Final Reflection

When I think back to the beginning of this course and how nervous I was when I learned that we were focusing on technology, I am shocked. This course has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and into the world of technology and use tools I would not have known about or tried on my own. I feel as though I have gained so much knowledge during these past weeks on how I can incorporate technology into not only my future library, but also my classroom instruction.

Having used and learned so many different technology tools and apps it’s hard to narrow down which ones I enjoyed using more. My students are at the age where social media is EXTREMELY important to them and they are always talking about Vine videos, so I’ve always wondered about it secretively but never tried it until this class. I enjoyed creating my Vine and my Animoto for my assignments. I found both to be enjoyable and fun but also easy enough for me to understand how to use as a first time user. Having easy access, being able to manage and seeing how a tool can be used throughout content areas will always score major points for me. I also find myself being a mix of a visual and auditory learner, so being able to visually see things and hear like watching a movie or television was a big plus for me. I enjoyed working on my Vine video so much I attempted to make one for my class this upcoming school year, so I hope they get a laugh out if it as much as I do.

If I had to choose the most difficult assignment in this course, it would have to be the Infographic that was created. While I can definitely see how it could really be beneficial for a visual learner or even a kid who wants to create their own copy with their own artistic drawings, this assignment was the most difficult for me. I think trying to take so much information and pick apart the most important aspects and then turn it into a visual that can be easily read and understood stressed me out to a certain degree. I found myself getting frustrated with my work and how to properly place certain words or graphics. In the end I was happy with what I created, but after reading other blogs I saw people who were able to do more amazing things with their infographic than I did.

I believe that with technology playing such a big role in students’ lives it is important to find something that as educators will stick with them and help them to learn in the best way possible. I think all of the tools leaned about could be beneficial to individual learners in their own way, but I do see more of the QR codes, YouTube videos, and Twitter being more appropriate for my learners. I think YouTube will be a great resource for engaging videos, tutorials, and also getting students involved by doing something that appeals to them. QR codes which I had previously used for Math can be used in a completely different way than I had thought of. I think it would be great to use as a tool to give students and parents information, resources, handouts without the copies. Twitter is going to be amazing this year to help me with summarization and reading skills. I can’t wait to try it with my kiddos.

As a librarian I know my role will be to guide and teach others how to properly use and manage these wonderful tools and show how it can influence the learning. As a librarian I know I will need to be knowledgeable, so I think it will be important to be willing to try new things that are out the comfort zone in order to have an impact on students and create change in how skills are taught. This overall was an incredible class and I can’t wait for the day to be able to take everything I learn and apply it.