Last Web Conference

My last web conference of my Master's Degree was thankfully uneventful. I attended the Saturday morning conference on November 5. I had so much difficulty balancing my schedule during this last course and was not able to attend most of the conferences. For this conference I had to send my daughter to her soccer game with friends while my husband and son went to another. The baby stayed with me. I could not use my webcam with the 21 month old baby running around trying to help me type. I was extremely relieved that no additional criteria to the assignments were added during the conference. All the pieces to the comprehensive examination are as posted on Epic. The course embedded assignments, standards reflections, web conference reflections, and Internship field based reflections and summaries are as expected.

I must admit I was a little taken aback by the number of people who plan to turn their work in late. I did not realize that was ever an option. During my entire program I never asked to turn in any assignment late, let alone the final examination for the entire program. I have juggled three children and their schedules, working full time, organizing retreats at my church, and coordinating committees at my church while getting a Master's Degree. I can only assume I am a really good time manager. As the saying goes, I have not walked in their shoes so I must  not judge. I am glad to say that I am a better leader at my campus due to the knowledge and experience I have obtained during my time earning my Master's with Lamar.

Thank you to the Educational Technology department at Lamar University for your patience in working with me. You have enhanced my versatility as an educational leader.

Reflections Standard VIII

Standard VIII states “Educational technology facilitators will contribute to the shared vision of campus integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of the vision” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 190). To meet this standard, I researched one to one laptop initiatives for my campus,  lead teams in planning appropriate technology implementation after collaborating on the results of the 2009-2010 STaR Chart Results, and actively engage in meetings with district Campus Instructional Technologists and district administration.

Under Technology Facilitation Standard TF VIII.A “ Identify and apply educational and technology related research, the psychology of learning, and instructional design principles in guiding the use of computers and technology in education” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 190). My school had a desire to begin a one laptop for each student otherwise known as a one to one environment.  I decided for this initiative ot be successful, I needed to research one-to-one initiatives that worked.  I created a One to One Ning for my teachers and principal. I utilized this online are to help post the research I was able to find that benefited our goals as we went to a one to one laptop environment in our third and fourth grade classrooms. The link is http://hpisd21.ning.com/group/powerupvision2015 but is closed to people outside of our district and is invitation only. We utilized sites such as Educational Origami http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/, NETS*S and NETS*T http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx,  Blooms Taxonomy http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy, 50+ Toosl for Web Based Collaboration http://www.popwuping.com/culture/software/50-tools-for-web-based-collaboration.php, and many other beneficial sites. I also created a Diigo list so teachers could easily find the websites that were informative (http://www.diigo.com/list/leanneknight/one-to-one).  I started a book study with the teachers that had research to help us delve into one to one and create a positive culture at our school during this new endeavor. The book we chose was:  1-1 Learning: Laptop Programs That Work by Pamela Livingston.

Another aspect of Technology Facilitation Standard VII is “Lead in the development and evaluation of district technology planning and implementation” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 190). I worked with teams on planning appropriate technology implementation after collaborating on the results of the 2009-2010 STaR Chart Results. Once a year campuses are required to conduct the Texas Campus STaR Chart.  Previous ot the campus conducting their evaluation, I met with each team to discuss how the evaluation helps us in planning and the importance of taking the evaluation truthfully. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, I met with teams to discuss areas that the STaR Chart has shown as areas of weakness.  This year I brought the 2009-2010 STaR Chart results to organize our discussion with teams.  One area we found that needed ot be addressed was un Key Area II: Educator Preparation and Development under number 6: Professional Development for Online Learning. As a campus we discussed ways to help our school become higher than the score of 2 (Developing Tech). We decided that we would utilize our district Ning and Moodle for Professional Development.

 At our campus anything below a 3 would be an area of great concern. Our campus completed their chart on May 10, 2011. The results for our campus were rather positive. In  Key area 1: Teaching and instruction and Key area II: Educator Preparation and Development my campus classified as Advanced Tech. In Key area III: Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support and Key area IV: Infrastructure for Technology we ranked the classification of Target Tech.  Our teachers need to feel reasonably secure in the infrastructure otherwise it will not be utilized. “It is essential for leaders in education and government to agree that statewide educational networks are a vital part of the state’s future” (Mathews, 2004, pg. 7). Without a strong infrastructure, our teachers will not use the technology which engages our students.  Our leaders need to also take into consideration the areas they are spending their funding. “Too often school districts invest in technologies because of their high-tech, 21at century appeal without fully considering their impact on student learning and long-term total cost of ownership” (Moore, 2006). We need to find a viable solution to funding and proper disbursement of funding.

