Reflections on MD 400 course – What is useful? What is challenging? Hopes for the remainder of course? Suggestions for instructor?

Arguably, everything we have learned so far in the course is “useful,” in some way. The operative question for me is, which of the various technologies will be useful in my classroom? Sometimes I struggle to find an appropriate use for and/or the value-added to the technology covered in this course in view of the fact that most of the programs in which I expect to teach will have little or no technological resources available and my adult students have little or no access to technology at home. Many of the resources are geared toward K-12 classrooms and therefore are of limited use to me. This is a challenge that I have mentioned before in other blog posts because it is the primary issue that prohibits me from fully embracing the technology offered in this course. Frequently I wonder, how often will I actually use my learning in this course in the not so perfect real world? That being said, I find the possibilities that technology presents to be endlessly interesting and intellectually stimulating and despite my expectation of less than optimum usage, I have developed some teaching ideas based upon various components of this course. Currently, I am focusing on how I can use this technology to prepare materials for my classes and believe that this is where the value-added rests for me. Further, I am thinking about practical proposals for infusing technology where I teach to try to change the situation so that I can help my classrooms of adult ESL students move toward that more perfect world that includes technology. Therefore, all is not lost!

As the result of the course requirements, I have focused more of my energy on thinking about technology – its pedagogical implications, justifications and applications – rather than on the mechanics of the technology itself. For example, reading and understanding the articles on copyright law, universal design for learning, inquiry-based learning, etc. and my blog posts have required a lot of time and thought. Thus, one hope I have for the remainder of the semester is to be able to shift my attention to learning more of the nuts and bolts. The actual running of the programs such as Photoshop Elements and NVU are a challenge for me and I need to understand them better and to practice in order to feel more confident and to reduce the time it takes me to complete the assignments. Therefore, I wish we would spend more class time on learning and practicing how to use the technology so that we can go home armed and more fully capable of operating on our own. Specifically, the direct teaching of the steps to follow for building our websites is extremely helpful as are handouts such as the one we received for Photo Story 3. As a visual/kinesthetic learner, the most meaningful and valuable classes have been the ones in which we have practiced, step-by-step, with the programs upon which our assignments are based.

Unfortunately for some of us, the lab hours wherein the lab assistant is available to answer questions are not feasible times, meaning that some students are put in the awkward position of always having to ask for appointments or working alone. In the future it might be a good idea to vary the time blocks of the lab schedule, for example, one at 4:30 and one at 7 instead of both at 4:30 and/or vary the days, for instance, to a Monday/Thursday combination instead of only a Monday/Wednesday option. Even if I could attend the regular lab sessions, the Monday lab is often too late in the week to complete work in time for the Tuesday class if one hits a snag and the Wednesday lab is often too early in the week after the Tuesday class to be prepared to attack the next week’s projects. Nevertheless, I have learned an enormous amount already, gained satisfaction from my projects and enjoyed the creative challenges they present. Lastly, I am looking forward to improving my skills and the possibility of discovery as this field of educational technology unfolds before me in the remainder of this course.