To show everyone my “Summary of Learning” throughout the class I chose to use Tikatok (digital storytelling) and Jing for screencasts. I really enjoyed working with Tikatok. I thought it was great for all ages and it could be used in all classrooms and different subjects. It was easy enough to use and you could choose formats and just upload pictures. My main complaint about Tikatok is that I was unable to purchase my Digital Story because I wasn’t located in the US. I wish that would have been advertised but I still really loved the program, plus you were able to add in your own voice which was awesome! I was really pleased with Jing, it was a lot easier than Print Screen/Copy/Paste!
As a whole, I really enjoyed being in this class. It has given me a lot more confidence in this area. I began knowing enough about technology but now I feel inspired to use it in my future classroom and also empower others to include technology in their own classroom. Some of my favourites were EverNote, so easy to share notes! Google Reader I loved because it gave you a sense of community and through using Google Reader I was able to comment on my classmates blogs. It was awesome to see what they were blogging about and showing interest in. I loved using Twitter for personal use but now I love Twitter because it has showed me that I can network and see what others are doing when it comes to educating youth. What was my favourite part about this class? My blog! I have loved creating a blog and I am hoping to continue to blog. Next fall, I am going on an International Internship to Truro, Cornwall. I am super excited about the experience in general and creating a blog has also gave me the opportunity to keep people up to date. It allows them to continue to be a part of my educational journey. I would have loved more comments on my blog, which was somewhat disappointing. Sometimes I thought why bother if no one is reading it but I am still really pleased with my experience in this class.
All the class Tech Tasks are complete and by having a Tech Task each week it really made you stay up to date and play around with the resources we are learning about in class. My favourites were creating a Google Search Story( see Tech Task # 6) and A Slide and a message (see Tech Task # 5). My most challenging Tech Tasks was creating the podcast because it was new to me, but it came easily and was great to use. Another Tech Task I found challenging was The Door Scene, I loved working with video editing software and I am always happy to learn something new!
I loved this class because it was so practical. I have now started using my blog for other classes and also to put my own lessons online. It is a bit scary that others can see your work but it is awesome that someone can use it and make it their own. I am happy with the pages I created because I feel they will be useful in the future for me.
As an educator I want to continue to try things out myself and also allow my classes to work with technology. This class has taught me to be out there online and be okay to share. If teachers are going to be put to a high standard then why not surpass the expectations of others and make a positive difference online & in the classroom!
Thanks to Alec and all my classmates for a fantastic class! All the best.
-Janelle
Janelle Law 