Also, under Technology Facilitation VIII, it states “Engage in supervised field-based experiences with accomplished technology facilitators and/or directors” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 191). I dynamically engaged in meetings with district CITs (campus instructional technologists), Robert Harris (District Administrator of Instructional Technology), and Ron Smith (District Administrator of Technical Services).  On September 9, 2011, our group of CIT’s met at the Highland Park High School library conference room. Our first order of business was to discuss the new district Responsible Use Agreement that was to replace the Acceptable Use form. As the new Responsible Agreement form gets issued to campuses, teachers must sign the agreement and turn in to their respective CITs on their campus. All forms are due by the end of September to the Technology administration offices. We discussed how our district Webmaster and administrator of Skyward was changing jobs and leaving our district. We will have a new person taking over Web-mastering and another person taking over Skyward, online registration, etc. We began discussing the ramifications of the school boards reluctance to allow children under fifth grade to be without a district email address. We discussed how so many innovative web tools require an email address to create an account. One way to work through the problem is for the teacher to create a Google account then use the “google+1” email address as a “ghost” account.  The elementary CIT’s edited the district protocols for elementary teachers to reflect the board decision on students not having district email addresses.

References

Mathews, J.B. (2004, April). Why  statewide educational networks are important to state and educational leaders. Southern Regional Educational Board. Retrieved on April 18, 2011,

Moore, R. J., (2006, August). The five best accelerators in school. School Administrator, 63.7, p.8. from http://www.sreb.org/programs/EdTech/pubs/PDF/04T02-Statewide_Ed_Tech_Net_Important.pdf

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE’s technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Reflections Standard TFVII

Standard VII states “Educational technology facilitators promote the development and implementation of technology infrastructure, procedures, policies, pans, and budgets or PK-12 schools” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 165). To meet this standard, I have maintained campus technology inventory, participating member of the campus Technology Gift Committee, and trained teachers on global education opportunities.

Under Technology Facillitation VII.A, it states, “use the school technology facilities and resources to implement classroom instruction” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 165). Since 2009, I have maintained my campus’ technology inventory spreadsheet. Whenever a new piece of equipment arrives on my campus I assign the hardware a district number, and put all appropriate information into the spreadsheet including warranty. I often meet with the PTA to discuss the inventory so it is important that the inventory be perfect otherwise funding would decrease. It is important to have an accurate inventory so my campus is aware of out of date technology that requires renewal/replacing.

I use the inventory regularly throughout my week. Whenever a piece of equipment needs a technician, the information from the inventory becomes invaluable.  I am the only person on the campus that maintains the inventor and I receive a small district stipend since it is such a laborious process.

Under Technology Facilitator Guideline VII.B, it states, “Follow procedures and guidelines used in planning and purchasing technology resources” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 166). I meet regularly with the campus principal and PTA technology representative to review necessary purchasing for specific times of year. Since my campus does not receive state funds, we utilize funds parents raise during yearly carnivals, auctions, and other fundraising ventures. I work cooperatively with the parent gift committee and the principal to discuss the needs the campus. Before the official “Gift” committee meeting, I meet at least once with the PTA technology chair representative to go over the items that are up for renewal, software purchases, hardware purchases, and allocating money to our projector and printer funds. After meeting with PTA rep, we then meet with campus principal to review items on the agenda. We then will meet with the Technology Committee which is a subcommittee from PTA. Agenda and items for Gift Committee is approved by voting members of the committee. After preliminary meetings are held and approved, all subcommittees meet for a Gift committee meeting and each area is addressed, voted, discussed, and approved or tabled for later. Rutherford and Billig (1995) suggest that continuous parent/family participation and community involvement depend on active support by leaders. Teachers and other school personnel are key players in family involvement and that families are connected to the services provided by the school or the community.

