EDLD 5352 WEEK 5 ASSIGNMENT

As I read over the assignments each week, I began to gain an understanding of what direction this course was heading. I learned that I was going to learn state mandated plans for technology use, learn and use new sources of technology that I was not familiar with, rules and laws pertaining to technology use, and how to protect students in the area of technology. I feel that I have received a good foundation in these areas to better enhance student learning and aid in my progression of future administrational skills. This course not only met my expectations as a graduate student, but also challenged my abilities in the field of technology.
I use technology in an educational setting every day that I go to work. Our district or school is constantly changing software programs or installing new hardware in order to achieve our goals. We are expected to learn and become experts in the use of these new technological advances. The information that I obtained through this course was consistent with the demands of my job. As technology is rapidly transforming the way we educate our students, educators must adapt and respond quickly in order to succeed in our profession. This course forced me, as my job does, to overcome obstacles and problem-solve in a manner that is conducive to our fast paced society.
During the progression of this course, a new technology tool was introduced to me. Though I had some knowledge and experience of podcasts, it was very limited with few details. I became interested in learning different ways to use podcasts. Podcasts were briefly mentioned in some articles that we read for this course. Going into this subject in more detail would have provided me with more ways to use podcasts. Learning to use podcasts for communication with students, parents, administrators, teachers, and the outside community would have been beneficial for future use. I understand that technology for this course is limited, not on the university’s part, but it’s students and that this idea is next to impossible to accomplish.
I found that all five assignments that I was responsible for during this course to be challenging. These assignments tested my technology skills and presented me with new ideas for my future in education or administration. I was able to meet the rigorous demands of the class each week as I strived to do my very best. During week four, we were asked to make a chart for our action plans and post it on our blog. I was discouraged to find that my blog would not accept the assignment the way that it was when I attempted to place it in there. It would not allow the chart to be on the blog. The words were present, but the chart had been omitted. I posted the assignment regardless, however, it did not reflect the hardwork that I put into the assignment.
Reflecting on my experiences of this course, I have learned to take on technology with a different attitude than I ever have before. I am no longer timid about trying new ideas of technology in my area of profession. Technology is here to stay and we must be able to handle the changes that it presents to us as educators. District leaders, administrators, and teachers should be willing to take risks in technology as we attempt to increase student learning. We should not be afraid to fail because a technology fad does not work. Instead, we should know that we will fail and be quick to try other technologies that we feel will benefit all stakeholders.
If there is only one thing that I will take from this course, it is the fact that 21st century learners starve for information through the use of technology. Blogging is one such technological resource that students can use to gain information. Blogs allow teachers to post assignments, articles, or classroom lectures for students or parents to view at their convenience. Blogging takes the classroom outside of the walls of the school and brings it into living rooms all across the world. If a parent or student has a question about an assignment, they can go to the blog and view the lecture, directions, or other information that may be of use.
As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, blogging brings the classroom into living rooms all over the world. As much as I view this as a positive use for education, it also can be quite negative. We do not want certain information to fall in some of these living rooms because they consist of predators. These predators lie in ambush for our children to give dangerous information online. They pose a risk or threat to our vulnerable students. I have learned that we must be educated as teachers about what information to blog and learn various ways to educate our students of the dangers of blogging harmful information. Before this class, I was very unfamiliar with the process and uses of blogging. I had never posted a blog or knew the benefits of a blog. I learned through the reading and assignments in this course many ways to use blogs. One such way is the idea that blogs can be used to keep information posted for weeks, months, or years at a time. Every one gets hundereds or even thousands of emails a year. These emails, when saved, fill up storage on one’s computer. What happens when your computer is full? You go through and delete emails to make room for more storage. This process often deletes emails that many stakeholders would rather keep. With a blog, stakeholders can logon to view information as needed and without using up storage on their computers. New blogs can be posted as needed to spread new information to stackholders.