Squirels

Last summer, I took my daughters to see the movie "Up".  It's a great movie.  In the movie, though, the dogs have the issue of being distracted anytime they think a squirrel is near.


Unfortunately, I could relate all too well to the dogs when it came to teaching online.  There I was teaching my class, minding my own business when cool new tech stuff comes along.  Okay, let's get back to my class...Twitter, Facebook,  Blogs, YouTube, Chat, Podcasting, SecondLife,... UGH!  Too much stuff!

Okay, here's what I've learned about all of this.  Yes, there are many tools out there to do really cool stuff to your class.  However, you need to ask yourself, "Will this make my class better?"  Remember, you have to run the class, including being comfortable with the tools.  If not, you aren't making the class better.

So, pick one or two tools each semester and focus on doing them well.  That way, you aren't so distracted and confused by your class.  They don't have to be special either, especially if you are new to teaching online.

This semester, I'm adapting to D2L, focusing on the News items and Groups.  I want to focus on the News to be that "front page" for students as they come into the class.  I want it to be pleasing to the eye, while still directing them to the areas of the class they need to focus on.  The other item of focus this semester is Groups to better filter my crosslisted course. Items should not bleed over to the other class in the same shell and I'm hoping this filter will work.  So far, so good.  I'm seeing other tools I might want to add, but I'm not following such squirrels.

What are your tools you want to focus on this semester?  What squirrels are you trying to avoid?