Also, under Technology Facilitation VII.C, it states, “Participate in professional development opportunities related to management of school facilities, technology resources, and purchases” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 166). With the help of Edna Phythian, our district Global Educator on Special Assignment, I am able to work efficiently with my teachers on global opportunities. Specifically in September 2010, I worked with the Kindergarten team on working with China. We created videos of specific seasonal customs.  Our kindergartners created simple classroom graphs of their favorite foods for lunch. We had items such as pizza, spaghetti, and chicken nuggets. We then decided that with kindergartners we need to take an opportunity to share our information first with local, in district schools. This was to help the students understand that we are first sharing locally then sharing globally. We did not want to overwhelm each class so we did the sharing with groups of three classes. One kindergarten class from our school met with a class at Armstrong and another class at Hyer.  After students practiced their presentation we met via WebEx and shared. Then I would go to another class, set up the Webex conference, and we would share with another group. Finally, after all the local sharing occurred, I recorded, using a camcorder, one group from each class presenting their graphs. I then posted the videos to my school blog so we could share with our partners from China. We could not meet with them live since their time zone is so different than ours. Posting videos was a logical way to work through the time differences. During these lessons, I worked with the teachers on how to use the WebEx system, recording using the video camera, and uploading videos to a blog. These lessons helped the teachers to continue the project without having to rely on someone else.

Not only does distance education help students who cannot physically participate in a traditional school environment, it allows teachers in a conventional school to supplement and work with the “tech savvy” students. I have seen Moodle appropriately integrated with first graders and older students. “The importance of knowledge about effective virtual schooling cannot be overstated” (Cavanaugh, Gillian, Kromrey, Hess, & Blomeyer, 2004, pg. 22). Our teachers need training on the proper utilization of online educational environments so our students can benefit from these tools.

References

Cavanaugh, C., Gillian, K., Kromrey, J., Hess, M., Blomeyer, R. (2004). The effects of distance education on k-12 student outcomes: A meta-analysis. North Central Educational Regional Laboratory. Retrieved on April 25, 2011, from http://www.ncrel.org/tech/distance/k12distance.pdf

Rutherford, B., & Billig, S. H. (1995). Eight lessons of parent, family, and community involvement in the middle grades. Phi Delta Kappan, 77I(1), 64-66, 68.

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE’s technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Reflections on EDLD 5335

EDLD 5335 Curriculum Management was a course that builds an understanding of curriculum models; curriculum frameworks, including those articulated at the state level; alignment of instructions to standards; and assessment of learning outcomes. In the course we reviewed district-level curriculum and policies.

As a technology specialist, I am a firm believer that instruction drives technology. In this course I investigated curriculum. I work at a school that has very high expectations for their students. We do not just want our children to pass tests but to truly succeed on assessments. Curriculum should be driven by data. During week 1 assignment 1, I reviewed AIES data from 2010. I realized that our students do very well on the TAKS test. In almost all areas and populations, more than 99% of students passed with at least 75% of students being commended in all areas. The only part that showed an area of need was in writing. 77% were commended in 2010 whereas 92% were commended in 2009. The Campus Improvement Plan indicates that by 2011, 90% of students will score commended on the TAKS.

With that data in hand, I decided to work with fourth grade teachers in increasing writing fluency with the use of online forums. I ensured that the professional development session I created worked through the areas indicated in the APA Learner Centered Psychological Principals (1997, pg. 5). The teachers will use a “hands on” approach to learning forums. During their training they will utilize the forum themselves whiles brainstorming ideas to utilize forums with their students.

Using data to help drive instruction is important in the classroom as well as during professional development. We must use these data based decision making skills to successfully implement curriculum objectives.

Collaboration is a wonderful way to find solutions as problems occur. Collaborating takes the power away from one person and allows new ideas to be considered. When we work only by ourselves, we sometimes get lost in our own ideas and need others to show us different ways. I find if I don’t collaborate then my training becomes redundant. When working with different personalities, results can only be different.

