1. EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology was the first course I began in the pursuit of my M. Ed. in Technology in Educational Technology Leadership. When beginning the course, I thought I would be taking “basic” classes. I assumed the class would concentrate on theory more than practice. I was looking forward to a slow and steady introduction to participating in an online course. By the end of the first week, I realized the course was moving at not just a faster pace than I expected, but at light-speed. I felt overwhelmed, unprepared, and a little flustered. Not sure if I would be able to keep up, I wondered if I should’ve stopped while I was ahead. After the initial worries, and a pat on the back for completing Week 1, I began to feel more comfortable about the pacing and structure of the class. As we finish up Week 5 and I reflect back, I think the design of the course was a fantastic way to force self-learning and build confidence. I can’t believe in one week I have learned so much, and often through my own resourcefulness.
2. I personally feel I am better equipped and prepared for our changing roles as a teacher in the classroom and a presenter at workshops, but I am not sure if I am at the level of applying my learning on a daily basis. While I am more confident in my own learning, and feel my presentation skills are enhanced, I am still not clear on how I will approach using technology to engage students in specific content areas. Although excited to use the tools we were exposed to in class, I am not sure how quickly my peers are ready to jump on board. I had to jump in “head first” due to the requirements of the course I chose to take. Getting my staff to join in the exploration of technology tools voluntarily may not be so readily accepted. It does take time to get started and explore, and finding time for self-learning continues to be a challenge in the daily “busy” teaching arena.
3. While learning how to problem solve in some areas, I still ran into a few obstacles I was not able to overcome As I was setting up a Google wiki, I had some difficulty embedding the Animoto video, which I was honestly never able to figure out on my own Even though I have become quite partial to YouTube how-to videos for their ability to quickly and visually teach, I was still unable to embed after using YouTube for guidance. Lastly, I tried with Wikispaces, which was (thankfully) successful Overall, I would have to say my ability to solve technology issues is still not up to par I believe with an increased level of confidence and perseverance, I will eventually be quicker with solving and understanding technical issues In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed the class and found it’s teaching methods very efficient; I just would have liked to engage a bit more with my Cohort group While we did share sites and a few questions were passed back and forth, I would still like to experience working on a project with a team.
4. Overall, I feel I was successful in completing all the assignments, but I was a bit discouraged when not able to see why, or why not points may have been taken off. I like the progress monitor to visually show tasks completed and the grades given, but no personal notations as to how the grades were earned I miss the personal aspect of immediate response from an instructor with feedback and constructive criticism. I constantly felt like I was racing the clock to complete my assignments, but did learn how to pace myself and use my time constructively. Working between my crazy schedule and those of my mentor’s was also a challeng fitting in a quick meeting in the hallway, or before school, was not as beneficial as a more in-depth discussion I do feel working through the course, I will be able to set up an online workshop for my staff, using the same format of including some reading, video, discussion, and collaboration I loved the format and found all parts beneficial with enough choices to make it personalized.
5. During the blur of these past five weeks, I have learned, in total, a great deal about technology and its multitude of effects on me. I now realize just how much I still do not know about technology and all of its applications. I do know, however, that I am more than capable of learning and problem-solving. No longer fearful of the internet unknown, I am anxious to continue my education in technology. While I am not an expert by any means, I believe that I can effectively share and instruct others on what I have learned. Although I am excited to pass on this newly gained knowledge, I have to be careful to move slowly, while building relationships and trust with my staff. I tend to move quickly -wanting to get the program going, however I’m realizing the importance of listening to others and empathizing with their needs and comfort level.
