Final thoughts?

This course I thought gave a quick wake up call on what a master’s level class was going to be like. I always felt that I was good with technology but not foolish to think that I know everything that there is. There are a lot of technology applications available and so much to learn that if you slack off any that it is easy to be left behind. I think that working with blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds has a lot of potential in the classroom. I was never a fan of these because I never had the urge to tell everybody what I was doing at every point in my life. I realize that blogs and wikis can be used for this but it is not the only thing that they have to be used for. My attitude changed since I think that I would like to consider working as a Director of Technology for a district instead of jumping straight to the college world.

Discouraged? Whatever...well, maybe a little...

It seems to me that this course had the following trip format; I immediately had to climb a mountain and then decide if going thru the mountain range was worth continuing on. I eventually was able to do so but at the very end with the Internship Draft I was feeling not nearly as confident as I was for Weeks two through four. I was unsure on how to create the plan but after coming up with some possible activities I am glad I did as I gained a better feel to what was expected. This being my first online and first master’s course, I did not know what to expect. As the class went on, Dr. Abshire and especially Sarah were great in helping out and with Sarah’s help I was finally able to reach the platform that I need to be in. I think they both did great and I thank them for their assistance.

Problems?

I am not sure about the outcomes that I have not achieved. A lot of things that were presented is still very new to me so finding a way to implement them into my personal teaching style is going to take some time. I am unsure about the use of wikis in the classroom as far as creating them. I am also unfamiliar with the RSS feeds and think that all of these tolls have some great gains to be made but it all comes down to tweaking to fit my personal teaching style. Time is a huge factor as well on trying to implement the previously mentioned tools. I am also a high school  math teacher so there is a lot of pressure for the upcoming TAKS test, even more so this year due to the test counting for two years. It seems that trying to effectively balance my time between the two is becoming my largest challenge by far.

Relevent to the classroom?

Using what I have learned so far in the classroom does have some relevance. I am trying to get my Pre Cal PAP students to use a blog on the district website to post questions and help each other out when I cannot be there personally. By using the blog, students can ask questions and if someone has the answer then it is quick feedback for students instead of waiting to be back in class whenever that is going to be. Plus, I can see the posts from home and respond if necessary. The drawback was that the blog just became available about a month into the school year so it was not fully used by students. I think I would have much more success with it if I had started at the beginning of the year instead of at the end. Wikis and RSS I am still shaky about using but I am willing to try them out and make changes as I go.

My Outcomes Envisioned for EDLD 5306

From the very beginning I was only looking to find what I thought would be an easy Master’s program as I only wanted it so I can have the Master’s title to get out of education and enter the college world with Residence Life. I had no aspirations to use the knowledge that I had gained since I did not want to be in education anymore. Now that I have survived the first course I do think that I would be interested in this as a career option. I enjoy technology and I enjoy teaching but the pressures of TAKS and kids not wanting to improve themselves can take a toll on a person. I think that this course did a good job of getting your feet wet on what is out there and available. I was not familiar with blogs and wikis but I can see how using these tools in the classroom could be beneficial in reaching students of today.