Living in the 21st century has created many different ways to collaborate. We no longer only have the option of meeting face to face. I have used Wikispaces and Moodle forums to collaborate with colleagues in a written environment. Personally, I have utilized Tok Box, Skype, Adobe Connect, and Webex to work “face to face.” I recently collaborated with a teacher in India to train her on Moodle where I shared my desktop so she could understand the Moodle software easier. This helped us to share ideas concerning our lesson on how life in India is similar and different to the way of life of children in the US. Collaboration is limited only to our imaginations.

My philosophy of curriculum is based on a learner centered approach. We must differentiate our instruction to benefit every child. Using data based decision making helps create an atmosphere where the teacher understands the areas that the students need more focus. It is important to use many different types of assessments. TAKS cannot be the only deciding factor. Teachers must use quantitative and qualitative assessments to make qualified data decisions. Teachers need to use the district assessments in a manner that helps make decisions.

We must use data based decisions to help create a successful curriculum. I have known teachers who have a curriculum but must deliver the same lessons on the same day for years. As an educational leader, I will work with all teachers but specifically those teachers who need alter their own philosophy to incorporate the importance of data based decision making into their classrooms to ensure curriculum is being delivered successfully. According to Poston (1992), the underlying assumptions of curriculum management auditing focus on alignment of curriculum, assessment, planning, and resource allocation.

During this course I learned many new concepts but specifically about the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Learning System. This system establishes the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) which guides our curriculum. The TEA and TEKS are at the state level and guides us at the district and campus levels.  Following the state level, we have our school boards which dictate the curriculum expectation and terms by which the Superintendent and district leaders create the district curriculum. The district curriculum will specify the instructional implementation that should occur throughout the entire district.

As a technology specialist on a campus, I help the district create curriculum decisions in the area of technology. I also work with my campus principal creating campus level decisions. On a daily basis I work one-on-one with teachers to help support them with the changes that occur in the curriculum and assist them in the use of technology within the curriculum. I must ensure I help teachers accurately utilize the campus improvement plan (CIP) to ensure student success. I also must ensure that the technology aspect of the CIP accurately depicts the needs of the campus and current trends. According to Pierce & Kalkman (2003), a major goal of learner-centered principles is to help educators become more reflective and self regulated. My job as a technology specialist is to also assist educators to be independent.

It is important that the district is aware that the campus leader is dedicated to the success of their campus. As Dr. Arterbury stated in the Week 5 lecture, “The key is for the principal to develop credibility with the central office administration as a person committed to student learning and one who manages a goal-driven budget. A campus leader develops this credibility by demonstrating the ability to make sound decisions about personnel needs and to work with central office to channel funds toward data-evidenced need.”

I have also recently become a member of the steering committee for the regional Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) and my mentor is the president-elect of TCEA. Working so closely with state and local level committees helps ensure that I am actively involved in the decision making for the state.

References:

Learner-Centered Principles Work Group of the American Psychological Association's Board of Educational Affairs. (1997). Learner-centered psychological principles: A framework for school reform and redesign. American Psychological Association, Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/governance/bea/learner-centered.pdf

Pierce, J. W., & Kalkman, D. L. (2003). Applying learner-centered principals in teacher education. Theory into Practice, 42(2), 127-132.

Poston, W. K., Jr. (1992). Curriculum auditing: Effects upon school improvement in international schools. Education, 113(2), 195-198.

Reflections EDLD 5363

EDLD 5363 was an overview on principles of multimedia planning, design, production, editing, and evaluation.  We created digital stories. In the area of video we planned, designed, produced, edited, and evaluated.

Creating the PSA was a new experience for me. I luckily knew how to share large files over the internet which was a practical skill for this assignment since I had to share the video files with the editor on our team. When the assignment was first released, I was worried about working with a group of people I did not know. I found a group and met them all via email to begin. When our group reached 6 people, we realized we had to split. One group was geared to working with older students and adults. My group was geared to working with younger children. All six of us decide to meet via web conference on Toxbox. After the initial hour on the conference our group deiced to meet separately to discuss our PSA particulars. After the video conference we were able to collaborate functionally over a wiki I created for the large group. We also utilized email for direct conversations that required quick responses.

