Digital Literacy – Last Blog
I think that I have come a long way this semester while working on my blog. I have read, reflected on, researched, and learned about a lot of different things about technology and education. I used the Four C’s, communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking while in this class. I learned to communicate through Twitter with complete strangers and I found friends who I can now converse with through Twitter. I was able to be creative in a number of ways in this class. I got the chance to learn how to enhance some of my artwork and photos on the computer. Through my Independent Learning Project I was also able to work creatively. Finding new ways to express myself creatively was one of my favorite parts of the class. I collaborated with my friends and children to learn how to do some of the things technologically, such as creating a Vine. Lastly, it took a lot of critical thinking to figure out how to do some of these projects and how to write about them. Many of the things I learned about, I didn’t even realize existed or how they worked. Some concepts I had heard of, but after researching them and learning to do them I realized they were something else entirely.
Digital Stories, Vines, and DS106 were all very new to me. It was nice having a teenage son who was able to help me out a bit. My son being able to help me out also showed me the importance of become somewhat adept at using these tools. I find that it is important to be able to teach students through different outlets. Technology is something which students seem to be really interested in and it could make different aspects of teaching fun and exciting for them when using technology in the classroom.
In my posts I tried to write like I was talking to someone, like they were sitting across from me. I tried to approach it as if I was explaining something I had learned or wanted them to learn. From the beginning to the end I think that I was fairly consistent in what I wrote and how I wrote my posts. I did notice a couple of times that my post was a little short. I looked at the dates on those occasions and noticed that they coincided with busy times. In the future I need to take more time instead of waiting to get things finished up.
I like my Independent Learning Project, but after going back saw revisions I could have made. I could revisit my Independent Learning Project posts and elaborate on a lot of the things in which I wrote about. With my Independent Learning Project I think I could have gone into a lot more detail about some of the different techniques that I use when sewing. Not only did I research and learn a few new things but I know that I have a lot of useful tricks that I could have shared. After reading through the posts I see a lot more ideas I could have written about. In saying all of this the thing I enjoyed the most about my blog posts was doing the Independent Learning Project. This project pushed me to work on something which I don’t often take time for. Not because I don’t love doing it but I don’t leave time for myself and this project forced me to do that.
I also really enjoyed learning about DS106 and Digital Storytelling. When I read the directions for the first time, I thought “oh my gosh how am I ever going to be able to do any of this?” Through the wonders of technology I figured it out and my teenage son. I have become more confident in how I use and work on the computer through this class and I hope that is reflected in my use of technology in the classroom. I now know that there is a tutorial for just about anything I could dream up on the internet. If I can’t find the right tutorial I could just ask a teenager, it amazes me how much they know. Not only do they know a lot but it interests them. This is why you would want to use some of these formats in the classroom. They are new and fun for kids to use. I think that this would be something I would potentially use someday in my future classroom. I also really enjoyed looking at all of the fun ways people have made up their own interpretation of the DS106 directions. I also liked how open a format the course was. I can see making up my own version of DS106 for students to come up with projects loosely based on something we were working on in class. The possibilities are endless. I became somewhat addicted to watching different peoples Digital Stories. There were so many to look at that interested me. You could find a story for all different subject areas, and I really liked that. I found so many different stories which interested me and I could possibly show my students someday as well.
TED Talks have now become something I look to www.ted.com/talk. I have learned a lot from watching these talks and have learned to find new information through them. Talking about education doesn’t need to be dull or boring, Ted Talks are a lot of fun to listen to and make learning new concept fun. Sir Ken Robinson has become one of my favorite educational speakers to listen to. He was funny, informative, and a joy to watch. I can see how people would use TED Talks in the classroom. There is something out there for every subject and every person. I can see this being used with older students as well as younger students.
I think you could use any of the technological applications I have learned to use this semester in a classroom. Some of them may just be shown to younger students or paired down but I could still see using any one of them. Teaching students to be responsible members through technology and the importance of copyright laws was another thing which stuck out in this course. I have seen people use pictures and ideas that they claim as their own instead of copyrighting them and if we start when students are young and emphasize the importance of copyright they will know better. As I learn I hope to impart what I have learned on my students.
So yes I have come a long way and learned a lot in this course. Yes, I still have a long way to go and a lot more to learn. After all learning is a never-ending journey. At least now I have learned how to use and how to find new tools to help me in this journey. With technology always changing I know that there will always be something new for me to learn and perhaps teach my students. I do know that I now look forward to, instead of cringing, when I think about the fun new things I get to learn with technological advances.
julmakco 