To be perfectly honest, I really had no idea what to expect from this course. I guess in all actuality, I expected it to be outdated and teaching me to use things I already knew and was familiar with. In no way did this course meet those expectations. Instead, it well surpassed and exceeded them. I never thought that I would learn how to blog, post slide shows online, save files to adobe printer, etc. I think that I far surpassed any expected outcomes of this course. I thought I would be “taught” how to use power point or excel or something that I had already learned. I did not expect to learn new technology or receive such valuable information. A lot of what I learned in this class is applicable in my classroom. I can save time sensitive material, search for documents faster through desktop search and share lots of information safely over the web. I am really excited to start the school year next year by trying to implement a blog. I feel like that would be such a great tool for parents to use when they have questions or are confused about homework, etc. I could also post valuable links and resources, making it all the more impressive and effective. I think that I achieved all of the goals that I had set for myself.
As I said earlier, I didn’t really think I would learn anything new. I certainly did not set the goal of learning to blog or create online surveys for people to fill out. I think it was all very easy to understand and I could definitely tell how each week built on the knowledge from the following week. In the beginning assignments were very challenging. I found myself overwhelmed and confused a couple of times in the first two weeks. In the end I managed to complete all of my assignments. I had some points taken off during week 4 for not citing my references, but I could not find where I referenced anything or where I would need to list my references. Other than that, I felt I accomplished all assignments with varying degrees of ease.
There were so many different things that I learned from this course. I have already mentioned how I learned to share power points and blogs. I learned how to save time sensitive material and how to create a professional presentation with online tools. I found a lot of great information out about the school which I then took back to my principals and showed them. My favorite thing that I learned was the blogging. I just think it offers teachers so many great resources and tools to use. I also learned that I am not as experienced in technology as I thought I was. I assumed that this class would be much easier than it was and that I would know everything that is being taught. I also thought it would be much simpler, leading me to the conclusion that I do not know as much as I want to. I still very much enjoy technology and love to incorporate it in my daily routine. After taking this class I definitely realize how important it is for administrators to keep up with technology use it to keep a float.
I also learned about blogs and how I can apply them, both as a teacher and as an administrator. It allows the teacher to post information, homework examples, resources, tools, calendars, communication forums, etc. I think that the possibilities of the blog are endless and we will continue to find ways to better use and incorporate blogs into the school. I do not have a lot of concerns about how to use blogs, but I do think about appropriateness in posts and the prevention of cyber bullying. I think that there are ways to prevent both. Merely by informing students that you are watching and or reading and that they will be held accountable for their actions will cut down on the cyber bullying and posting of inappropriate or inaccurate information.
Another thing that I love about blogging is that it is so diverse. You can use it for students, staff or parents. One of the ways that you can use it for community members is having a forum for the school. Here, information can be posted, comments can be added and it allows for a collaborative effort in keeping shareholders informed and involved. Some of the other perks of using blogging is that you can post discussions of lessons and lectures so that parents can be aware of what is being taught in their student’s classroom. This allows parents to be more involved in their students learning and homework. Blogging really can be used for so many different venues, it makes me wonder why we are just now thinking about it and using it!