I also, learned about Creative Commons licenses. I had been at several conferences that discussed them but had never truly delved into their usage until this course. I now have a better understanding of its concept. On the PSA we decided that since it had video of my daughter who is eight, we wanted to limit others from editing the video for her safety. We chose a license that stated, "Chatting with Kids About Being Online by Leanne Knight, Patty Odom, and Stacey Thompson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License." I posted our final PSA at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp6iNORQiMQ.

The topics covered in EDLD5363 were extremely relevant to the skills required in my job. As a campus technologist, I use a variety of technology on a daily basis. In elementary school multimedia is a large portion of how I effectively assist teachers and students. I work regularly with video editing software both Adobe Premiere Elements and Movie Make found at http://knightl.blogspot.com/2010/09/movie-maker-vs-adobe-premier-elements.html. I also help students and teachers in grades first through third create videos using Photo Story. I am actively engaged in helping teachers podcast using Audacity and posting the files to a site with an RSS feed. EDLD 5363 was a review of what I do on a daily basis. It was nice to re-examine all of the features of the different software I use regularly. I appreciated learning more in depth features of Audacity. While learning about video editing software I compared the free trial of Adobe Premiere Elements to Microsoft Movie Maker. I admit I wanted to learn some of the newer products for multimedia instead of the tools schools have been utilizing for the last ten years.

Marco Toress stated "Her passion and her interest to talk about something that really bothered her and to have it reach every corner of the world was an experience that she'll never forget" (Edutopia, 2002). I have experienced many professional development workshops where Marco Torres and his former students presented to teachers. He is truly inspirational. The students took ownership of their videos. Often Marco Torres would give an assignment where the students had to interview a hero in their neighborhood. The students began recognizing the treasures in their own "barrio" they never would have recognized without Marco's assignment. Torres also has his students explain at conferences how to get the best possible quality without having to purchase high end technology. Whatever the age of a student or their economic background, we need to give them opportunities to express themselves in a safe atmosphere. Just like Marco Torres. Students need to have a voice and it is our responsibility as educators to help them. Multimedia is the perfect outlet for the generation we teach. With the simple use of inexpensive Flip cameras, students can create endlessly. It is our own imaginations as educators, sometimes, that actually put the limits on what our students can create.

We need to remember we should be using twenty-first century skills with our students. Not only have we been in the twenty-first century for ten years but our younger students have known nothing else. As educators with a concentration in technology, we need to go beyond just learning these skills. We need to be utilizing as many up to the minute tools that have been released and have shown to be robust. We should never take a step back in technology or we have lost our audience. Many of the tools utilized in EDLD 5363 are tools that are becoming outdated with the utilization of web 2.0 tools. Photostory is a great tool but there are many newer ones being released that have better functions and will keep our students interested. We should be given an opportunity to learn about the newer tools since our teachers come to us as a guiding resource of knowledge in innovative technology.

Our team was extremely successful in completing the assignments. I do admit though that we were successful by pure determination on our parts. We would complete most of the PSA, then find out another component of the assignment which was not detailed in the online CourseWhere, emails from the IA, or rubric. Luckily, at least one of the team members was present in at least one web conference each week. Otherwise, we would have missed the new requirements that were added weekly. For example, on the PSA rubric and the assignment it never discusses the number of narrators. During a web conference. Dr. Abernathy said there should be at least two narrators. So our team had to edit our final PSA per her new requirement. Nowhere on the rubric does it discuss giving Creative Commons licensing but during a web conference, Dr.Abernathy was adamant the participants of the course add a license to their PSA. So, we had to edit our PSA yet again.

Garrison wrote, "Whatever you do not know about the equipment can probably be figured out by your students." Students are fearless and want to help us solve our digital problems. When we give up our control, our students are there to assist. Alan November, reputable digital leader in education, often comments that we should take our students with us to technology professional development so they can then get everything going in our classrooms. Every class I have worked with, all the way down to Kindergarten, has someone who is so excited to be able to help the teacher. Plus, knowing that I will have someone with me if problems occur is very powerful and allows me to be more adventurous with the activities planned.

Students from the 21^st century appreciate multimedia. “For this digital generation, electronic media is increasingly seductive, influential, and pervasive, yet most schools treat the written word as the only means of communication worthy of study” (Ellis, 2005, para. 3).

