The Final Blog

So as the class draws to a close, I must reflect on my experiences. First, the discussion aspect was very challenging for me to handle. As a relatively quiet person, I find it difficult to interject my opinion or question when it has already been addressed. I don't want to say something just to say something. I understand that discussion needs to be part of the online experience, but I find that it pales in comparison to live conversations.

Second, the web quest was the most challenging assignment in the course simply because it is so far outside of my comfort zone. I think this is due in part to my subject area and in part to my lack of experience. I really see the value in the web quest concept. Having students engage in authentic problem solving using modern technology as the primary resource is a huge step in the right direction. Unfortunately, I feel as though I may hold my students back in this regard simply due to my ignorance. I am relatively young, 28 years old, and I have always had computers as a part of my life. However, even when I was a kid, the internet was just being born and has exploded only in the past 10 - 15 years or so. While that gives me an advantage over some of the more veteran teachers, compared to the students, I am sort of outdated. This experience has taught me that I must push myself to excel, even when I am not forced to.

Third, the podcast assignment was probably the smoothest, but since I am slightly anal retentive, it took me a while to get each recording just right. As an educational tool, I can certainly see the value here. However, in mathematics, not much lends itself to the audio format. I think that video podcasting would be much more useful, especially as a tool to help struggling students or those who are absent.

Lastly, the instructional website and CMS were the most interesting assignments. I found myself dabbling with all of the features and finding it difficult to hone in on what features I actually could use. In both of these assignments, I was actually overwhelmed  with choices. I suppose that's a good problem to have. These tools are certainly relevant and I dare say necessary as we enter deeper into the technological age.

So, I guess this is it for this blog series, maybe more to come?