Learning Summary

It seems like just yesterday I was creating this blog for this course and wondering just how much I would really use it. As it turns out, blogging has become one of my favorite things to do! I never knew how many people blogged and for the vast amount of different topics that can be found. I have been able to see so many exciting topics for educational technology that I would never have seen before if I hadn't had to blog in this course. I enjoyed being able to read others blogs and reply in regards to their original posting. After creating the blog for this course, I decided I wanted to create one for my classroom. I think it is a valuable tool that young students need to be able to understand and use. My kids love the idea of being Blogger of the Week!

Another aspect of this course that I now use in my classroom is Twitter. I literally could not think of a reason why we needed to create a Twitter account for this course. It just didn't seem necessary. I didn't realize how beneficial it could be until other classmates began posting links to educational blogs or articles that I could incorporate ideas into my own classroom. After creating the twitter account for this course I saw that it was an easy way to pass along brief bits of information. Many parents do not want to sit and read a long email from a teacher informing them of all the new things going on in their classroom or upcoming events. Parents would prefer to read something short and to the point. Twitter does just that! I created a class Twitter account and now post my nightly homework and any important information regarding our classroom.

I feel that this course has opened my eyes to educational technology and the growth that is still to come. I have incorporated many different aspects from this course into my classroom and know where to look for further ideas. Education and technology are two parts of life that are constantly changing, so why not mix the two? I think the future is bright for our students and filled with opportunities surrounded around technology.

Thanks for a great semester! Good luck to everyone!