Oh the places you'll go! I started with thoughts of Dr. Seuss, and I end with thoughts of Dr. Seuss. I really do feel like I have been on a journey because it has had its ups and downs, its good times and bad! I went back to one of the bad times - Thing 5, before beginning this reflection, and when I went to subscribe using Bloglines, got the message that it was down and would be back shortly! So this just reminds me to keep things in perspective. As wonderful as technology is, it is not perfect, and won't always do what we hope it will do, so we need many ways of instructing and reaching students. That being said, I have so appreciated this course. I am not nearly as daunted by the internet and what it has to offer. I want to explore and learn more! Before I thought others would do it, not me, but I feel so much more ready to use what I have learned to reach students, parents and my peers. I really do feel that all educators need to move into the world of technology. We need to stop teaching the way we were taught and start taking some risks in order to reach our students, because you know what? They are bored! The flip side of this however, is that we can't just have our students sitting in front of computers all day, we need to make sure they are moving, so that still lends itself to a different way of teaching. I do plan to have a blog next year that will connect me to my students, the parents of my students, and to my peers. As a Teacher Consultant, I do see the need to have a "place" to bring it all together. I never thought of a blog as being that place before, but I do now. I love putting things into the blog, images, videos, links, that will be my goal as a blogger, to keep it interesting and relevant by using these tools. I will be practicing all of the things this summer. I am hoping the blog that has been created through this course will still be a blog we can access and work on. Every one of these things has taken a great deal of time, and to learn new things that stay with you, one needs to revisit! So I thank you for this opportunity. I do feel that I have been successful in my attempt to "learn new things," but I also know that I need to realize the journey is not over. Oh, I especially love wikis and see such a use for them. These I want my peers to know about and I will tell them!
Rosemary
We agree - you have been very successful. Congratulations on your completion of the course. The 23 Things site will remain available for you to return to anytime. Your blog will not be linked to on the site after the end of this session, but you will always be able continue using your blog, and we hope you do.
ReplyDeleteYour experience with sites like Bloglines sometimes being "down" is kind of the way the Web works. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen, and you will become a better and more patient problem-solver as a result.
You're not the only participant who has mentioned the importance of taking risks in your learning for the purpose of engaging kids. You'll never know how successful you can be if you don't try.