Reflections



EDT 6000 Reflection: As the first computer class for my masters, and actually one of the only computer classes I have ever taken, I found this to be very helpful. While I am very comfortable with computers and technology in general, I don't have experience with video applications so I found those to be a bit challenging. I think that every activity we did could have a place in the classroom; for either student use or teacher use. Depending on the grade level, many students would love to use the video and powerpoint applications. I was a little disappointed that I had to spend additional money (for the webcam and video camera) in order to be able to complete the assignments. I think that these should have been available for loan and we should not have to incur additional expenses beyond the tuition. However, having said this, I can see that I will be able to use the video camera in my classroom in the future but probably not the webcam. I found the instruction to be very clear and the instructor was engaging, accessible, helpful, and very knowledgeable. The hybrid format for the class works really well with my busy schedule and allows me to work on my projects at times that are convenient for my family and me. I think that this class was a great first class and I am looking forward to the next four!

EDT 6010 Reflection: My skills in technology have grown exponentially throughout this class. Although it was my second technology class, I feel as if it was this class that pulled everything together for me and helped it make sense. As I discovered in the learning style assessment we did, I learn best in different ways depending on the activity. With technology I definitely learn by doing, and it sure helps walking through it with someone right there to answer questions. Although I do get very frustrated at times, usually if I walk away and think about a problem I can find a solution. I found the activities we did to be relevant and applicable in my current position and I can see using many of them when I return to the classroom. I am going to talk to our district technology people about offering some training on several of the things we did. I think teachers could really benefit from the Delicious Bookmarking site as well as Piknic (Kindergarten teachers are notorious for taking lots of photos!) Additionally, the webquests and wikispaces are both something that are limitless and could easily be personalized and customized. I appreciated the structure of the class and the way the skills were scaffolded allowing for practice before application. I am excited to see what challenges lie ahead in the next three classes! EDT 6020 Reflection: This course was full of new ideas and information and I felt that I learned quite a bit. Creating the virtual classroom on Blackboard was challenging but once I got used to navigating around the site it became much easier. I was actually able to help my husband, who instructs at another college, with a few things! The instructional screencast and voicethread were both Web 2.0 tools that I could see using again both for my classroom instruction and also for professional development sessions that I might give in the future.

Building the virtual classroom provided me with the understanding of how technology is quickly changing in education. Teachers are able to provide the same instruction in an online setting as they do in the "traditional" setting through the use of web 2.0 tools and the use of other technologies. This would prove of value to students in remote areas, as well as students who are recovering from an illness, or homebound students. I feel that I have gained so much from this course, and what I have learned, can and will be applied in my classroom for years to come.

EDT 6030 Reflection: This class focused on the rights and responsibilities of digital citizenship. While I had often considered the safety of my students while on the internet, I hadn't really looked at it in this light. Each of us created a personal website which was very valuable and gave me the chance to learn how to embed videos, documents and links. I look forward to creating a webpage in the future to help with communication between parents and students.

EDT 6040 Reflection: This was the final class of the technology classes required for my Masters degree. The capstone project for this course was to research and evaluate a technology need in my school for educational purposes. The project required me to create a technology initiative that would address ten components from identifying the need to evaluating the effectiveness of the initiative. This class gave me a preview of what I might encounter should I ever be charged with writing a plan of this magnitude. It required me to research and consider things I hadn't really had much experience with such as funding sources and recycling options for technology.