What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
When approaching the course, Concepts of Educational Technology, I was not clear what I would be required to do. My belief that technology was going to become a much more powerful tool in the future of education was what led me to this course, and that belief was more than confirmed in these last five weeks. I envisioned a class that would teach the current technologies that are applicable to classes that are online. I did not consider how much technology can and should be incorporated into the classroom. I also did not think I would meet anyone in this class that I could interact with and get to know. I was wrong about that, also. The class wiki and our individual wikis have been a powerful tool for communication with other classmates. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet them and hear their comments through their videos, blogs and wikis.
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?
I wanted to learn new technology and become acquainted with what is available for online teaching. I am not teaching at a public elementary or secondary school, but my goal is to help teachers improve their online classes at the undergraduate level. I believe online classes are the future of college education, and most of the colleges are still in a learning curve to transition to this mode of teaching. At Brazosport College, the students seeking a bachelor’s degree are mostly working people that want to improve their skills. There is a tremendous demand for online classes as students recognize the opportunity. This course is very relevant to my goals as it has introduced me to a new world of technology that should be harnessed in these online classes.
What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
I have been overwhelmed by the volume of work in this class. Trying to do the Draft Internship Plan and the Principal Competencies and Skills for Principals Campus-Supervised Activities Chart in one week, in addition to the readings, discussions and reflections took me over forty hours this week. That has been my experience in all five of the weeks. I am not sure if I am in a steep learning curve, and it takes me more time than most to finish the assignments, or if there is just more work than just the 15 hours that is suggested the assignment should take. Because there was such a large volume of work this week I feel I did not do my drafts as carefully as I would have liked. Because it is a draft, I believe I will have the opportunity to improve on them as the internship advances. Having said that, I have enjoyed all the information I have learned, and feel much more informed about what is happening in educational technology.
Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
I was successful in carrying out all the course assignments. Each assignment was laid out well and in logical order. It was a challenge to figure out all the different places that needed to be visited and checked. At first, I was very frustrated because I thought I was missing things. I felt everything like the cohort, Zimbra, Tk20, Epic, blogs, wikis, Lamar Partnership and Lamar websites were swimming in my head for the first few weeks, and I was dizzy! After about the third week, I began to find there was a method and order to all the information. I actually began to like the moving around the web. All my other online classes have been located with everything in one spot, and it was easy to see everything at one glance. I know now there was a purpose to all the jumping around we did in this class, to get us out of our comfortable, safe rut.
What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
This one course has taken more time than when I took four classes at one time. I learned that I am willing to pay the price to finish this course, no matter how much time it takes. I was not sure about that before I started. The reason I am now committed is because I think this program is worth the work. Everything in this class, including the technology applications, the discussions, the videos, the emphasis on correct citations, the readings, and the interaction with classmates in wikis and blogs, have helped me become more resolved in what I want to do. I have always been interested in education: in and out of the classroom. Having homeschooled over 20 years, I have looked for different ways to provide educational opportunities for my children to learn. In educational technology, I see an avenue for learning not just for my children, but for students all over the world. What an exciting field! I am ready for more!
When approaching the course, Concepts of Educational Technology, I was not clear what I would be required to do. My belief that technology was going to become a much more powerful tool in the future of education was what led me to this course, and that belief was more than confirmed in these last five weeks. I envisioned a class that would teach the current technologies that are applicable to classes that are online. I did not consider how much technology can and should be incorporated into the classroom. I also did not think I would meet anyone in this class that I could interact with and get to know. I was wrong about that, also. The class wiki and our individual wikis have been a powerful tool for communication with other classmates. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet them and hear their comments through their videos, blogs and wikis.
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?
I wanted to learn new technology and become acquainted with what is available for online teaching. I am not teaching at a public elementary or secondary school, but my goal is to help teachers improve their online classes at the undergraduate level. I believe online classes are the future of college education, and most of the colleges are still in a learning curve to transition to this mode of teaching. At Brazosport College, the students seeking a bachelor’s degree are mostly working people that want to improve their skills. There is a tremendous demand for online classes as students recognize the opportunity. This course is very relevant to my goals as it has introduced me to a new world of technology that should be harnessed in these online classes.
What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
I have been overwhelmed by the volume of work in this class. Trying to do the Draft Internship Plan and the Principal Competencies and Skills for Principals Campus-Supervised Activities Chart in one week, in addition to the readings, discussions and reflections took me over forty hours this week. That has been my experience in all five of the weeks. I am not sure if I am in a steep learning curve, and it takes me more time than most to finish the assignments, or if there is just more work than just the 15 hours that is suggested the assignment should take. Because there was such a large volume of work this week I feel I did not do my drafts as carefully as I would have liked. Because it is a draft, I believe I will have the opportunity to improve on them as the internship advances. Having said that, I have enjoyed all the information I have learned, and feel much more informed about what is happening in educational technology.
Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
I was successful in carrying out all the course assignments. Each assignment was laid out well and in logical order. It was a challenge to figure out all the different places that needed to be visited and checked. At first, I was very frustrated because I thought I was missing things. I felt everything like the cohort, Zimbra, Tk20, Epic, blogs, wikis, Lamar Partnership and Lamar websites were swimming in my head for the first few weeks, and I was dizzy! After about the third week, I began to find there was a method and order to all the information. I actually began to like the moving around the web. All my other online classes have been located with everything in one spot, and it was easy to see everything at one glance. I know now there was a purpose to all the jumping around we did in this class, to get us out of our comfortable, safe rut.
What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
This one course has taken more time than when I took four classes at one time. I learned that I am willing to pay the price to finish this course, no matter how much time it takes. I was not sure about that before I started. The reason I am now committed is because I think this program is worth the work. Everything in this class, including the technology applications, the discussions, the videos, the emphasis on correct citations, the readings, and the interaction with classmates in wikis and blogs, have helped me become more resolved in what I want to do. I have always been interested in education: in and out of the classroom. Having homeschooled over 20 years, I have looked for different ways to provide educational opportunities for my children to learn. In educational technology, I see an avenue for learning not just for my children, but for students all over the world. What an exciting field! I am ready for more!
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