Looking Back....

Well, this is somewhat sad. I went into this class not really excited about taking it. I am an older student who was afraid of the whole computer idea! Now, I am so glad I have learned many things from Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I was a student who did not even know how to cut and paste. When I mentioned I did not know how to do this, I will never forget Dr. Strange reaction. It was like "You don't know how to cut and paste," but he never made a big issue of it. He showed me what to do and went on to something else. I bet he did not know he would have a student in that much need of help. Since the semester began, I have to say I have majorly improved. Our first big project was making our own blog. Who would have ever thought I would have a blog? Now, I could not see my self communicating any other way, especially when it comes to my future students. I had a first experience with Google docs. We had a presentation to do and I actually learned to do this! We had to gain knowledge from our own personal learning networks, which helped keep up on the latest ideas in education. Comments for Kids was a project that we had to keep up with weekly. This was never a dread. It was always exciting to see what the kids were working on and how far things have advanced since I was in elementary school. It was also interesting to see what your classmates were posting about. I made a few attempts to keep up with Dillon and Jennifer. The professional blog was a little more important to me. Maybe it is the fact that I can use this in trying to find a job one day, and it was a little more formal. I learned about spreadsheets and forms. I would have never used this before. Now, I have knowledge to create my own. Project 10 and 11 were great! My group and I had so much fun creating movies on particular topics. How I was in the movie both times is still a mystery to me? But, If it helps me get a good grade, I will certainly not complain! Skype. I almost forgot! I absolutely loved skyping! I have encouraged several of my family members to get on board. I know my little boys would love to see who they are talking to at times. I am not sure there are things that I would have liked to have learned. I feel so much better about how much I already know by taking this course. I did not find anything overly challenging. What I learned, I know will be beneficial to me in the future. I was not bored at any time. There was always something that could be worked on during any spare time. I felt the class was right on track. We pretty much was on schedule for the assignments and projects. From when I started, I feel I have come a long way! I would not say that I was great, but maybe in time I will get there. I will maintain my tech literacy by using what I have learned. Even thought I will not be in the class, I will continue to blog, Skype, use Google docs, and update my professional blog when needed. A big thanks goes out to Dr. Strange for helping me get out from under the rock where I had been living!