That Online Text

Back at It

And here's what I believe I need to do:

1.  Develop the overall narrative/description of the text--the back bone.  In other words, all of the stuff that I'm doing verbally, I want to turn into text.

2.  Right now, this semester, I'm keeping notes towards that big picture Look.

3.  I'm going to use Moodle next semester--I'm convinced that WebCT is not the platform for this project, and I don't want my students to be able toaccess the college website so easily--once a boon, now a pain. 

Crash and Halt

My father's passing pretty much stopped my application process, as I thought it would.  I'm glad that I carried on for as long as I had as if, and I am glad that there's always the next academic year in which to apply.

Progress Report 10/2

Wrote up a proposal for the project--sent the draft to my department chair and the course coordinator for feedback.

Weekly Update

Last week I met with the dean about three different projects, my sabbatical being one of them. Each involved using computers and contacting pretty much the same folks for different reasons, and I spent the next day in a daze. Thank goodness I take good notes. This week I'll get down to sending out emails.

I've heard back from one of the folks I've asked for a letter.

So many ideas, so little time!

Week 2

This week, I reread a grant application that I'd apparently misread.  Boo.
However, I contacted three people about writing letters of recommendation for me. Yeah!
I wrote down some notes about the overall structure.
I meet with the Dean later on this week.

Post 1

Of all of the blogs I've created or participated in, this one will no doubt be the driest, as I am using it as a means of putting together a sabbatical proposal.  What I want is to have time to work on the overall structure of that online text I've been chipping away at these many years, and which sits on my webspace in a Moodle platform like an old car on concrete blocks.  I'd like to be able to sit back and theorize why I am still working on it, as so much has changed in the years since I began planning it.  Technology hs gotten better and in some cases, cheaper, and textbook publishing companies are publishing supplemental online programs that give the instructor an a la carte opportunity to create a teachable platform. 

So why am I still at it?  Well, costs still seem high, and my students' financial means are still, despite this being a Beltway institution (and I think you know which Beltway I mean), low, so the need to create something affordable still exists. 

As does the need to create something local.
And relevent to first year students in FYC.
Who also need technology that keeps pace with their learning.

But the question remains (or arises, if you're just joining me) that one person can't pull it off within the semester.  Well, not this one person.  It's a lot of work, a lot of work and a lot of work.  Trial and error, looking at the big as well as little picture.  Combining it all so that it can be recombined. 

I have chunks of assignments writen with the book in mind, but I haven't pulled it all together yet.  This semester, I am going to upload a lot of it onto WebCT so that I can begin seeing how using a platform rather than a text works with Basic Writers.

Ahhhhh.  We shall see.