Reflections on 6310

Reflections on 6310

I chose Instructional Technology for my Master's program for many reasons and this course has supported that decision.

First, I feel technology is where public education must advance.  My schools are not keeping up.  Many of the teachers around me act like fish out of water when asked to use more current technology.  I am not a dead fish yet but I was heading that way.  Staying informed, educated and prepared for new technology in the field of education requires extra time and effort that seems to be spent on other educational needs.  This major, this class in particular, has opened my eyes to see more opportunities  that are available for my students, my schools and myself.

My individual learning style:  I do not like a class where there is no interaction with the teacher.  Maybe no immediate interaction or even face to face might be more a more appropriate description.  I don't like sitting quietly and not participating.  Even if my input is incorrect, feedback from the teacher guides my thinking and allows me to restructure my thoughts.  I found that rarely happening in this class.  It was a long, slow, changing process.  I felt like some of the “dinosaurs” in my school, “I've done it this way for 15 years and done it well, why should I change now?”  

The teacher can create an attitude of interest and desire that motivates a student to do better.  That is hard in this situation.  In the classroom, I knew I was at least on camera, so I looked attentive.  Was I completely focused? Rarely.  But I did feel more focused that the rest of the class seemed to be.  I only brought my laptop one time, as it always seemed to be easier to find other focus points rather than the topic being discussed and presented.  Observing other computer screens, it seemed to be a rather common practice to listen with one ear and do other things that were more interesting. 

At home, the same situation presented itself.  Now the distractions are the family and pressing needs there.  I actually found myself focusing better at home because of the headphones and the computer right in front of me.  My children had to physically disturb me to get my attention.  The background banter from the classroom, while refreshing and necessary, was absent and the background noise from children playing, complaining or working was reduced by the headset.

I like watching people and how they act in different situations.  It is something that makes teaching 5 days a week for the rest of my life exciting, invigorating and never boring.  In an online class, how you perceive someone in only based on their two sentences of input.  Without our introductory course in Logan, I really think I would be less likely to ask for advice or help from others in the class.   The amount of expertise and experience in our class was incredible.  Input, insight and practical experiences shared by others were very helpful to me in recognizing areas of concern I will need to prepare for in the future. 

I visited the ITLS website much less frequently than the bb.usu website, mainly because I could never log in with my password and always had to have it resent to my e-mail address.  I am a little concerned for next semester because of the moodle class.  I don’t have much extra time to play around with my computer or new software, and I tend to quickly forget new items that I don’t regularly use.  Second Life looked like a lot of fun, but I think it might be called second life for a reason.  I can’t evaluate it yet, but it seems like an outlet that could have definite positive and negative consequences.

I really enjoyed the glimpse into the many different learning theories.  Some of the preconceptions I learned about have changed my teaching style to include more background and foundation.  The information presented about multiple intelligences encouraged me to create more ways to teach and learn in my classroom.  It was difficult to pull all of the learning theories presented into useful snippets for my classroom, but it made me more aware of available theories and technologies.

Bottom line: I have a lot to learn.  But I am on the way and I am excited to use what I am learning in my classroom.  I have enjoyed the online course, but I am thankful that the Ogden group was large enough to make it feel like a “classroom” as well.  

Harold Zentz