In the beginning of this course, I dreaded every assignment. I have never heard of any of these tools or websites and to be honest i cried a lot because the instructions seemed a little vague to me. I couldn't figure out exactly what the teacher wanted, but then i figured out that what he wanted was for us to just become familiar with all these tools and gadgets. Perfection and cool effects can come later, before you learn any of the fancy stuff you have to have the basics down, right?
I enjoyed watching the youtube videos a lot more than I thought I would. My favorites are still the 20 minute speech about creativity and the last lecture. I also like "The Lost Generation" video a lot because it reminded me of the hope and future I want all young people to chase after.
Despite disdaining a lot of the assigned work in this class, in the end, I realized I wouldn't be a good teacher to anyone if I, myself, wasn't a teachable person. I want to help teach people about Yeshua all the time, I'd be a hypocrite if I wasn't willing to learn myself. I didn't understand the need to know all this computer stuff. But most people don't feel the need to learn about their Messiah either. In the end we can see the reasoning why we went through all this stuff. In the end, we all need a Savior and in the end I needed to learn this stuff to use for His kingdom. There are a lot of people who live in the world of blogs and internet networks. I want to reach them too.
I've been playing with a few of the tools I learned about in this class. And I'm beginning to like to use them a lot. I appreciate them a lot more now than I did in the beginning of this class. I'm still not for a no-text book classroom and virtual homework assignments. But I do know that incorporating these tools in my future classroom is necessary. I don't go against the flow for argument's sake. But I don't fault myself or other teachers who truly want to instill other values into their students that don't have anything to do with technology. Technology isn't the answer to everything and I don't want young people growing up believing that lie. I'm not saying it's not useful. It's very useful and people can do and create many things with it. But in the end, a screen isn't a replacement for a true flesh and blood companion. Despite all these networks loneliness and depression are still at an all-time high. What am I supposed to teach teenagers about that aspect?
I don't hate technology; I use it every day. And now thanks to this class, I can use it more effectively. But no matter how many techniques I learn to keep up with the information age, my heart won't ever be convinced that technology is the answer to everything.
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You have made considerable strides in understanding how technology can and is being used to help students learn and to communicate with others. You have also learned to use some of the tools to help students be effective learners.
ReplyDeleteAs you state, however, in your final reflection, there are many things left for you to accomplish to be an effective teacher, both with and without the use of technology.
Let's start with the positives:
1. You have made good use of Wordle and Glogster.
2. You have effectively demonstrated how to use a smartboard.
3. You have created and used a blog, but the blog has been a hurried project which has been resisted with some vigor until the last three weeks of class.
4. You have learned how to make movies and post them to YouTube.
5. You are enjoying watching YouTube movies more than you thought you would. I take this to mean that you have changed your attitude, at least somewhat, toward YouTube movies and are beginning to see how they can be useful in reaching students and helping them learn.
6. You have begun "playing" with some of the tools covered in EDM310 and are even beginning to "like to use them."
7. You state that you have learned that you need to be a "teachable person" if you are to be a teacher.
8. Even though you do not intend to abandon books, you now appreciate the fact that you must use the new technologies to reach the technologically committed youth of today. This is a very important change in attitude on your part. I am convinced that we have moved into a world where most people watch and listen rather than read or write. You may not like it. I may not like it. Whether we like it or not is irrelevant. We have to learn to pursue our goals and objectives in this new culture if we are to be participants in it. It is important that we encourage our students to be producers of the new media, not just consumers. If they only consume they add nothing to the common good. I think it is vital to do the latter. I am glad you have moved to an understanding of this. Or at least moved closer to this position.
9. The chip you had on your shoulder when you entered EDM310 - a highly anti-technology-in-teaching attitude - has moved slightly. I don't think it has fallen off, nor do I think you think that either. But it has at least moved. Or maybe parts of the chip have fallen off. I have an important question to ask, however. You speak of "…disdaining a lot of the assigned work in this class…" Disdaining means "1. To regard or treat with haughty contempt; despise. 2. To consider or reject as beneath oneself. 3. The feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one's consideration or respect; contempt." Did you really mean to use disdaining? Do you, or did you, think it was appropriate for you to reject the class assignments because they were unworthy?
There are several things that remain for you to accomplish in EDM310, I believe. I have listed them in detail, and with some suggestions about how to address them, in a separate email.
I do repent for using the term, "disdain" because in the beginning I did feel that way. Not that learning all that was beneath me, I just didn't see how it was relevant at first and it seemed tedious to me, like a lot of busy work.
ReplyDeleteBut now, I do see it is relevant not only for education, but for G-d's purposes too. Technology is just a tool, like you said.
I never thought of technology as evil. I use it everyday too after all.
And I do love to learn. I've always struggled with technical stuff so the truth is I gave up on it without giving this class a chance. If nothing else, I did learn that I like learning about some of these things you taught in the class.
I'm not going to lie and say learning media tools is my favorite subject. After studying about G-d, my second choice would be to study languages or life sciences.
But I do love people and I want to learn all the tools to help them. I didn't see how learning all this stuff would help me help someone or teach someone for that matter. But what can I say? A lot of my thinking has changed over the course of this summer.