The outcomes I envisioned for this course were to learn more about educational technology curriculum, learn about technology plans, learn more about the Educational Technology Leadership program, participate in online discussions, and learn about key topics in educational technology through readings and discussions. I was able to achieve all of those outcomes. We looked at our states curriculum for educational technology and examined each of the standards. We also look at our school and state technology plans. In addition we had numerous readings and discussions on key topics relating to educational technology. All of the outcomes I envisioned aligned with the course outcomes; however they were only a small part of the actual outcomes for the course. Outcomes I did not expect were the personal assessment in week one, creating and using as many Web 2.0 tools as we did, creating a professional vita, and developing and drafting my internship plan. I feel that I was also able to achieve those outcomes as well.
Many of these outcomes are relevant to the work I do in my school. As a high school technology teacher many of the topics directly relate to my curriculum. Topics relating to cyber ethics, online safety, and Web 2.0 tools can be used in my classes as part of the main curriculum, not just weaved in or a supplemental activity. The Web 2.0 tools are also very relevant to what I do. I have not used many of the Web 2.0 tools before. I can now use them to enhance my classes by providing an information site for students, or to allow students to collaborate and participate in discussions. The self assessments helped me to recognize my strengths and realize my weaknesses and focus in on what I need to improve. Evaluation of the school and state technology plans will also help me understand what my school is planning for in the future and what they need to improve upon or implement to reach their goals. It also helped me to determine what is required of the school by the state and allows me to help my district in fulfilling those requirements.
The outcomes that I was not able to achieve were reading all of the articles, attending all of the web conferences, and using my own district and state data for the technology assessment data assignment. Reading all of the articles was difficult, especially in the first couple of weeks. Time was the biggest reason. As the class went along I feel that I was able to manage my time better and find opportunities to read more of the articles. I would typically print out the articles and read them when I had a few free minutes. I was also not able to attend all of the web conferences for a couple of reason. The main reason is my home computer does not have a web camera and the age and processing speed of the computer prevented me from installing one. For the web conferences I did attend I had to borrow a computer with a webcam. Other times I was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. The last outcome I was not able to achieve was using my own district and state technology assessment data. I was unable to find it after spending a considerable amount of time looking for it. I had to then use a district from Texas, but I would have preferred to have the information from my own school.
In carrying out the course assignments I felt I was successful. I was able to complete all of the required assignments according to the criteria for each. I completed all of the self assessment for the articles and videos. The only assignment that I was not able to find the information I needed was the evaluation of my campus and state technology assessment data. After being unable to find it, I had to choose a distinct from Texas to complete the assignment. While this taught me how to interoperate the data, I would have preferred to complete the assignment using my own school’s data. Another factor in this course was time management. It took the first week or two to adjust to the extra time added to my schedule to accomplish all of the assignments. As the weeks went on it was easier and easier to accommodate the time requirement needed to complete assignments.
From this course I learned a great deal of information. I learned what areas I have strengths in and what areas I need to improve. One area I did not have much experience in was Web 2.0 tools. These are something that I don’t use personally and had never had professional development on how to incorporate them into the classroom. Many of the previous educational technology graduate courses I have taken at other universities did not focus on or incorporate these tools in their courses. It has been several years since I have taken a graduate course and technology changes so rapidly that if you don’t seek professional development in that area you can easily become outdated. I learned that I need to get involve more with and learn more about the many aspects of a school if I want to become a school leader. For most of my teaching career, outside of my teaching duties I was only involved in coaching. I need to participate on and be involved with more of the committees and projects at my school. In all, I feel like I learned more than I anticipated I would. There are many things I learned that will help me become a better teacher and leader.
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