Week 5

The week was kind of hectic in checking final assignments, completing and submitting grades for four online classes, preparing new courses for next semester etc. This week's technology RSS seems interesting and useful. Subscribing feeds and blogs saved me from wandering around to find my frequently visited sites, classmate’s blogs etc. I realized that Google Reader has replaced my del.icio.us page to some extent. Not quite sure the difference between the two. I am planning to make my Google Reader more specific and organized. I have feelings that I like Google Apps NOW :)!
Visiting FERPA, http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/FERPA-Overview.htm
Flickr.com, and ePortfolio.org pages was very informative. I really need an ePortfolio for myself. I like Cole’s blog and appreciate his contribution and passion for technological advancement. There is so much stuff to learn and I don’t think I can ever know everything. Legalities is a vast topic of the week with focus on privacy, copyrights, and ADA. I personally feel that this vast topic should have been covered into two separate ones for in depth exploration. I am kind of “take one thing at a time” person. Anyways, I got to know a lot about the topics with some extra time devotion. It was surprising to see the amount of research and practical work done for ADA compliance in distance education at University of Washington. I have feelings that we need more training workshops for instructors at community colleges for better understanding and application of ADA. Main streaming is a good option for students with disabilities in higher education but well equipped, well trained, and empathetic faculty and staff is required for the success of mainstreaming.