been working with students on a large geography project in place of social studies for the term. It's a ton of fun and only requires online resources, plus teacher materials. I think I have the entire term long lesson plan and materials ready, so I've moved on to math. Khan Academy has a fantastic website, so I've compiled a list of math videos and related practice, but would like to supplement with more. So... working on math now! There seems to be enough information on "how to" for math, but I need to find more resources for practicing it.

Gah!

I watched the LCC OER training video online yesterday and am feeling extremely overwhelmed with terms like OER, Creative Commons, and Merlot. I consider myself very tech friendly, I even teach students at the jail computers, but I clearly have a lot to learn! I'm also realizing that the term is flying by (isn't it always like that?) and it is now a race against the clock. I began this journey thinking that I would simply create an online GED course. That's right, simply. Ha!

To reduce my increasing anxiety, I am going to learn everything I can about OERs before I tackle the other terms/concepts. I have looked through most of Velda's OER links and am amazed at how much material is out there. I thought it would be difficult to find basic skills resources, but I was happy to see that isn't going to be a problem.

Also, I have started a list of questions to ask Jen. When it is more complete, I'll post it here.