Erin’s Educational Technology Journey

In module two, I got to know what the term “presentation tools” really refers to!  The module challenged us to explore learning management systems (LMS), DVD authoring, website authoring and to compare and contrast. Not only did I participate in discussions, but I also had the opportunity to try some of the Toolkit activities. I completed the LMS and the DVD authoring activity, then I moved into social networking and blogs as module two turned into module three. The assignments in this module were challenging for me: designing an LMS rubric, selecting my own LMS and preparing an LMS proposal. I have never done any of these before, but I feel confident that I am well prepared to embark on this task if my professional career calls for it. I feel this module did prepare me for the selection of presentation tools, and area that is often blanketed by the notion of “get the latest” or “use the most popular”. A thorough analysis will reveal that the latest or most common tools might not meet learning or teaching needs.

What did I come away with?

First of all, how important it is for an educator to take the time to select appropriate tools to meet student needs. This is really a top priority for me and all of the activities seemed to be reinforcing. We have to make an effort to relate to our students and envison their perspective on learning.

In addition, I also used the frameworks we studied in module one (NETS, SECTIONS. 7 Principles) to explain my rationale. Beyond simply making connections to materials, I realized the importance of a learning community. My ideas in the discussion threads often ended by posing a question to other students. This enabled me to participate in our community of inquiry as I found the problem-based scenarios very challenging.  I learned from the ideas of others and examined issues related to the selection of presentation tools from a variety of angles: teachers, administrators, media designers and graduate students! I appreciate how our course is designed after exploring the frameworks. I can imagine how difficult the selection of appropriate tools (this wiki, for example!) was. 

I feel that I’m “sticking to” my flight path. I have certainly done well in exploring LMS issues in theory and I’m challenged to design my own LMS (Moodle) site in practice.  Now, on to module three!