EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology - Course Reflections

When I first began this course, I expected to my learning to reflect the title of the course. I expected that what I would learn would center around the theories and the concepts of a technology-based education. The course has actually covered those concepts in some detail. I have learned many new theories for education that have been both eye-opening and inspiring. What I learned has also gone much deeper. This course has opened up for me a whole new world of technologies I had only just heard of or had never even imagined existed. While I had been introduced to blogging and had even tried my hand at it, I had no idea all the things that Web 2.0 encompassed and how those technologies could be used in the classroom. My readings in this course and the ensuing discussions have taught me so much. I would say that the course far exceeded the expectations I had for it.

The course has also lit a torch in me for leading a technology crusade. I have begun sharing what I have learned in this course with teachers that I work with while a tutor at Liberty-Eylau. I am afraid that many teachers are stuck in the previous century and do not see things the way I do. When I speak of the new paradigm for learning that I envision where students lead their own learning and classrooms are using technology to collaborate with students around the world and work on projects that have real world applications, all these teachers envision is class chaos. The answer I inevitably get is, “I hope that never happens. We’ll lose the students.” By this they mean they will lose control of the students. And I agree. This type of class will be very difficult to control. Students will be everywhere. To a seasoned teacher it will seem like chaos. But I don’t think we will lose their attention. In fact, I think it will be the first time we’ll have it. I have this vision that I am trying to share, but until I get into a position where I can make practical use of it, I feel helpless to make the vision come to pass.

The most frustrating part of the course has been trying to emulate the portions of the course that assumed I was a teacher or facilitator in a public school setting, when in fact as a substitute I had no real access to school data, students, or fellow teachers. This assumption has made some of the course inaccessible to me, and has made me feel as though I did not belong in the course at all at times. I managed to complete the course and get through the bulk of the assignments, and I feel I have met my learning outcomes despite this problem. Another issue I faced was the extreme amount of work crammed into five week’s time. While I knew that this was a graduate level course and was a semester’s work worth six credit hours, I guess I was unprepared for exactly how much work would be expected in such a short time period.

I was unable to complete assessments which asked for data on how my school or I used technology in the classroom. These assessments did not get completed. Instead I wrote a paragraph explaining why I could not complete them. I found it difficult to complete the assignment that called for a school technology plan which I would not have access to. To complete this assignment I had to research and locate which of the local schools had published theirs to the internet. It was extremely frustrating to come up with an internship plan in a week's time when I did not have the resources in place to perform most of the tasks listed in the document. In fact, I nearly did not complete this document, and I am quite sure that the draft I have submitted will look quite different once I actually get in touch with the resources I need to accomplish the goals I have set into it.

The course has shown me that I was not as much of a technology expert as I once prided myself in being. I am actually only just a beginner, and I still have much to learn. Fortunately, the course has confirmed that I grasp new concepts quickly. I learned that I tend to be a natural leader, as many of my classmates sensed that they could turn to me for advice when they were stuck. I also learned that I do not like to be the one who is stuck, and I don't have a lot of patience for myself or others when I don't know what to do. I am not afraid to ask for help, especially when my cohorts had felt comfortable about asking me for assistance, so when I asked, I got plenty of advice. If I had just exercised a bit more patience, I found out that the answers were available before I panicked.

Overall, I enjoyed the course and what I learned. I enjoyed the companionship of my classmates and the lively discussions we had on the discussion board, and getting to know them on their course wiki pages. I felt like even the difficult pacing of the course and the challenge of the assignments helped me to grow as a person. I am very glad I took the course and look forward to continuing my education.

Rethinking Academic Technology Leadership in an Era of Change (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE

Rethinking Academic Technology Leadership in an Era of Change (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE

A very interesting article. This proposes that every campus should have a senior academic technology officer to provide technology leadership in order to move our schools into the next era of learning. A thought provoking and well-written article.

Redefining Teacher Education for Digital-Age Learners

SummitReport.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Received this report in my inbox today. I am very excited to learn that other schools are pushing for national certification standards for teachers which would redefine education as we know it to reflect learning in the digitial age. This is a very informative article. If more colleges provided the government with this kind of awareness, we might see some real changes take place!

Vancouver Schools Testing iPods for Learning

Vancouver Schools Testing iPods for Learning

This is very exciting! I hope to see more of these types of studies in the near future. As the study shows, student engagement is up, attendance is up, test scores are up, and students and teachers alike are encouraged by the results of the project. These initial results should encourage educators in the US to look into similar test pilot projects to confirm these findings. Our students deserve to learn the way they teach themselves, and right now, that is using technology. Their future does not depend on their ability to use good handwriting or write their spelling words three times each - it depends on their ability to find the answers to questions quickly with the technology at their fingertips, to collaborate with others to create a product for diverse audiences, and to use a variety of technological devices to do their jobs. Let's teach them what they need to succeed.

A Fair(y) Use Tale

E-Rate and the TISD Technology Plan

This is an introduction to E-Rate, administered by the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), and a summary of the Texarkana Independent School District (TISD) Technology Plan required to apply for E-Rate funds.

E-Rate and the TISD Technology Plan

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Post Web-Conference Reflections

I attended my first web conference on Thursday evening for my Master's degree course, EDLD 5306 Concept of Educational Technology. I found the experience very helpful as well as enjoyable. It was good to have an opportunity to meet my professor in a "real time" environment, as prior to the conference we had only exchanged emails. It was also very nice to meet many of my fellow grad students and learn a little about who they were, and be able to associate a face with a name when reading their posts on the discussion board.

The most helpful part of the experience was learning more in-depth about the internship portion of the Master's Degree program and being able to brainstorm with my professor about what that would like like given my unique circumstances. It was reassuring to a certain extent to know that the internship hours are spread out over the course of the entire 18 month program, as well as a bit overwhelming to consider how extensive the internship is going to be taken as a whole.

Although it is a bit intimidating at this point in the program to think about things I will be doing a year and a half from now, I am a believer that you should begin with the end in mind, and this conference gave me a chance to do just that.

I am glad I had the opportunity to participate, and quite sorry that for the duration of this course, my schedule will conflict with the remaining web conferences. I do hope I have an opportunity to meet with my fellow students in an informal, non-moderated conference setting to give us a chance to discuss our assignments and progress with the course and the challenges we are facing, and how each of us is coping with these challenges.