Final Reflection
I was so nervous to take this class! If it hadn't been for my peers convincing me, I would have chickened out! It is not part of my everyday routine to get on the internet and surf the web. I don't love to look on Pintrest, didn't know exactly how a blog worked, and still haven't developed that instinct to look for things online. I feel so grateful I had this opportunity. It was such a great format to learn and explore. I was blessed to have great colleagues to help me along the way, and know that had I needed it, I could have gotten help from the leaders, too.Best of all...I didn't need to pay for daycare to attend! Okay, not best - but pretty good!
The tools I liked the best were YouTube and Google Forms. I have looked up videos on YouTube, but now feel like I know how to save what I find, and use my own YouTube channel. Google forms will be useful as I grow with my new knowledge. I also really liked using the Smart recorder and think that will be a great stepping stone to using some of the other video creation sites. Generally using the blog format from week to week was helpful. I remember the steps (after the first couple weeks) to embedding and posting and generally finding my way around. My least favorite was the digital storytelling, but I think it is just because it seemed unimpressive after everything else. We did already talk about having kids publish a work that way, and I think that will be fun!
I am returning to the classroom excited to try new things, and hopefully will find authentic places to use them. I already know I will use the video making in math and hopefully some Google forms. I am longing for some ipads...I think I will use the blog format for some things on my new website. All that seems like a lot right now, but I am excited - not intimidated!
Thanks for everything. In 20 years, this was a top 5 class!