I have gained so much knowledge this semester. It is next to impossible to list them all in this one post. And the interesting part is that we didn't learn everything!! I learned how to do things in a different way than what I already knew. Powerpoint is not the only way to create presentations. Google Docs can be accessed anywhere and I continue to use them frequently. Learning how to do html modifiers was something that I also learned. This is something that a lot of people that I know do not know how to do. I learned how to create a class blog that I will incorporate in my classroom when I am a teacher, and I also created a professional blog that I will continue to use and post things that I learn. I really like the professional blog, because that is something that I can take to every classroom that I walk into. I can introduce parents to it, and other teachers. I enjoyed Comments 4 Kids also. It was so fun to read the work of other students of all ages and interact with them as well as the teachers! This is something I want to use in my classroom with my students. I think it gives students a sense of pride in their own work when other people find meaning in it! I watched several videos and listened to several podcast on technology literatacy. I honestly had no idea this stuff was out there on the internet. This is all so helpful! I loved the post "At the Teacher's Desk" , it was so informative, and I actually have it saved in my favorites tab so I can access it regularly. All of this information is so helpful, and it is going to make teaching much more enjoyable. One thing that I learned day after day was that no matter what I did NOT know how to do, there is a world of tools on the web to learn from. Not only that, but as you learn, you teach other people!
I can't think of anything that I did not learn - honestly. I did not even expect to learn as much as I did so it certainly exceeded my expectations! I don't think there is one thing that I am going to purposely forget after this class is over. Any time I want to know something or anytime I learn something, I am going to think about my PLN, and how I need to keep it updated! There were some things that did excite me, and there were some things that seemed tedious. It was hard for me to figure some things out by myself, so I enjoyed when Dr. Strange would explain step by step to us, because once I accomplished the learning part it became very easy to continue to do it on a daily basis.
Intellectually challenging? Oh yes! I can not explain how many times I started an assignment and thought, "there is no way I am going to learn this," but after it was over, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I don't know if this was intellectually challenging or not but it was hard to step out and put my opinions and thoughts out there to other posts. It is so easy to read something and form your own opinion but because of whatever reason to just keep it to yourself when it comes to the internet. However, once I started, it is a very good way to learn, especially when it formulates a conversation so that new ideas can come about.
As far as me getting bored with the course, I'm not so sure that I was bored, because there was so much to learn. Sometimes I did not want to learn. Sometimes I did not want to pursue more knowledge, but no matter what, every single time I completed something else, I was excited. The things that I have learned in this class has sparked many conversations with my family and friends and it has been quite interesting to get their opinions. So, to say that I was bored would be a false statement. I could say that I became lazy at times.
The only thing that I would change about this course is that I would either make it a strictly online class, or I would allow more "lab" time in the classroom. I really enjoyed the days when Dr. Strange would allow class time to do some of our work because it gave us a hands on opportunity to ask him questions. Other than that, I really enjoyed the class.
Am I technology literate? Good question. Do you ever become FULLY technology literate? I feel like I have learned so much, but I also feel like I have a lot to learn, so I don't know if I could fit into a definition of technology literacy. I want to expand my knowledge and to continue to learn as I teach others.
I want to continue my technology learning network after this class. I will be honest and say that it will be a challenge to continue to do it everyday, but I want to learn to make it a part of my daily ritual especially when I become a teacher. I want to continue to find new websites to put on my RSS feed so that I can become updated regularly. Speaking of my RSS feed, I LOVE using this. I have all kinds of things on there, and it is so easy to have it updated on one page so that you don't have to go to all of the websites to see if there is something new.
After this class, I want to continue to learn, and take the things that Dr. Strange has taught me and expand on them to become a better teacher! Because just like Doug Johnson says, technology isn't going to make a bad teacher a good one, but it can make a good teacher a better one. I want to be a better teacher because of my ability to search out for new information.
Thanks Dr. Strange, for teaching us what we otherwise probably wouldn't have ever thought about seeking after!
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