EDLD 5366 Reflection

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/.