I have to admit, I was not entirely sure where this class was going or what the outcomes were when we first started doing the classroom activities. The activities that I really benefited from were the visual learning tools, aka, Screencast-o-matic and VoiceThread lessons, and how to use Google Sites and Google Docs. Since we went over these tools, I used them throughout my semester for class work, and within my organization. I also use Animoto since I learned how to use it in this class. A disadvantage to these classroom activities was the mode of instruction. I really wish the classroom was designed better so that we could face the front of the classroom and follow along with the instructor. I think having the computers set up so that our backs were to the front added an extra difficulty to gaining skills in these new technology programs.
I really liked having these classroom activities leading into the group projects. Knowing how to use these technologies really helped me produce creative ideas for our project. I also liked working in that capacity in a group. Creating a visual presentation was easy to do independently, and then come together and synthesize our portions of the presentation to make them a cohesive visual that communicated the content of the book. However, I didn’t really care for Misa’s book. While it was extremely informative, I don’t see how it helped me to understand how to use technologies in education. I would have liked more readings like Web Tool 2.0, but that went in more depth with detailed examples, of how to integrate certain technologies in higher education.
I really enjoyed reading Carr’s and Shirky’s books. They were really interesting and helped me understand how new technologies displace old technologies. I really like discussing the difference in how each generation thinks or learns as a result of technological advances. I could especially relate to Carr’s book about the convenience of technology and how this convenience changes the functionality of the brain. These two authors gave me a better understanding of why we as educators need to integrate new technologies in classrooms and educational institutions.
Working on this last group project, I learned a lot about iPads and their functionality in the classroom. I never considered all the possibilities iPads had to offer in the facilitation of learning in the classroom. I think it could be a great version of project based learning, which is something I really believe in. Hands-on and active learning, I believe, are the best ways to absorb information and practice the knowledge one acquires. I really didn’t like using Wikispaces as the technology tool for displaying our final papers. The formatting was annoying. If I would make changes and save, the formatting would save as something other than how I left it in edit mode. I just don’t think Wikispace is the most useful of the tools for this last assignment.
Overall, I wish we could have spent more time on Diigo and Google Sites. I think these two technology tools would have been more beneficial in my future organization in higher education. I also think it would have been useful for other students in this class to view a presentation on Smart Boards. I know not every school will use the same technologies, but I think everyone should at least have some familiarity with Smart Boards. I also think this class should have more hands on class activities, in a lab format with everyone facing the front, and less readings. The more we use technologies hands on, the more I find myself using them on a regular basis, like VoiceThread and Animoto.
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