Module #8: Reflection

 How are we already over halfway done with October and in the last week of the course? Time has truly been flying and it is slightly frightening! We are currently also in our final week of the first quarter of the school year at my school. This week has been filled with review, projects, and exams, and I am sensing that the students are beginning to feel overwhelmed and stressed. I believe the students at my school are still in the process of returning to normality following pandemic life learning. 

Looking back...

While reflecting on my experience as a student in EDU 776, I realized that my views on technology in education have strengthened. I have always been a proponent of using technology as much as possible in the classroom, especially in this day and age. Making my way through the modules of EDU 776 forced me to reflect on my own technology usage inside and outside of the classroom, which caused me to ask some questions of myself as an individual and as an educator. Am I too distracted by technology in my personal life? Am I using enough technology in the classroom to reach all of my students? Am I using technology effectively in the classroom? In addition to these questions, I wondered about how much personal information of mine is floating around on the internet as a result of decisions that I made in the past. 
SpongeBob gif. SpongeBob pumps his arms up and down excitedly, biting his little yellow lip.
Source: Giphy.com
In my first blogpost during week one, I used the excited SpongeBob Gif to express my excitement for the course and for being so close to achieving my Masters in Education. Eight weeks have since passed and, the course is officially coming to an end, and I can confidently say that my excitement was justified. I took so much away from the course and I am truly excited to continue my growth as an active educator.  





Takeaways...

One of the biggest takeaways for me from the course was the module on professional learning networks. Up until that point I was regularly hearing about professional learning communities, but had never really heard about, or understood the difference between a community and a network. That module opened my eyes to the countless resources available for educators to share ideas, thoughts, and experiences with other educators. In addition, these professional learning networks are great places to learn from other experienced educators. I discovered that platforms that I frequently visit for personal use, such as Reddit, are also fantastic professional learning networks. I have since learned to use Reddit for both personal and professional growth. Another takeaway for me came during week four's blogpost. This blogpost focused on active learning strategies. I discovered a creative way to teach the American Revolution, in which students use PicCollage and AudioBoom to ultimately edit themselves into photos from the American Revolution. This is such a creative and active way to teach and learn about any historical event, and truly led me to brainstorm other creative teaching strategies for my history classes. 

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