Reflective Post

Photo credit to Brad Flickinger on Flickr

As stated in the text, technology plays a huge part in the youth of today. In our current society technology is everywhere. Today's youth ages 8-18 are called the iGeneration. They have grown up using computers, the internet and cell phones. (p.3) Just walking around a grocery store you will see a toddler on a phone or tablet. And every teenager cannot survive without their phone. So as educators it is time to bring the classrooms up to the 21^st century and bring technology into the classroom.

When I signed up for EME2040 I thought to myself, “Here we go again, another class to get thru.” But now at the other end, all I can say is “I learned so much, this was the most useful class I have ever taken.” I say this honestly, I came in knowing next to nothing about technology, and now I have my own Blog and Webpage. I have created a part of an Instructional Strategy Wiki, created my own WebQuest, rubrics, cartoons, add videos to my assignments and the list goes on. I wish I could say it was easy, but it was not. I spent hours upon hours reading thru everything, watching tutorials and experimenting. But in the end it truly has been worth it.  And even after all the new information I have acquired, I know I still have a ton to learn.

A part of the class that I found uncomfortable for my learning style would have to be working in the groups. Having to meet on message boards was a little difficult. The Instructional Strategy Wiki was easier because we were given a topic and just had to choose the strategy. And ultimately we were mainly responsible for our page. If another member’s page seemed weak we did not have to worry about it. Our grade was mainly based on our individual part. For the Group Lesson Plan, I had a great group. They were helpful and supportive. But choosing a topic was difficult since the choices were endless. It was difficult to critique another person’s work.  Also, for this assignment we were all responsible for the entire project.

As a whole, I think this was an excellent class. Professor Coleman was very organized and thorough in the information provided for us to complete the assignments. The tutorials were very helpful and easy to understand. She made herself available to the class and took the time to help when I asked questions. I am thankful for this learning experience. All the new knowledge I have gained will be very useful in my future career as a teacher. I am looking forward to bringing technology into my classroom.

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.