EDLD 5306: What I learned from this course.

I learned so much about myself. I learned that even though I know how to turn a computer on, I actually know nothing about the different types of 21^st technology or how to implement them into my classroom. This course was completely overwhelming and I wonder if I will be able to finish the program. I met some really great people who reached out to me when I was having difficulty. They offered help and advice and most importantly they encouraged me to not give up. I just completed my first year of teaching so I do not have any educational background experience from which to draw. At this point, I do not believe I am even able to lead in technology much less be a facilitator. I realize I have so much to learn. I am eager to learn about different types of technology and hope I can have fun while going through this program.  I also hope this program will provide me with useful technology information I can incorporate into my classroom rather than just trying to cram so much into five week spurts that I learn nothing other than how to fill out paperwork and write papers.

EDLD 5306: Course assignment success

I was successful in carrying out the course assignments within the allotted time, but I have to admit it was very difficult and was accomplished through a lot of crying and worrying. I know that these courses are accelerated and not abbreviated and I want to receive a degree from a reputable college, but the workload was overwhelming. Most institutions understand that we are people with lives outside of college courses. I have a family to take care of and a job that is demanding of my time. At this time school is out for summer vacation, but I worry that if the course load remains the same if I will be able to devote as much time to my studies after I go back to work. Also, some the assignments that included websites or step-by-step instructions for setting something up need to be reviewed on a regular basis. Some of instructions were incorrect or unclear and I spent large amounts of time trying to figure out what to do. For instance, I had never developed a video before so I chose to follow the instructions for Animoto.  The website has changed how videos are made so the instructions given were not correct. It’s one thing to be able to follow instructions and finish a task in a timely manner, but it is something totally different to have to sit for an extra hour or two and figure it out on your own. I discovered this course and possibly this program believe the student uses different types of technology on a regular basis. For someone like me who doesn’t, it made finishing the assignments very difficult.

EDLD 5306: Outcomes not achieved

Since I didn’t have any preconceived notions about what this class would be about, I don’t believe I had any outcomes that I didn’t achieve. I do wish there might have been a few more types of technology used in the course assignments. I look back and see areas that I need to continue to work on for improvement. APA style of writing is used in professional writings and reports. I need to continue to study the APA style so I can create superior writings. One day, I might actually write a professional paper to be published and I want it to be high quality. I found that I do not know as much about technology as I thought and I know nothing about current 21^st century technology. I also just finished my first year of teaching, so I do not have any education knowledge to bring to the table. This makes achieving any outcomes difficult.

EDLD 5306: Outcome achievement and relevance in my school

I really enjoyed learning about the various types of technology in EDLD 5306. I thought I knew about technology, but I soon learned I truly am a digital immigrant in the technology world. Working with RSS feeds, blogs, wikis, Wordle, SlideShare presentations,and Animoto videos was fun and enlightening. Interpreting the information from LoTi, Multiple Intelligences and the StaR chart helped me realize I know nothing about current technology but they did help me see what level I am at. I discovered I was mostly at the bottom levels and have a lot of room to grow. Knowing this information gives me a foundation on which to grow, as I become more of a technology facilitator. As I grow in technology knowledge, I will be able to take what I learn and incorporate the information into my classroom and curriculum. I believe my students will enjoy learning about the technology as I am learning it, and some of my students may already be using the technology. They can become facilitators of the class and help bring their classmates into the 21^st century of technology.

EDLD 5306: Outcomes envisioned

To be perfectly honest, I don’t know if I had envisioned any outcomes for this course. I didn’t know what to expect. I was eager to get started and excited that I would actually be working on a Master’s degree. I suppose I thought this was going to be an introduction course for the entire program. This course would be used to introduce how technology has changed over the years and how it has been integrated into the school system and classrooms. I never knew there were so many visions, standards, and competencies dealing with educational technology. In addition to receiving a Master’s degree, I did not know this program would prepare me for principal certification. I am really not interested in principal certification or working in administration. It probably looks good on a vita to have a principal certification, but I am more concerned with learning about different types of technology and how I can integrate technology into my classroom. In my thinking there should be two different tracks. One track should lead to Master’s degree only and the second track could acquire Master’s degree and principal certification.

Final Webconference for EDLD 5306

As I sit here reflecting on the last web conference of EDLD 5306 held Thursday, June 23, 2011, I wonder what I have gotten myself in to. I still am not able to get the lighting for my web cam correct and basically chose not to use it. Also, I can’t seem to get it at an appropriate distance, so I have a major frontal view of my face. This isn’t something else that I want to necessarily share with my classmates. In the final week of the class we are to create our Internship Plan along with the Principal Competencies. During the web conference, all of my classmates gave good information and suggestions on how to develop these two projects, but I am still totally lost. Everyone has been so helpful and I am grateful. I am glad that I couldn’t get my webcam or mic to work properly, because it would have been embarrassing for everyone to see me crying uncontrollably throughout the web conference at the overwhelming thoughts of completing these projects in the next 3 days. I just finished my first year of teaching so I have no educational experience to help me plan activities. I am also finding out that I don’t have a lot of technology experience and technology isn’t readily shared or used at my school, so this creates another huge disadvantage for me. I do not even know how to create an activity when I don’t know anything about the technology that can be used or the technology already being used in my school. What have I gotten myself into?

Second Web Conference

On Thursday, June 9, 2011 I attended my second web conference. Once again we got off to a bumpy start with technical and lighting difficulties. Audio streaming was choppy and difficult to understand. Once again, most of us resorted to typing questions and answers rather than using the microphones. Web cam still freak me out, but with more practice I am sure I will get more comfortable. I did enjoy being able to communicate with my classmates. There are those that are very serious about what we are doing, but then there are others that have chosen to tackle this huge undertaking with humor. I like the fact that we can learn and laugh together. I have noticed that there are people from different areas and states that can contribute different ideas and points of view to the conversations. Since we are three weeks into the course, there were several people with the same questions. Rather than posting a question in the virtual office hours and waiting for a response, the web conference answered those questions for all of us at one time. This has also proven to be a way for our classmates to help one another. We were able to answer some of the questions since we had already encountered the problem and found a solution. I am beginning to understand the purpose and usefulness of web conferencing.