EDLD 5306 Course Reflection

Ekena Wilkins
September 20, 2011

EDLD 5306 Course Reflection

1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

I envisioned getting a strong foundational bearing of what educational technology involves from this course. Coming in to the course, I worried that I had been “out of practice” for quite some time, and was hopeful that this course would somewhat re-familiarize me with important technical terms and practices. For the most part, I think I’ve achieved that goal by branching out from my hub of PowerPoint presentations and word documents, and exploring databases, blogs, and educational social networks. The course itself aligned with my goals as far as me learning some of the basics of the educational technology trade. Though I felt like some if it was busy work at times, I do see the benefit of me creating and analyzing specific details such as data, educational practices, and technical strategies for use in the classroom and beyond. Overall, I can say that I feel comfortable with the newfound foundation I’ve gained, and I’m hoping it will adequately equip me for proceeding courses.

2. To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

Each day, I use some type of technology in my classroom. From Elmo document cameras, to online databases for data entry, mobile applications for emails, and even data projectors and slate boards, I have a variety of hardware and software at my disposal to use. Therefore, I feel that the progress I’ve made in gaining knowledge about specific functions and benefits of certain technologies is relevant to the work in my school, because simply knowing about at technology, but not understanding its purpose for use in my class refutes the work done in this course. Even if I decide to stay in the classroom throughout my career, I have developed skills and access to information that will challenge me to remain up-to-date with my students’ needs. If anything else, besides learning about new technology, I’ve learned the functionality and benefits of using specific technology for educational purposes, and I’ve become curious about how I can make my classroom learning environment more student-friendly.

3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

I don’t think I achieved my goal in understanding the instructional design component of this course. While I understand the relevance of the course material, and the necessity for teachers to assess technological data as it relates to their district and campus, my planning my own internship, thought eye-opening, made me realize just how much I still have to learn about the field. For example, when it came to citing my leadership endeavors on the curriculum vitae assignment, I realized, I’ve got very limited experience in that area. Granted, I’ve only been out of undergrad for a year, but my expertise about many of the topics covered in this course is limited, and I’m not sure that I’ve gained total confidence in my abilities just yet. However, as I mentioned previously, I do feel comfortable with my foundational knowledge gained, and I’m just hoping that it will continue to build, and result in my leadership experience growing a well.

4. Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

ented or discouraged you?I was successful in carrying out the course assignments. The only things that I may have failed in were the progress check quizzes. Many times, I read half of the articles on the list, or f my week was busy, only the recommended two, and therefore, my quiz grades reflected that. It frustrated me a little bit that the quizzes wee over the entire reading list of the week, because it was like a guessing game as to what would or would not be mentioned from any of the 8-13 articles on the reading list each week. Also, the data and internship plan somewhat daunted me. I have never been a fan of math or data, so understanding, and honestly caring, what data had to say about my school and district took some self-coaching. However, after I began to take a closer look at my area’s results compared to others, I gained some interest in improving our current standings.

5. What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

Overall, I learned that I have a long way to go in the educational technology field, as well as a long road of work ahead of me. The positive of this is that I love to learn, and a little work never hurt anybody. On a light note, the idea that teachers make the worst students was reinforced throughout this course, because I found myself complaining the first two weeks about the workload and the fact that I missed teaching and being caught up on my grades. As far as leadership skills go, I learned that many of the Web 2.0 tools that I was aware of, or had used before have a relevant place in the classroom, and it is my responsibility to make sure that they find their way to the appropriate lessons. My attitudes are surprisingly conservative and “legacy based” when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom. I found myself resistant to many of the articles at some point. However, I am beginning to see some of the benefits of using technology, and I do not doubt that sometime soon, I will be just as holistically enthusiastic about technology use and implementation as many of my colleagues already are.