Group 2, Project 2

Project 2

My group met on Saturday for two hours. We used Blackboard Chat, Wimba Live Classroom and Voice Board. I have a love/hate for Blackboard. I think it has amazing potential, but it just doesn't work that well. Voice Board was very easy to use, and I had zero problems with any part of that. I think it would be an easy tool for the students to use.

I found that Blackboard Chat is very easy. It reminds me of one of the AOL rooms from the 1990s. It is very basic and easy to read. This function was also very easy to use for the group. When you were in Blackboard Chat, you could not navigate around the online classroom. I really wanted to read some things and paste them to the group for us to chat about, but had to log out of chat in order to do that.

Wimba Live Classroom was a disaster for us. :) I love the idea of this classroom and I enjoy it when used as asynchronously. When we used it in Dr. Wang's Flash class last semester, I felt that was more productive. If I recall, we had problems then, also, but it was not an obstacle. Blackboard seems to be full of problems with Wimba, but it has many possible uses in the classroom.

Overall, my group experience is going great on this project. It is almost the beginning of the week and we are working on the written part as I type. My group works well together, and I have enjoyed working on these tools with them.

Group 2 Project 1: Gmail

Project 1

I'm a huge fan of Gmail. I think it is by far the best email provider out there. There are just so many great functions that can be used. Our group found the listserv and email very easy to use and to communicate with each other. Everyone in our group has a full time job and goes to school, so it's always difficult to find times for everyone to meet up at once. Luckily, our group is flexible and we were able to meet and chat for a while.

I really enjoyed the chat function and the video chat even more. However, my main complaint so far about gmail is the video chat. Only two people can chat at a time. Video chat is great because it allows you to get to know people on a more personable basis. When you take an online class, you lose that personal level and sometimes that can affect the dynamics of a group.

Even without the video, I like the chat functions. Sure, you can send an email back and forth rather quickly, but chat allows you to converse without any real wait time other than the typing. It's such a great communications tool. I enjoyed our group meeting and look forward to many more! :)

About Me

My life in a nutshell…

I was born early in the morning on May 30, 1979 in Baton Rouge, LA. My mother is a Social Worker, and incredibly driven. She took a big risk when she married my father. He is 25 years her senior, and a retired Air Force fighter pilot that fought in WWII, Vietnam, and Korea. I have a half sister and an older brother. My brother is, like most older brothers, a pain in the you know what and a great friend. And, I guess it doesn’t hurt that he has the two most beautiful girls that are the apples of my eye!

When I turned 1, my family moved to my father’s birthplace in Osyka, MS. I went to kindergarten at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Kentwood, LA. I attended Parklane Academy in McComb, MS, from 1st grade all the way through 12th. During these years, I formed a love for art and painting, dancing, and having fun. After graduating 1997, I attended Mississippi College for two years. It was a miserable experience for me, and I took off for TN to finish my degree at MTSU in Film and Television Production and minors in Art, Theatre, and Art History.

The December following September 11 2001, I graduated and left for Salt Lake City, UT. I became a nature loving, granola eating, indie film nut that worked at the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival(I interned the previous 4 festivals while in college). Feeling a little homesick, and with other opportunities on the horizon, I returned to Nashville and worked in the Comedy Industry. For a year and a half, I had laughed all I could, and I moved to Oklahoma to help my brother and his family. My niece was born with a dysfunctional left kidney, and needed surgery. I became her nanny during that time before her surgery. What a wonderful experience, and she is my namesake! From there, I returned to the West. Bypassing SLC, I headed to LaLa Land (aka Los Angeles). I became intertwined in the music industry world, where I worked for a management company that handled mostly producers and songwriters. I fit in quickly and was making my way up the food chain. Then it hit me, “is this the life I really want?” My parents were not getting any younger, and the people that meant the most to me were thousands of miles away. I woke up early one morning with a yearning for home. So, two weeks before a little storm called Katrina hit the South, I decided I would return home at the beginning of September. Katrina left me with no communication with my family or friends for 2, almost 3 days. The trip back home was a long ride.

I came back to a place I barely recognized, but was undeniably happy to be home. I knew that I would continue with my education, and I was seriously considering LSU (the alma mater of my parents, and where my father taught). However, fate stepped in and I wound up in Hattiesburg at USM. I completed my Masters in 2007, and I am currently in my last year of classes in the doctoral program in Mass Communication. I am the External Relations Manager for WUSM-FM 88.5. My father was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and passed away last year, making me grateful that I moved home when I did. My friends and my family are my lifelines. Without them, I would be lost.

These are a few of my favorite things:

L-S-U**GEAUX TIGERS!**I love ART. My true passion is Traveling. Music defines my moods. I love film, the good and the bad. SUNDANCE. Reading and Sudoku keep my mind sharp. King Tut(my cat) and Cleo[patra](my dog) make me smile everyday. Snowboarding keeps me laughing at myself. USM. Yoga gives me peace and strength. I believe in GOD. The Mountains are my second home. Good Cocktails and great friends = some of the best times of my life. Beaches make me giddy. MTSU. Laughter and SMILES are the best medicine. I LOVE Sunsets. I believe in making wishes on stars. Reading a GOOD BOOK. The sound of the ocean calms me down and makes me feel one with the world. Champagne makes me silly. I love spicy Bloody Marys. Live shows get me excited. Muscians have the tendency to make me weak in the knees. I love going to the Theatre. I love LEARNING NEW THINGS! I believe that knowledge is power.

Hello

Hello, This blog is for Instructional Technology 648. I look forward to working with my fellow classmates in this class. This class is about using technology in the classroom. I think it will be a very informative and educational class, and I look forward to learning more about the subject and my classmates' experiences.