EDLD 5352 Course Reflection

I was not really sure what to expect from this course; however, when I dove in head first, I was comforted to know that this course would center around the use of technology in the 21st century. Even though I graduated in 1997 with a fairly good understanding of how to use technology, the technological world is now far more advanced than it was twelve years ago. I was hoping to learn how to incorporate the use of blogs and social networking in the educational setting. I definitely have a better understanding of how to set up a blog and why they are used, and I feel fairly confident that I could implement the use of them in my classroom; however this is a topic that I still would like to learn more about to be completely confident in using them - something I think that will only come from first-hand experience. I didn't have any clear expectations when starting this course. I do feel that I have gained more than I expected and have already set up a blog account for my classes at my school in order to move forward in implementing the use of more technology.

I was able to create a blog account for my school and am currently setting up parameters with my immediate administration - this is something that has never been used on my campus, so we are having to establish some guidelines for school use. The use of blogs at school is a great way to communicate with staff, students, and parents. It is available to all stakeholders who have access to computers and the Internet. However, as a teacher/future administrator, you must take into consideration what is being posted on your blog. It is a public record. Blogs need to be used educationally, not as an informal way to communicate with students about non-school related topics. I also see a benefit of being able to communicate with other schools about school-related content.

There were not many outcomes that I did not achieve. Throughout this course, I have been able to make suggestions to my current administrators about how we could further enhance the use of technology in our school. I see many more possibilities that could be utilized that are currently not. Our campus has the tools available, but the staff needs to be made aware of all the possibilities. This course was able to update my knowledge of technology - I am much more up-to-date on the use of current technology than I was when I started 5 weeks ago. The expectations of this course were average in comparison with other courses I have taken through Lamar. I was able to conquer the objectives and feel comfortable with applying them in my classroom. I had the information necessary to be successful and the ability to do so as well.

In carrying out all that was expected of me, I had little problem in completing the assignments, although some were rather lengthy. Once I figured out how to set up and operate the programs I had never used, the rest fell into place. The directions and guidelines provided by the professors and video segments were helpful in getting started. I did have to research a little deeper in order to be successful in this class only because I had no prior knowledge on some of the technological tools that were being implemented. Learning how to use the new programs was the most challenging part. I have enjoyed this class and have learned many new things.

This class helped me understand not only how to use 21st century technology, but also how I can become a 21st century teacher that creates competent graduates who are ready for the workforce. The 21st century has brought about an abundance of new information and innovative ways to present instruction. In this class, my knowledge about blogging and the multiple uses for blogging has grown tremendously. Through hands-on experience, I also learned how to download and upload information and presentations to my blog. Through the surveys I conducted on my campus, I also realized that I have the ability to be a technology leader, as I am far more educated and utilize more technology than most.

I truly feel that there are great benefits in communicating via blogs. With smart phones and wireless Internet connections, there are so many ways to communicate with businesses and coworkers. Blogging can be a valuable tool for both corporations and educational institutions. So many different entities can be involved with blogs. Posting blogs on the World Wide Web can change the way business is done. This class is evidence as to how blogs have changed the way students can receive and document their education.

One of the main concerns with implementing blogs into the educational setting is making sure teachers and students understand the guidelines for use as well as the benefits they can provide. With the advances in technology today, blogging will continue to grow. What we learn today could always be replaced with a new tool tomorrow with the advances that continue to be made; hence, educators need to stay current with the new trends in technology. By using blogging to communicate, it makes it easy to convey information across the country or world which opens endless possibilities in the educational setting.

In using blogging to communicate in the school setting, administrators can communicate with their staff on an up to minute, daily, or even on a weekly basis. Blogs could be used to encourage professional development by providing a mean of discussion from book studies. This type of communication is more like an open forum where, unlike email, everyone has access to the blog and everyone can communicate through it. With the ability of all stakeholders having access to blogs, everyone from the superintendent down to the teachers and support staff can and should have an open line of communication.