Taking Off

 Signing up for ETEC 565 was my launching point into the MET program, and for me this was the equivalent of a new fawn having a very short time to learn how to use their legs. I came to this program with minimal technological experience or knowledge and had to adapt quickly. It was a rough start. Like the new fawn I stumbled quite a bit at first, but after reading through my flight path I can see how far I have come. In January, I remember not having any clue how I was going to accomplish the task that I had set out for myself, but now in March I feel that I have even exceeded what I was hoping for.

I do feel like I have accomplished all three of my goals and answered my questions. My primary concern was that I stick to using technology that supported strong teaching practices without getting overwhelmed or sucked in by the overload of tech options. I was also looking to discover what exists in the world of social media that can be used in an educational setting and how the various issues that go along with social media are handled. The largest goal that I set for myself was to not just complete two modules, but complete an entire course. This was a very crucial goal for me to meet because I knew only when I saw a completed product would I truly have a sense of what using an online course to create a blended learning environment would mean for me as a teacher.

Gears in Motion

 Even though I did not use the e-learning toolkit frequently throughout the course, it was the essential key for me to unlock how to take on building a website. When we were first given the tool kit, I looked through everything and spent time searching Google for whatever I did not understand. It gave me a bit of a base to stand on and allowed for some risk taking since I knew I had a resource list to check back with. However, once I really started building my site I did not really use the toolkit much. Google and especially Youtube became my main resources. I am a visual learner, so being able to see screenvideos that people had made showing me how to fix a problem was the best tool I could have asked for.

I was more surprised at how much the readings and discussions added to my ability to maneuver through the see of options that exist in cyberspace. It was very valuable to read what my classmates thought of certain tools and how they used them. I found this to be especially true in the digital story assignment. It was seeing how one of my classmates used the same tool I did to make a story, but then also put it through another 2.0 web tool as well. My attempt did not work out quite as well as his, but what I really learned from that assignment is that when dealing with technology, the conventional rules do not always apply.

The Whole Package

In full honesty, I am still processing everything from this course and most likely will continue to do so. Looking back, one thing I really wish I had done from the start was to create a list of all the extra resources others brought to the table. I have started going back and trying to find as many as can, but it is not an easy task.

I really enjoyed the case studies that we had, and found them especially helpful in the beginning. They helped me broaden my understanding of what “Educational Technology” is and the large scope that it can cover. It was a nice change of pace as well to learn how to use many relevant technologies in various scenarios. Even if they were not directed to the age group that I teach (grade 4-8), by discussing within the learning community different ideas of how to approach the same problem, I was exposed to a multitude of ideas that I can adapt to fit my needs.

Through the readings, case studies and discussions all my questions in my initial flight path were addressed and I was exposed to new ones as well. Outside of actually creating my Macbeth Course, learning how some of the more seasoned tech teachers use social media effectively was very helpful for me. Before this course, the idea of a class blog was as daunting as creating a web site. Reading through some of the MET veteran’s posts was easily the most inspiring part of my ETEC 565 journey. It not only gave me an idea of where I want to be eventually with my own tech expertise, but it was very comforting to know that before they had taken 6 or 8 other courses, they were similar to me. In everything, it is always good to have role models and in this course I had several.

What’s Next?

 I am taking two more courses in the summer term, ETEC 511-Foundations of Educational Technology and ETEC 530- Constructivism Strategies for e-Learning. I still have a long way to go to complete my MET, and I am hoping to continue to build off of what I have started in ETEC 565.

Outside of the MET I plan on getting to know Dreamweaver better so that I can use it to build my next Moddle site. I would like to be able to build one-two more courses to accompany the one I have already completed. I also plan on spending more time familiarizing myself with what is out there for blogging options. This is an idea that still makes me nervous, but I feel like I have a much better handle on how to approach it and what I need to be aware of.

My Moodle

I would like you to please view my Act I and Act II module as my graded submission for this course.