With the end of the semester, comes the bittersweet conclusion of EDTS 325 aka Ed. Tech. While it's always gratifying to know that I've completed yet one more course toward my degree, this is a course that has armed me with a variety of tech tools that I know will follow me into my career as a teacher.
If I could choose one word to describe myself in relation to education technology at the beginning of the semester it would be--naïve. To begin with, even with my experience as an education assistant I couldn't have successfully described the ed. tech. used in classrooms on a day to day basis. In fact, before I started the class, when friends and family asked what an ed. tech. course might entail, I simply replied, "I don't know... Smartboards?" I never considered all of the other technology that goes into creating engaging lesson plans, and to be quite honest, I saw technology as a distraction in many learning environments.
My opinion (and level of understanding) of education technology has drastically changed. While I found myself fairly frustrated at times, and there may have been tears once or twice *cough* Google Street View *cough,* the knowledge I gained was more than worth a few tears. Before Ed. Tech., I would say I was proficient in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; however, this course built on my previous knowledge immensely. Even though I was experienced in Word, the deeper level training was incredibly beneficial. In fact, I would say this was the most useful information from the course for myself as a student. Additionally, I gained many other tools to use in my future practice, my favorite being: Powtoon. Check out my review of Powtoon here. I have built several Powtoon creations, including one for an assignment in another course, which I'm sure landed me a few bonus points. It has also been a fun tool for my son and I to use together for his education. As a parent, I can now see the value in technology that successfully engages our children in their learning.
I was hesitant about the increased use of social media required by Ed. Tech. In a world where people are inundated with technology, I couldn't see the value of extending my current use of social media to include my profession. Now, I see more value in social media as a networking tool than for any other use. While I may not have a consistent social media presence, I know it will always be there when I'm ready to pick it up again, and Twitter is one of the best places to find reviews of current education technology from teachers using the technology themselves in their classrooms. As a life-long learner, I find this a very appealing way to find current information on technology.
I've always understood the benefits of YouTube; however, in Ed. Tech., I learned to appreciate its benefits even more. There were several times when I had to search for tutorials of how to use the tech we had been introduced to. When working through online schooling, YouTube was the next best thing to a one-on-one meeting with an instructor to help me learn the product. And while I had used tutorials before, I find they are even more relevant when it comes to exploring new technology. For me, watching someone run through a step-by-step demonstration of a product is much more engaging than getting frustrating while trying to navigate it on my own. Even if I did have to pause and re-start dozens of times, with tutorials, I learned more quickly and with less frustration.
One of the most important things I learned in Ed. Tech. was how to look for my own tech answers, and I think this is a skill that transfers from course to course to life. Learning takes patience and the willingness to ask deeper questions. Ed. Tech. armed me with the knowledge of how to look deeper into the tech I want to explore. Looking ahead, I know that there are many teachers willing to share their experiences with tech. through social media platforms like Twitter, professionals on YouTube to guide me through tutorials of how to use that tech, and my go-getter attitude to execute the skills in the classroom. Overall, I feel like Ed. Tech. went above and beyond my expectations of introducing me to the education technology world. Now that I have a firm understanding of ed. tech., it's up to me to stay in the know--wish me luck!
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