Whew...

Well, it's just after midnight and my report has been emailed, my rubric posted. It was definitely a learning experience. I can't say I loved it, but I did learn from it and that is definitely what is important. I haven't figured out yet why we (rubric-ers) all struggled with this project in the beginning and then suddenly a light bulb came on. Does that happen a lot, Dr. West?

This was a good project even though I didn't like it. I think it's the rubric I don't like. It intimidated me. But, I learned what one is and how to create one. Which, now that I think about it, I feel like I should have enjoyed this project because I am a policy/rules/criteria kind of person. I have developed so many policies, handbooks and manuals that I it seems like I should have felt more at ease with this project. But I didn't and that's ok because I did learn from it.

That's it. I'm done. I'm going to bed. I cannot believe the semester is over already. It flew by.

This picture is of my babies at prom last Sat. 5/2. Nick is a senior, Alayna is a freshman.

Wk. 4.5: Long weekend

After the hectic schedule Saturday, prom turned out great and the weather was perfect. As soon as I find the darn cord for my camera, I'll load a picture of my babies in their prom attire. Sunday was an uneventful day as we all slept well past noon after getting home at 5:30am from after-prom. After guzzling Nyquil, I ended up back in bed by 7pm last night sicker than a dog. Unfortunately, it seems to be going around. A few kids didn't make it to prom, a couple left prom early and several more didn't make it to after-prom.

My headache is gone today and I'm consuming pepto while I decide on the final criteria for my rubric. I think things are progressing smoothly. I expect to be using the rubric to evaluate my courses on Tues. and Wed. this week and should have my report completed before the weekend.

Week 3.75: Slow but steady

My progress is moving along, just slowly. It's very difficult to decide which criteria to include in my rubric because there's so many things that seem important and relevant. Right now I'm comparing rubrics with each other to see which areas are used most frequently by others. I've decided to use my rubric to evaluate at least two of my online courses. I haven't decided about the third. I found an etraining module online that I'm considering just to have something different.

This weekend is prom and both of my kids are going. I have to to cart girls around for updos and manicures in the morning, rush home and help my son with his tux after a double header baseball game, rush to pictures, breathe for a few hours, and then work at afterprom all night Sat. night. So I don't foresee much work getting done. Hopefully I'll be energized when I wake up around noon on Sunday. Next week will be crunch time but I think I'll be ok. I do my best work under pressure. I guess I'm one of those who performs better when a deadline is knocking on my door. Let's hope it hold true in the next few days!

Links for the rubric-ers

Well, I kind of dropped the ball on my blog. I have been working (and running to kids ball games, doing other homework, getting ready for prom & senior night, the usual "mom" excuses), and alas, forgot to post. Like Gavin, I haven't been having much luck... until this morning. I'm not sure what changed - maybe my search words, too focused on specific course types, I'm not sure. But I think I'm finally making progress and hope to get back into the blogging scene.

For other rubric people.. below are links to 1) an elearning rubric and 2) an elearning training. Search term netting the link below - "elearning program evaluation" Go figure! Follow some of the seemingly relevant links to expand in different directions. I'm still in the process of doing that. Yes, Gavin, this is becoming more difficult than originally imagined... or are we making it too hard? Hopefully things will come together in the next week. Dr West, if you can offer us any kind of nudge or tell us what we're doing wrong, we'll surely welcome it!

http://www.csuchico.edu/tlp/resources/rubric/rubric.pdf

http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/

Good luck, guys! Hope these help.

Wk. 1: Getting Started

This has a been a difficult week for me in terms of focusing on school work and I haven't made much progress toward the final project. I had a new experience as a mom and the adjustment was difficult. Both of my kids have been gone this week on a high school band trip to Florida.

I really thought I would enjoy the freedom. The mom's made jokes as the buses rolled out last Sunday, "Woo hoo. They're gone!" But in reality, I've missed them too much to be able to concentrate on school work. The change in my routine was a shock to my system. The daze I'm in has literally made me brainless and illiterate. I've spent more time this week being amazed at how suddenly incompetent I feel than on anything else. AND... being amazed that I'm amazed by it and can't snap out of it. But they come home tomorrow and, hopefully, being once again excrutiatingly overwhelmed with work and homework on top of kids' stuff will help me get back into the groove of things.

I plan to do some intensive research into rubrics and elearning over the weekend while my kids are bothering me for money, homework help and dinner requests, and with the noise of wild teenagers trouncing around my home playing 360 and blasting iTunes. Peace at last. :)