What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
It has been thirteen years since I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Education. A lot has changed in that amount of time. I would have never dreamed of taking classes online, much less completing my entire degree online. Since it has been thirteen years I really didn't have any preconceived notions about what the program would entail. I knew I would learn about technology but I really didn't imagine just how much technology I would learn about in just the first course. Mostly, I had envisioned an introductory class that would talk about concepts, how schools make decisions and have an overview of what technologies schools are implementing. This class did more than introduce technology. We didn't just get our feet wet, we actually dove into technology.
To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or Why not?
The technology that I learned from this first course is very relevant to my current position as a second grade teacher. I few teachers at my school had blogs about their classes but I really thought that they were just over-achievers. I really didn't see how it would be relevant to second grade. After making a blog and a wiki, I can see numerous ways that I could incorporate this with my class. Also, I thought that making slide presentations would be more time consuming than they really are. Since I really didn't know what to expect from this class, all that the class did offer went above and beyond. I have been used to going into a lecture hall and listening to a speaker or having to complete a writing assignment. This course was more hands-on than I had thought it would. The content for this class was more in depth than I envisioned for a first class.
What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
The technology assignments at first seemed overwhelming. I worried that I would not be able to complete the assignments. I didn't realize just how much I knew and how much endurance I had. Getting started was the hardest part. Once I got started on the assignments it all kinda just came to me about what to do. There was not much that I did not achieve that I thought I would. The first week I made a lower score than I had expected because I was not using APA Style correctly. That has been the biggest obstacle for me to overcome. I was a little discouraged at first but decided I needed to step up my game. I didn't let that be a setback. As I completed the second week I paid very careful attention to my wording in my assignments and tried very hard to adhere to the APA Style of citing references. I am still having a difficult time with that aspect even with the book to help.
Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
When I looked at the very first assignment I was very overwhelmed by the amount that I had to accomplish. I am a full time teacher and mother of two. I really didn't know exactly how much time I was going to spend on the assignments. Getting started was slow but then as I got involved with the assignment it really flowed smoothly. The assignments built on top of each other and the instructions were explained in an easy manner. I didn't have too many problems completing the assignments. My only problem is that I try to use my work computer for some of my assignments and since I am at a school, several of the sites are blocked. I can not view any of the videos at school and I can not log into my blog. The issue is not with the course at all, but because the school has a very strict filter on the computer. I inquired about having some of the sites unblocked for my school use. Some sites I have been able to get access to but there are some that I will not be allowed access to at school.
What did you learn from this course...about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
Overall, this course has been very rewarding. I have participated in discussions through the discussion board and even through emails with my cohort. I am hoping to start a blog for my classroom this school year to help keep parents in touch with things going on in the classroom. I envision using it as a form of newsletter. This class has inspired me to integrate technology even more in my classroom. I have a SMART board available to me and I have never used it. I have plans to create some lessons using the SMART board that I hope to share with my campus in the near future. As I was meeting with my Site Mentor, she mentioned that there was a SMART board that no one was using. She has offered to have it moved to my room after the holiday break. I will be able to start using it right away with my class. I am very excited about that. I would have never thought of teaching with the SMART board because I would have been intimidated by it. After this class, I am confident that I will be successful with it and that my class will excel because of it. I am no longer intimidated by what I don't know.
No comments:
Post a Comment