This has been an amazing five weeks. This course was so much more than I envisioned. I realize now that what I had envisioned would not have produced the knowledge output that I needed. The outcomes I envisioned for this course were to obtain a working knowledge on what types of technology was out there and available for use. I thought that we would be working on in class projects with technology to submit to our professors and share with our cohort. I did learn more about the types of technologies that are out there to be used. I did not know a lot about Wikis or blogs before this course. The course did align to learning more about the technologies that are available. However, I did not produce any types of lesson plans as I thought I would.
The outcomes that I achieved are very relevant to the work that I do. I plan on using the knowledge that I obtained in this course in my future assignments in my class. I will definitely be more mindful of how my students use the technology that we have available. I know more about the behind the scene part of technology that I never thought of before.Students will be using Wikis and Blogs to communicate with myself and others. I plan on having professionals from around the world looking at my students work and working with them to make it better. I knew about activities that were available and thought I was well versed in types of technology simply because I knew the basics about how to make a podcast and put it out for the world to see. I have grown in my depth of knowledge of technology. I often felt like I was on the same page with my students as far as technology. I feel that I still am however, I do now realize that there are teachers around me that keep the students in the dark, not connected while they are at school. I am going to work harder to help these teachers connect their students in their subject area.
I did not learn how other teachers use technology in their classroom. I really thought I would come out of the course with other teachers’ lesson plans. This course was not designed for that and in hind sight I see why. I am glad that is not what the course was designed to do. Once one knows the behind the scenes part of technology it is easier to design those lessons for students that will keep cyber ethics and safety first and foremost in my lesson plans.It is also easier to design the lesson plans once you understand where students are coming from. As I design lessons for my class I will change how and why of the lesson plans to reflect other aspects of technology.
I felt as if I was very successful carrying out the course assignments. There were nights that I thought I might have to throw in the towel and not complete one or more of the assignments, but I would persevere through and before I knew it I had researched enough to figure out what was needed in the assignment. Time was hard for me to manage. Once school got out I felt that I did much better. Also, I did not have a working knowledge of APA style and that has been a struggle for me. I am currently trying to get better at writing in APA format. Working on my curriculum vitae and internship plan this early in my studies surprised me. I am glad that we did because I feel more focused on my outcome for this course.
I have learned a lot about myself as I went through this course. One of the things that I learned was that I could actually ask someone for help if I need to. In the past I felt that asking questions was a sign of weaknessor lack of intellegence and would muddle my way through something and rather than ask. I have learned that I have minimal knowledge of technology use and what is required within the school and why we can’t just go out and purchase new technology as it comes available. There is a lot to be weighed out in the purchasing of that new equipment. I learned about cyber ethics, safety online, and venues for allowing students to publish work, as well as what has to be considered when using technology. I learned that I can be a leader within my school and can influence others about proper use of technology for students. I look forward to working with teachers as they design lessons to use in their classroom with the current technology available, as well as I look forward to helping budget out and purchase new technologies for my school district.
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