Karen Richardson's Page

Just a quick post this morning...we had a great group at the book discussion last evening! Thanks to everyone who participated. Even if you can't make it to Second Life, you can still participate. Please join the Understanding by Design Group in this Ning and jump in with the discussion.

As a reminder, we'll be meeting two more times this summer On July 27 we'll discuss Chapters 4 - 8 and on August 24, we'll finish us Chapters 9 - 13. I'm encouraging folks to work on a unit as they go through t… Continue

This summer, I'll be facilitating a book discussion group on VSTE Island in Second Life. We'll be reading Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe as lots of folks expressed interest in learning more about this instructional model. I'm looking forward to it because I'll be teaching a course next spring that will include UDB! We'll all be learning together. In addition to talking in SL, we can set up a group in the Ning for more extended conversations and sharing.

For now, get th… Continue

I just wanted to make sure everyone saw the new date for the VSTE fall conference. It will be held November 30 through December 2, 2009, at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, Virginia. Head to the VSTE website and click on the conference link to learn more.

I am particularly excited about Kathy Schrock's virtual participation in the conference. She's always been one of my favorites with such great ideas for how technology can support teaching and learning.

I know l… Continue

First, a thank you to those of you who have welcomed my undergraduates to this space. You've given them advice, shared your wisdom, and just generally made them feel like a part of the community. Thanks!

This semester, I added Voice Thread to my course and I'm glad I did. I thought this group would be interested in seeing them as they are all tied to the Standards of Learning. Most of my students are planning to use them as part of their student teaching experience.

Here's the list with the li… Continue

Greetings, VSTE Ningers! Next week, I will begin teaching the two-credit technology course for pre-service teachers at William and Mary. I have taught the course for over five years now, and it has changed significantly in those years. When I inherited it, it was primarily a technical course where students learned how to use word processors and spreadsheets, and the final project was always a webquest. Now the course is more about using technology in the classroom. While students still learn a f… Continue