EDLD+5398+1.3

EDLD 5398 1.3

When I enrolled in EDLD 5306 Concepts of [|Educational Technology], I envisioned that I by the end of the course I would have a better understanding of technology and its place in our educational system. After completing five weeks in this course, I have a better understanding or technology and how I can improve its implementation on my campus. I feel that the course outcomes aligned with my goals and aided in me achieving those goals. The thing that was most beneficial were the outside resources that I discovered by taking this course. I found a wealth of knowledge during weeks 2-4, when I researched educational blogs and RSS feeds. I will definitely use those resources in the coming school year. As acting grade level chair for the coming school year, I will make sure to share the information that I gained in this class with my grade level as well as campus. Everything that I gained in this course is very relevant to what I do in my daily job. The information that I gained will aid in making my classroom into a place where technology usage is not an afterthought, but an ongoing process. I hope that I can work with my principal and campus technology coordinator to bring the entire campus up to date on advancements in the technological world as well as teach them about the different resources that I have discovered that can help improve our campus. I hope that I can play a more active role in the technology used on our campus and in our classrooms. This course has definitely sparked my creative juices with ideas that will take us from now to next. I look forward to how this information will help me improve upon my current position as well as aid in any future positions. I can not say that there are any outcomes that I did not achieve. I went into this course with an open mind. And because of that I feel as though I have taken all that I can take from this course. I have learned a great deal, that I am actively planning to use in my classroom next school year. I have a wealth of resources available to me at the click of a mouse. These resources were not available to me six weeks ago. I am grateful for the information that I have gained from my Instructor and course mates. I will [|continue] to use the resources and information that I have gathered to improve the learning and technology environment in my classroom. This will hopefully give my students more avenues to learn and master the curriculum I am providing. For the most part, I was pretty successful in carrying out the course assignments. Some of the obstacles that I encountered were the amount of work required for each weekly assignment as well as depending on others to comment or collaborate with me on different assignments. The reason I feel that this was an obstacle is because of my current work (teaching [|summer school] ) and home responsibilities. Because I were many different hats, it can be difficult to compete all parts on some of the lengthy assignments and well as ensure that fellow classmates work with you to provide feedback. It is easier to be a team player when the team in present opposed to an online format. I hope that I can better organize my responsibilities in the future to avoid the feeling of frustration and being overwhelmed that I experienced with this course. Hopefully this will not be a future issue. Throughout this course, I have learned that I am not that far removed from technology as I thought. I have never considered myself a technology wiz. I was aware of the basics: internet searches, emailing, Facebook, and Instant Messaging, but I have gained so much more from this class. Many additional resources are out there for my disposal, and they are FREE. The farther I go in this program, the more I learn that I am a technology junkie. I get excited at the thought of using technology in my classroom and how it can help to improve the lives of my students. I hope that I can use what I have acquired in this course to better the technology environment in my campus and in my district. I am so excited to begin the new school year and implement what I have learned in this course.

Mason, C.Y. & Dodds, R. (2005). Bridge the digital divide for educational equity. The Education Digest, 70(9), 25-27.