Final Reflection
Where do I begin? As I have mentioned over and over this
semester I am not a very tech savvy person, with that being said, as I looked
at the assignments for this class I was very scared. I thought to myself, how
am I going to get through this class? I must say though at the end of it, I am
very proud of myself for going outside of comfort zone in regards to
technology. This class has taught me a lot, I am happy I took it. Now I feel as
though I can utilize the new skills I acquired and help not only my students
but other teachers. I had never heard of many of the apps we used in this class
much less worked with them. After playing around with them, I learned they were
easy and wonderful resources my students could use to create and present
information learned in a variety of ways. Myself I can honestly say I learned
new ways to help support my students learning and achievement. As the course
went on and I tried new things I was so excited I had to share with my family
what I had learned. They too were creating new things with the apps I used in
class.
Which ones excited you most?
I was most excited to use Animoto and QR Codes. I loved the
idea of creating a book trailer. I never knew I had it in me to create these
wonderful videos. I was excited to attach the book trailer to the QR code.
After reading other ideas involving the QR code, I couldn’t wait to try it. The
scavenger hunt sounded very fun, I’m sure the students will find it fun too!
The cartoons and comics got me thrilled too! I love comics
and cartoons, the sad part is I can’t draw. When I realized I could make my own
using pre made tools I couldn’t wait to begin. After I created my comic I
showed it to my teenage daughter, she said can I make one? We were cracking up
at the comics we came up with. I think students will be excited to make these, especially
if they think they aren’t artists like me!
Which ones were most difficult for you?
Screencasts and Instagram were difficult for me. I had never done or used any of these apps. I
had trouble with the screencast because I tend to get nervous when talking in
front of a crowd. I thought it was going to be easier online than face to face,
6 attempts later, I finally had my screencast. LOL. Instagram was difficult
because I could not upload my pictures. I tried to send them from Facebook and
I simply couldn’t. In the end I saved the pictures in a folder on my desktop
then uploaded to Instagram, which only took 3 hours. I wanted to give up but
told myself you must learn how to use these apps not only for yourself but for
your students. Technology is only going to get harder so I better start
learning now.
Which one (in your opinion) will most benefit students?
In my opinion the screencasts will benefit the students as
well as teachers the most. I love how you can have a step by step video of how
to access or locate information. You can show them how to create presentations
and projects while guiding them step by step. They can view the screencast as
many times as they want, pause wherever they want, and repeat any part they
need to. Parents can also view these videos and help their children with their projects
and presentations. As for teachers I can have a professional development
meeting and use screencasts to show them how to create their own and share with
students and parents.
Esmelda,
ReplyDeleteGreat job this semester! I too was scared whenever I read over all of the modules for the course this semester. We learned so much! I loved Animoto and QR codes as well, because both were really easy to use and I can see how much students and teachers would like working with them. I would like to have my students create book trailers for their favorite books in the library as a way to have students do book recommendations. This course also taught me the importance of having my library on social media as well as YouTube. I cannot wait to use all of my newfound knowledge with my students and share with other teachers.
Becky Sandner
I was very worried and now feel so proud of myself for being able to follow these directions and make these projects! This class was a huge learning curve; one that I hadn't felt in awhile, and although challenging, I feel so much more confident about it!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you had so much trouble with Instagram. But, it seems like you were using your computer instead of your phone. I feel like Instagram is more efficient on a mobile device. Like you, I was super nervous doing a screencast. But, I know this technology will be incredibly beneficial just when it comes to time. I can create screencasts for teachers and students and share them without requiring that one-on-one meeting time. I really want to see my students make some screencasts this year to teach the class. My students are so sketchy about speaking in front of the class, but I think if they shared screencasts on Classroom, they would really enjoy creating and viewing them.
ReplyDeleteThis class was challenging and had me nervous all the time after reading the module. I also thought, What?! Many, many times I took deep breaths and reread the modules to understand. Some apps were more complicated than others, but I am glad we finally reached the end, and we were successful after trial and error until we did a great product with these apps. I learned a lot and am proud to have taken this class. Good luck!
ReplyDelete