When I started the first class towards my Master's degree, Concepts of Educational Technology, I wasn't really sure what to expect from the class. I had been putting off going back to school for a long time, so I was really just hoping I would survive the course. As a single mom, working full time and raising two daughters, I was nervous about the time commitment and organization of the course, especially after viewing the first assignment. As each week passed, my fears eased a bit, and I adjusted to the assignment deadlines and requirements. I still had the occasional thought that this was just too much to handle, but I was determined to finish. As far as technology, I expected that I would learn more about technology and digital tools, and how to use them in an educational setting. And, I did gain experience using many different tools, such as blogs, wikis, wordle, and animoto.
The experience that I have gained from this course is incredibly relevant to the work that I do as a third grade teacher at Davis Elementary. As a classroom teacher, I have already incorporated many of the tools that I used in this course into my classroom and into my lesson planning. I have also shared many ideas and suggestions with other educators on my campus. Learning about our campus technology ratings and the Star chart have given me needed insight into technology areas that need to be strengthened on our campus. The weekly readings provided information and knowledge about ethics, safety and copyright laws, which I have used when teaching my classroom students about Internet safety and also when creating assignments. And, as I have juggled school work, family life and my full time job, I have become more confident in my ability to organize and manage all three.
I don't think that there were any specific outcomes that I did not achieve upon completion of this course. I feel like I accomplished what I set out to achieve when I began the course, which was to gain more knowlege about technology, technology assessments, and digital tools, and their use in an educational setting. I know that I will probably need to go back periodically and review the weekly assignments, just to gain more knowledge and also to be confident when discussing and sharing the information with other individuals and groups. I do feel like there were some challenges that I had to overcome after beginning the course, that I either was not aware of or had not realized prior to starting the class. For example, I had some technical difficulties with my personal computer, and needed to make some minor adjustments in order to complete the course assignments.
I feel like I was very successful in completing the assignments and meeting all of the required deadlines. To be honest, when I looked at the first weeks assignment, I was worried that I would have trouble finishing in the required time frame. There were a lot of requirements contained in the written assignments, but I discovered that for me it was all about organization and scheduling my time wisely. Once I realized that I was capable of doing the work, I was able to focus on creating a schedule that would blend my work load and classwork. Taking a class online is quite a bit different that taking a course on a college campus, and requires a lot of self motivation. As far as actual assignments, I found I enjoyed creating both the blog and the wiki, and have used my knowledge from the class and started a blog and wiki for my classroom.
I have learned quite a bit from this course, both about myself and about my abilities. First, I have learned to have more confidence in myself. And, I have discovered leadership qualities that I didn't know existed. I have had to step outside of my comfort zone in quite a few situations, and discovered that I would succeed, and in some cases, actually enjoy the experience. A big surprise to me is a new interest in the possibility of becoming a principal. It's never even been something I've thought of before, but as I put myself in leadership situations, I am finding that I enjoy the experience and the challenge. I've learned that I underestimated my technology experience, and that I need to take ownership of what I know and share the knowledge with others. I enjoy teaching and sharing technology, and am becoming more confident about sharing with my campus and team members.
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