Reflection
I
have learned a great deal as a student in the M. Ed. in
Educational Technology Program. There were times when things were
challenging, stressful, and time consuming, all at the same time.
I definitely had to manage my time to stay on top of things.
However, it was all worth it. In fact, throughout this program I
learn a number of things that I can apply to my job now, as well
as positions that I may hold in the future such as a technology
coach for a school or district.
The assignments completed in this
Educational Technology program also improved my existing knowledge
and skills in regards to technology. For one, I know more about
editing images. Beforehand, I primarily knew the basics such as
using the Paint program and
PowerPoint. With those programs, I adjusted the color, brightness,
saturation, and size, among other things. Using software such as
Adobe Photoshop and online tools such as LunaPic, I am now able to
create 3D effects, apply filters, layer objects, etc. These
features can result in higher quality images for presentations,
projects, websites, etc.
My skills in video and audio editing
has also increased. I am able to do more than create videos with
programs such as Photo Story that have built in music. Instead,
tools such as Audacity allow me to edit music and other types of
audio before adding it to my videos. Also, Audacity enabled me to
add my own voice recordings to some of my video assignments, i.e.,
the introduction video that is included in the "About Me" section
of my EDET 603 course portfolio which is an artifact for this
portfolio. Furthermore, I learned how to add closed captioning to
videos that I upload to YouTube.
In addition to closed captioning, I
gained insight about accessibility and diverse populations.
Through assignments such as the EDET 735 newsletter and final
project I learned about Universal Design for Learning and
Assistive Technology. This in turn made me more conscious of how I
design and delivery my lessons with the intent of reducing
barriers to learning. I make sure that I provide alternatives for
students with learning and other such disabilities. Similarly,
accessibility guidelines are followed more than they were in the
past. For example, table headings, fonts that are easy to read,
etc. are included in my documents. These things also carry over to
what I do for my school's web page. In fact, I always include
descriptive alt text for images, avoid flashing images, and choose
appropriate text sizes and colors, to name a few.
This Educational Technology program
has also taught me about instructional design (ID). The courses
covered the use of various ID models such as ADDIE and MRK. As a
result, I know how to apply them and how they benefit instruction.
In EDET 722, EDET 793, and other courses lessons were created that
were based on the ADDIE model. Likewise, EDET 793 incorporated
assignments such as an instructional design module that used and
compared three ID models. The requirements insured that we not
only are familiar with ID models, but also that we know the
information well enough to both apply it and teach it to others.
This program has required me to learn
more about html code. As a result, I know how to create and host
my own web page using html code as opposed to a website builder.
HTML code was used to create course portfolios including one for
EDET 703. Each time I learned more about HTML and designing and
developing web pages. In fact, I can now incorporate the use of a
template to improve the appearance of my website. Learning these
things was not easy, but I was able to learn from my mistakes.
This sometimes required trial and error, as well as Googling a
topic on the Internet. On the contrary, a
website builder was used for the EDET 603 course portfolio, the
homework help website for EDET 650, and the EDET 735 newsletter.
In EDET 603, Wix was used because HTML was not required. However,
a website builder was used for the other two courses because I
wanted a professional looking web page. That was the case because
i had not used a template with HTML and for that reason did not
think to consider it as an option. This program portfolio is my
first and only experience with using a template with an HTML
editor. I will continue to do so in the future. Likewise, the next
time I use a website builder I will try a different tool such as
Weebly to expand my options, as well as so that I can see how they
compare to Wix. In fact, I may realize that these tools have more
features than Wix and are better for building websites.
After completing this Educational
Technology program, I will continue to apply what I learned to my
job and share the information and skills with others. For example,
I can incorporate more technology in my instruction and introduce
my colleagues to new forms and uses of technology whenever
possible. Moreover, my goal is to learn even more about technology
by attending workshops and conferences, and enrolling in courses.