While working on the PSA, I learned how easy it is to work with a group where each member is hundreds of miles apart. We never met in person only through electronic means. I learned that I have an ease of use with cloud computing. I have used online web 2.0 tools on a regular basis for my own use and I teach teachers at my school their use. I discovered that if you have people who are willing, they will collaborate online. I thought I could only work with a group via face to face meetings and use online software as an alternative. Now I know online software can be used as a primary form of collaborating and reinforcement.

 

References:

Edutopia. (2002). Multimedia serves youths' desire to express themselves. Retrieved on April 19, 2009, from http://www.edutopia.org/print/980

Ellis,K. (2005). Students Evolve From Consumers to Critics and Creators. Edutopia. Retrieved August 23, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/print/1321.

Garrison, A. (1999, Winter). Video basics and production projects for the classroom. Center for Media Literacy. Retrieved April 6, 2009, from http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article3.html

Reflections on EDLD 5366

I was involved with coursework for EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics in October and November of 2009. This course began with a brief examination of the history and development of graphic communication, and continued with scrutinizing ways to employ desktop computing to create a variety of publications and graphic designs in different formats and media. In this course I learned about the history of graphic communication being writing and drawing. I also learned and also how the current age is a continuation of 5000 years of human development in communication through graphics. I honed my skills in evaluating digital communication products.

While learning about design qualities we discussed the basic four principals implicitly abbreviated as “CRAP” which are contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity (Yearwood, 2009, pg. 8). Contrast refers to difference of size, shape, or color used in graphic elements. Repetition is not a positive aspect in text but with design elements repetition is a positive element. Alignment is a vital graphic component. Alignment is essential for the overall aesthetics of a product. Proximity is important so that the audience is not forced to seek important information within a final product. After learning about the four essentials of design qualities we learned about the importance of creating rubrics when assigning graphics for projects. Our final product for the course was newsletter and we needed to organize a rubric for which we were to be graded upon. It was difficult to create a rubric for a graphics class on a newsletter. I wanted to create a rubric similar to the ones I utilize with my students that focus on the content more than the aesthetics. While creating my rubric I could not bring myself to making content less than fifty percent of my grade. I decided to make the other fifty percent incumbent upon the graphics.

The newsletter was not a difficult assignment. I create newsletters for my teachers regularly. For this assignment I created a special personal logo. I ensured that all the design qualities we learned in the course were utilized. I used the newsletter as one of the means of communication that semester, also. I always appreciate when an assignment can be used with my teachers or my students.

Another part of EDLD 5366 was a lesson which helped build a basic understanding of animation. Our assignment utilized the online virtual world of Second Life. We were allocated to create our own avatar in Second Life. We had to utilize Linden scripting language. Our assignment that week was to create a simple script describing how we used the language to animate our avatar through the scripting portal. This was probably one of the hardest parts of the whole class. In the Animation and Serious Gaming lecture, Yearwood expressed"[Massive multi-player simulation] games will affect not only the educational process by conditioning students towards expectations for content delivery, but they will also affect serious areas such as global politics” (2009, pg.4). Before this class, I had only used Second Life a couple of times and had never tried scripting. Dr. Yearwood was savvy in giving us this difficult assignment. I had to dig into the scripting world and find ways to be successful in this assignment. It helped us gain the knowledge in searching out scripting language and to understand the level of difficulty involved in animation. We must consider the possibility of utilizing virtual distance with animation tools for as a possibility for the future of education. "Virtual distance is the perceived distance between two or more individuals, groups or organizations, when their primary method of communication and coordination is electronic" (Sobel-Lojewski, 2007, pg. 41). As educators, we have an obligation to stay abreast of current trends to help engage our students.  

References:

Sobel-Lojewski, K. (2007). The collapsing corporation and the rise of virtual distance. In Russell M. G. (Ed.), Building effective virtual teams: Tools, techniques, best practices and gotcha's from creating and leading distributed teams (pp. 1-71). Palo Alto, California: Media X at Stanford University.

Yearwood, J. (2009, October). Animation and Serious Gaming: Lecture 4.4. Lecture conducted from Lamar University, Beaumont, TX.

Yearwood, J. (2009, October). The Newsletter: Lecture 3.3. Lecture conducted from Lamar University, Beaumont, TX.