In reflecting on
EDLD 5366, I can’t help but think about how scared I was at the beginning of
the class. I knew very little about
digital graphics, animation and web design and it overwhelmed me that I was
enrolled in a graduate level course where I was going to be required to
complete assignments on these topics.
The exciting part is that I currently find myself using the skills I
have learned over the past five weeks almost daily. The first thing that we
learned in class was the 4 elements of design - Contrast, Repetition, Alignment
& Proximity. I find myself analyzing
items with CRAP all the time now. In my
current job, I am constantly training other teachers. I make Power Points and handouts for these
trainings and this skill has enabled me to make both of these items better
learning tools. It has taught me to use
contrast to make items, such as text, to stand out. Repetition reminds me to keep my theme throughout
the page. Alignment is very important
for visual connections and proximity makes sure that all of the important
information is grouped together. I have believed
this is the most important thing I learned in the class because it is important
for everything you create.
Self-Branding
was another important concept I learned about during the class. I have since discussed this with my high
school and middle school students. They
found the lesson very interesting and I hope will take this information to
heart. According to Alcantra (2009), one of the most important things about
self-branding is being consistent and thinking about how you want to be
perceived. Brands stay with you forever,
so they are worthy of detail and thought.
The Digital Bloom’s Taxonomy will definitely come in handy in my
future. I believe that every teacher
should have a copy. I love the examples
it gives for each level.
Reflection was
the emphasis of week 5. According to
Gerstein (2011), “The only way that educators can teach
and promote reflective practice by their students (of all ages) in their own
classrooms is to engage in, embrace, and fully understand this process
themselves.” I reflect regularly on my daily lessons
and meetings. I have found my reflection
very helpful. I also expect my students
to reflect on their learning and how it related to their own lives. I believe that the hardest part of being
reflective is being honest with yourself.
I believe that it is important for teachers to model good reflecting, so
when we expect our student to reflect it is effective and honest. Through reading this week’s material, I
gained more knowledge about reflective questioning and e-portfolios. I hope to begin utilizing these in the
future. Barrett (2005), suggested many
great ways to utilize e-portfolios in the classroom. I will keep this information on file for
future reference.
As I reflected
on myself as a learner, I thought back to the strategies I used to complete the
assignments. Collaboration with my team
was key. We learned so much from each
other. Our group kept in touch using
social media, text and our Google document.
We each seemed to have our own talent and were able to come together as
a true team. I learned to depend on
others, critique the work of my team members and have an open mind when I was
offered suggestions about my work. Our
team asked for help and we would go searching for resources on the web. My confidence in finding resources is so much
better.
During my time
enrolled at Lamar, my love for learning has grown. I have learned to look deep into the material
and relate it to my life. I have had to
search for resources and utilize them in my assignments. I have learned the art of true reflection
and the importance of looking deep within the information and myself and
blending my prior knowledge and my new experiences to form new ideas. I feel comfortable using my new acquired
learning as I move into new stages of my life.
As I collaborated with my team, I realized that we built professional
friendships that I believe will continue after we complete our program. I know that we can be resources for each
other. We have different backgrounds,
skills and experiences that make us special.
I am going to challenge myself to dig deeper into web design and student
reflection. I want my students to have
more access to computers in my class.
While studying about the Digital Bloom’s Taxonomy, I decided that this
could allow my students to create projects and apply their knowledge that could
last them a lifetime.
There are
multiple ways I will utilize web sites in my classroom. I could use for classroom management,
interactive worksheets and vocabulary, post videos of lessons, and parent
resources. Websites can also be used to
show off the talents of your students, as well as, teach them important lessons
about design and creation. I look
forward to using these resources in my future classrooms and sharing my skills
to help other teachers.
REFERENCES
Alcantara, Lea. (2008). The
art of self branding. Retrieved from
http://www.lealea.net/blog/comments/the-art-of-self-branding-part-one/.
Barrett, H., (2005). The reflect initiative. Researching
electronic portfolios and learning engagement, collaboration, through
technology. Retrieved from http://electronicportfolios.org/reflect/whitepaper.pdf
Gerstein, J. (2011, August 16).
Where is reflection in the learning process? Retrieved from http://http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/where-is-reflection-in-the-learning-process/.
