Reflections on Ed Tech

As this term winds down, I can’t help but reflect on the highs and lows I’ve experienced thus far both as a teacher and as a student.

My experiences on this Ed Tech course have been very enriching for the most part. Certainly there were hiccups, and certainly there were times when the constant assignment demands literally made me ill, but despite it all, I do not regret signing up for it at all.

First of all, I’ve met some fantastic colleagues in education and our diversity as a group has made the Thursday classes a constant source of amusement and excitement.

In addition to meeting new colleagues, I have also been exposed to a whole new world of gadgetry. Terms like “visual presenter” and “pen drive” “pod casts” are not alien to me any more. But even more important than being exposed to technology, I’m seeing ways to move from the vague area of theory into the more practical world. I’m putting my newly learnt Power point skills into practice especially in my Communication Studies classes. My students have even begun to create their own presentations, which has made me feel like a proud mom. Thanks to Miss Popplewell (you really need to check out her website here!) I can now script and produce a pod cast and next term I will be putting this new found knowledge into practice. I finally have some idea on how to create my own website (thanks to Michelle!) and I think I’m going to incorporate it into my teaching next year and I’m excited about that. If I wanted to, I can now create a newsletter using Word, and Excel is not as intimidating as it used to be. Still can’t get the hang of databases though!

My favourite course so far was the Media Literacy course. I thoroughly enjoyed all the presentations we had to do and those skills have come in handy as I work with my Communication Studies students!

Of course, I do not want to sound as if the use of technology has magically erased the challenges of my profession. In order to use the technology, I have to be prepared to do all the running up and down that is necessary to ensure that the class runs smoothly, and despite my best efforts, I still face some of my students’ apathy, insolence and illiteracy. Of course I get discouraged sometimes, and I hold elaborate self-pity parties, but this course helped me to see some possibilities that I hadn’t seen before, and I’m excited…The journey continues...