Learning Outcomes

At the beginning of this class, I was very intimidated by the thought of having to rely on technology.  I have always been weary of technology and assumed that it was unreliable and would fail on me when I needed it most.  Throughout the semester, I have learned that this is not the case, and I have learned and experimented with numerous ways that I can actually use technology to my advantage. 

I am now aware that as teachers in the Web 2.0 world, it is our jobs to keep up with the ways that the world is evolving and to adapt to the technology that students are using in their free time.  If a student can use technology to stimulate their interests in their free time, it would be unproductive to attempt to gain their attention with something that is dull and uninteresting.  Through the use of programs such as Voice Thread, powerpoint, and many different search engines and web quests, I have discovered numerous ways to make learning seem like something more than the same old lecture style or using a paper and pen.

I was intimidated at first, there were many things I was not sure of, and I needed help along the way, but I am proud to have been able to complete all of the assignments.  I have completed assignments and used resources that I had no idea existed or thought that they were too complicated for me.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to take this class now and get a head start toward being a Web 2.0 teacher.  I now have a "tool kit" of resources that I can use before I ever step into the classroom to teach for my first day. 

I still have a lot to learn, as is clear by the WoW presentations of my fellow classmates.  Everyone did a fantastic job, and it was a great experience to be able to see some of the things that everyone else was working on.  Now, in addition to what I learned on my own, I now have an every bigger "tool kit" of resources thanks to my classmates presentations, which made me aware of many other resources that I did not know existed.  I look forward to playing around with some of those resources in my spare time and being able to understand them even more and figuring out how I can use them to teach.