I am reaching the end of my adventure in Lamar University’s EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology. I was unsure of what to expect with starting an M.Ed. in Educational Technology Leadership while working as a teacher full time. I quickly realized that the workload was going to be at least double of what I had expected but like all things I adjusted quickly.
The first assignments for the course quickly set up learning outcomes by introducing me to self-assessments in technology capabilities. This gave me direction in realizing my own abilities and pointing me towards growth areas. I had hoped to become more proficient in critical areas such as state law and its relation to technology needs assessment. After taking the post course self evaluation I was able to realize that I have indeed grown from before starting the course. Gaps that existed are virtually gone.
I had envisioned that the course would cover topics ranging from technology integration, ethics and copyright and all of these were covered. Each course outcome is extremely relevant to the work that I do. I am a 5th grade bilingual teacher and am frequently asked for help and technical advice with technology integration. Everything that has been presented in this first course will help me do my job more effectively and efficiently. I can take all I have learned and teach it to coworkers and integrate it in my own classroom.
Some theoretical concepts such as the digital native and digital immigrant were eye-opening. I had never considered that whether different technologies have been present since birth or invented later in life that the influence on social development could be so great. I think that with the internet and social media being such relatively new inventions we have a lot to learn about how younger generations will develop and be influenced by technology.
I had hoped to learn more about copyright law. I am finishing this course with a basic understanding of what is protected in educational settings and the ethics that surround copyright implementation. I do feel though that I need to seek out more information to have a more complete understanding. While it is unlikely I will ever be an expert in the field of copyright law, I can continue to improve my understanding by researching and reading more. This course was too short and packed with information to fully assimilate it all.
The course assignments were daunting at times and my time limits with a family and job made it stressful at time. It has taken some adjustment on my part and much understanding from my family to get everything done. None of the assignments were too difficult to complete but required an incredible amount of time to accomplish with a high level of quality and success. I believe it was stated that one needs to dedicate 10-15 hours to the coursework each week but for me that would have only accomplished about half of the assignments with mediocre results. If I am going to do something, I give it my best. That requires a ton of time for this course.
I learned a lot from this course about myself. I realized that although this masters program is a program in Educational Technology Leadership, I am going to have to work harder to develop my leadership skills. I am in the beginning of my third year of teaching and have not had much leadership opportunity or experience. I have recently been asked to participate on the Campus Leadership Committee and have been able to provide some input into campus direction but that is the extent of my leadership experience. I hope that as I become an expert in my field and have more to offer those around me I will be able to lead and guide others in creating engaging learning opportunities through technology.
Through this course I was able to read some very interesting research on technology integration and outcomes on learner engagement. This has allowed me to become more aware of students in my own classroom that respond better to technology infused lessons rather than traditional teaching. With this knowledge I am able to inspire and motivate a greater number of students.
Finally I learned that I have some specific and differing attitudes towards technology than the prevailing minds such as Marc Prensky. I understand and respect the concepts of digital natives and digital immigrants but I still am not sold on the necessity of full digital immersion in the classroom. I feel there needs to be more research on the use of gaming and its effects on psychology and development of youth.
Considering the huge workload for quality completion of this course it was worth the struggle. The knowledge that I have gained is invaluable and immediately pertinent to my work.
No comments:
Post a Comment