Wow, what an adventure! I have pretty much finished up my first semester in graduate school and it has been a roller coaster of emotions! Some times I was so excited or happy, some times I was angry, sometimes I was sad, sometimes I was proud of myself and other times I was frustrated. That is a general statement for all of my classes. EDTS523 I think has been a HUGE challenge for me. Not so much with the projects due but trying to keep an open mind about all the information learned. When I started EDTS523, the first thought that ran through me head was, “Oh great, another technology class where I will learn the basics of programs and never use them again afterwards.” But it is not what I got from the class. (I guess that teaches me not to judge a book by its cover!) I learned from EDTS523 that technology can be an awesome tool if used the right way in a classroom. It is not just another inconvenience added into the teachers schedule. There are some programs that we learned about that I will admit, I will probably not use much in my classroom. For example, I do not see myself using PowerPoint or Dream weaver. I do see myself using programs such as podcasts, blogs, and web quests. I might not get a chance to bring them all into my classroom right away but it will be something that I add in as I get more comfortable with my strategies of teaching. Also, I feel that when this class is over I am going to make sure I try to use as much of these programs in my sample lessons as possible that I make the next few semesters so that I can keep my mind open to new ideas and not forget what I learned in EDTS523. The big idea of this blog is that yes, it is the end of my first semester, but it is the beginning of a whole new world of technology for me. I am so excited that soon I will be able to use technology in my classroom and I have lots of resources that Dr. Ransom gave me to look back at. If I did not have this class, that I was not too sure about taking in the first place, I would be completely ignorant of most of these resources for the rest of my life. It is important to keep up with these things because as I have written in a previous blog and witnessed in my field work, students in grades as low as fourth grade know a lot more about somethings in technology than I even know as a graduate student. Therefore, I feel it is my responsiblity to not make this the end of my education about technology because otherwise I will not be able to be the best teacher I can be if I am ignorant of this growing world of technology!
Mary, what a fantastic title for this final post… So often classes are and ending. We close our notebooks and rarely ever go back to them. We just cope.
It doesn’t have to be that way, and as you express so well, this course has opened your eyes to the many resources (human and otherwise) and opportunities that are out there, both for you as a teacher-professional, and for your own students. I am so excited to hear that this class exceeded your expectations. It is often so diverse and everyone has different needs, interests, experience,…
Don’t ever hesitate to contact me if you need anything related to this class. I’m just a “tweet” away (@ransomtech)