EDLD+5364+-+Final+Assessment

1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?   I thought that the course would provide insight into incorporating technology into the classroom. I feel that the course has exceeded my expectations. The course exceeded my expectations because the course provided insights into not only using technology but also the impact and possibilities of technology in an educational environment. Before taking this course, most of my vision of technology centered on using publisher, PowerPoint, web searches, simple interactive programs, etc. This course has introduced me to a myriad of ideas, concepts, and formats for using technology. From cyborg theory, social networking, virtual realities, digital capturing devices, web cams, avatars, Web 2.0 technologies, learning environments created by software programs, etc. to understanding the realities, expectations, and potential of teaching in today’s digital world, this course has changed my vision of using technology in the classroom. I do believe the course was aligned to the outcomes that I had envisioned. I was expecting to have a better understanding of how to use technology in the classroom and I feel that I am in a better position of helping educators use technology because of this course.    2. To the extent that you achived the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?   As a school technology specialist, the experience of taking this course will have an immediate impact on my ability to help teachers incorporate technology in their classrooms. What better way to gain the experience needed to help teachers incorporate technology than to learn to use the technology yourself? Not only has this course introduced me to various forms of technology but the course has also shown a variety of means of using this technology. There were many great ideas for lessons – from Web 2.0 technologies to digital presentations and virtual realities. In addition to learning about technology tools and their uses, the course has presented new ideas and concepts about the impact of technology, the effects of using technology with students, and the need and importance of using technology to prepare students for the digital world. This course has impressed on me the urgency of moving teachers into the digital world.   3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?  I still have a lot to learn about many of the new technologies. This course, like any other course, is limited by time and scope – there is only so much time to work with any new information or technology. One of the goals of this course was to introduce new ideas about older technology and learn about new technology that can expand our understanding of old ideas. The course did show us some really interesting ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. But I am the type of learner that does best with hands-on experience. The limitation is not the class but the time and platforms necessary to create lessons. For instance, creating a lesson that uses avatars to learn about and interact with other cultures. The class has created the desire within myself to go learn about the new technologies and how to incorporate these technologies into a variety of classrooms and subjects. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">I was able to complete all assignments with minimal problems. The only area of difficulty was the group project. I know that part of the point of doing the group project was to learn about how to use new technology and to collaborate using this new technology. And I am sure that most groups had logistical problems. At times, our group was slow to interact and information was slow to move from one person to the other members. Additionally, our group had difficulty with Google Docs – the format is very sensitive and not forgiving, so it took time to become familiar using the format. For collaborative purposes, I found that the wikispaces was much more accessible and interactive. However, as a whole, our group was not comfortable with that format and we abandoned the format. Interestingly, most group members were more comfortable with using e-mail. The group project did show me some shortcomings and areas to avoid when working on group projects in the future (or creating group project lessons). <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">This course has helped me realize that I want to be on the leading edge of meshing technology with education. I believe that the traditional framework of our educational institutions will change radically over the next few years. If schools do not change, the parents and students will look for alternatives to our traditional educational institutions. The leaders of this change will be the individuals that embrace technology without reservations. I feel that I have the leadership skills to be in the forefront of this institutional change. I have the technology skills to help lead the change. In addition, I have the problem-solving and creative skills to provide answers and solutions to questions on the district, administrative or teacher level. I have found that I accept and embrace many of the bold suggestions made by the experts that we were introduced to during the course. I think that the digital age will make the goal of life-long learning more accessible and more engaging for both teachers and students. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">