Final Blog Assignment

For this assignment, there are nine items/topics of which we are to address:

1.) I've learned so much in this class! Almost everything mentioned in the question were things I learned in this class and had never used prior to this class. These include: Google docs, spreadsheets, presentations, twitter, podcasts, plns, iTunesU, ALEX, Google Earth, blogging, commenting on blogs...the list goes on and on. My favorite of all of these listed was ALEX. I really do think the website will be very beneficial to me and my future career as an elementary school teacher. I will be able to access it for lesson plan ideas and such, and it gives me a source to turn to.

2.) I learned more in this class than I ever thought I would. I honestly cannot think of any tool/application that would benefit me more as a teacher that we did not discuss in class. However, the use of a Smartboard might be a topic to consider covering in future EDM310 classes because we will all need to know how to effectively use one.

3.) I certainly will not try to forget anything we've learned in this class! Though I may not use every tool/application we covered, I appreciate having the knowledge to do so if I wish. I, personally, do not see myself using podcasts to teach an elementary school class; however, I'm glad the topic was covered for those that are majoring in secondary education or special education.

4.) This may seem crazy, but when Katie and I did our interview and actually made a working video, that "excited" me. I was nervous and very unsure about how to approach the project, but I really enjoyed viewing our finished video. This is definitely a tool I will keep in mind for the future. I found it to be one of the most fun projects we were assigned.

5.) Honestly, nothing in the class seemed extremely intellectually challenging to me. I worked hard and viewed the tutorials, and I seemed to understand most of what I was assigned to do for the class. Figuring out how to make a video was a bit of a challenge, but once we figured it out we had fun with it.

6.) The only thing I really got bored with was commenting on so many blogs. I do see where there could be benefits to doing so, but it was a bit of a drag for me sometimes because it seemed so repetitive.

7.) I can't imagine what I would add to the class if I could. We covered so many skills and topics that I don't see where anything extremely vital could have been left out. However, going over the use of a Smartboard might benefit all of us a bit more than some of the skills we learned such as making a podcast.

8.) I feel like I have definitely become more technologically literate since taking this course. However, I still feel like there is a lot out there for me to learn. I feel like I'm at a nice medium, though, and hopefully will be able to share what I've learned with my future students.

9.) To maintain my literacy and to learn more, I will continue to build my PLN through twitter. I will also contribute to our EDM310 Alumni Blog. I will keep an open mind about new technology, also.