Part+5

Part 5, Entry 7

The sum of the parts:

During my time in the VHS Best Practices Series I have learned a great deal about online technology and how to use it to enhance my f2f classes. I have learned even more I believe about 21st century teaching and learning and how to use that knowledge to prepare my students for a world that will require collaboration, problem solving, a global outlook and 21st century technical skills.

In my Practicum I learned that online teaching is time consuming and is very hard work. I know to be successful in that venue I will need to develop my technical skills, learn to be a guide and facilitator as opposed to a dominate force, and make skillful written communication a priority. During my Web Enhanced Class I developed a hybrid class in Microbiology ( click ) and I think this is something I would really enjoy doing. Over the last few years I have come to believe in the value of enriching science classes, especially those with out good facilities or funding, with online virtual labs and interactive activities. Observing the wealth of these forms of learning materials in my mentors class just reconfirmed their value to me. When I return to teaching this fall I will continue to expand my collection. This has been a wonderful experience and as always the entirety of my acquired knowledge is much greater than the sum of it's parts.

The future: In Artifacts( Part 5) you will find a course that I have been wanting to develop for quite a while. I finally gathered the resources for it in my Web 2.0 class. The course is an elective, one trimester class for seniors and will be seriously web enhanced. The content will reflect my work in Environmental Biology and my interest in global issues and the influence that each has on the other. The course and it's resources are shown on the next page. I haven't developed the lessons yet but the framework is in place and I hope to be able to finish it soon. It is similar to a hybrid class which I have come to believe may be my forte'.

__Professionally I__ would like to do f2f teaching for a little longer, then after I have completed my Masters in Environmental Biology and have developed my technical skills ( both of which I have been currently working on) I would like to switch to online and/or hybrid classes at the community college level. I feel that I can continue online teaching into the future. __Personally__ I hope to spend more time at my farm in Missouri with my son and become more involved in community gardening in Phoenix.