Blog Post 13

I learned a lot of things in EDM 310 that will help me be an incredible teacher in the 21st century. Being technologically literate does not come easy, but it is worth the time and occasional frustration. I always wanted to be a teacher who implemented technology in the classroom and now I have some knowledge of how to do it effectively. Blogging and podcasting were things I had heard of, but not anything I had thought about using with students. Now I know I will be using both in my future classroom. Blogging is a great way for students to reflect on and internalize learning.

There are so many great, free online tools available that I never knew about. Google Docs, Screentoaster, Timetoast, and Evernote are instruments I will be using a lot for myself and with students. Having an online place to create and access your presentations and other documents is a wonderful way to work. Thanks Google! I had always been afraid to post anything on You Tube, but now that I have been forced to, it is not so scary anymore. I think I will make some videos just for fun and post them now. I look forward to having students create videos and see how creative they are with them. I really like the Smart Boards, too. No matter what anyone says, they are great tools and if you are lucky enough to have one in your classroom you should be utilizing it to the fullest extent.

One thing I realize though is you are never totally technologically literate. There are varying degrees of this type of literacy. Things change so fast and there is so much information available at our fingertips it seems impossible to keep up with. That is why I like my PLN so much. I am going to try to incorporate Twitter. in my life as well. Sharing ideas and information with others is the only way to stay on top of what is going on in education and technology. With people all over the world collaborating to make learning more relevant and exciting the future of education seems very bright to me.

There are many things I would tell someone who was getting ready to take EDM 310. First and foremost, keep on top of your assignments. Make sure your blogs are posted on time and if there are any assignments you can finish early, do it. Be creative. Jamie Lynn told me she pretends she’s a kid when she is trying to tap into her creative side and that helped me. Also, when you are doing your blog assignments, keep a word document open to jot down notes. Some of the videos you watch are pretty long and you will not remember everything you wanted to say in your blog post unless you take notes. Use pictures for your blog posts. Try to be creative when choosing them and do not forget your “alt” and “title” tags! Check the class blog everyday. There are often assignment changes and you never know when they are coming so be flexible. But most importantly, have fun. The class is enriching and what you learn in it will make you a better teacher so enjoy it!