Final Reflections

As I look back on this course and everything I learned, I can’t help but to be extremely proud of myself.  Technology is not a strength of mine.  Feelings associated with technology for me would be anxiety, frustration, and even embarrassment.  Many people assume I am an expert with technology because of my age range, but somehow I missed that train growing up and never really recovered.  This course made me realize I can get out of my comfort zone and explore web apps that not only engage students, but assist in the learning process as well.  Of all the courses I have taken in this library program so far, I have discussed what I am learning in this class the most with my team of teachers on my campus.

 Here are some notes I have highlighted over what was learned in this course:

Blogs and Blog Readers:

I really enjoyed exploring different types of blog programs out there.  Reading blogs and blogging was not something I did on a normal basis.  I preferred other ways of reading information out there.  After creating a blog for this course, I realized how easy Blogger can be and how useful it is.  Now that I have created a blog, I view other blogs through a different lens.  I am constantly asking myself, “how did they embed that?” or “how can I do that to my blog?”.  I have a lot of room to grow with my blog but I am excited to say I will be using one for my classroom this school year!

Blog Readers is something I have had no experience with prior to this class.  I love the idea of having everything in one spot.  Anything to save me time is a win for me!

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram:

These were the apps I was very scared of as a classroom teacher in today’s world.  I had heard way too many “horror stories” about teachers getting into trouble with these social media apps so I tried to stay away from them.  This course helped me see how these apps can help educators and school districts connect to students, families, and communities.  On the flipside, as a life long learner, I have really enjoyed connecting to resources to help me grow as a teacher through these apps. 

Infographics:

Why have I not been using these all this time?!  There are so many infographic web apps that students can use to produce what has been learned!  These web apps excited me the most because I loved learning about visual literacy and how pictures and texts communicate together like a dance. 

Screencasts:

I found the time spent on screencasts to be extremely beneficial.  It was not the most excited I’d ever been over a lesson, but I saw the benefits in screencasts and how they can be used in the library and classroom.  This is an app I can see myself using on a regular basis because it meets a practical need and is very easy to use and share. 

Cartoons and Comics:

This was an exciting unit for me as an educator because I can imagine how much my students would love to create and produce work using these fun web apps.  I was very glad to explore several cartoon creators.  Each one has it’s own list of pro’s and con’s that come along with the program.  Of all the web apps I explored in this class I think my students will be most excited to use these programs. 

YouTube, Animoto, and QR Codes:

What I loved most about this unit was learning creative ways to include YouTube channels and QR codes in the library.  The amount of views and likes the YouTube videos received in the school districts I reviewed was impressive. Not only were the videos created by the teachers and staff, but also by students!  This was my first time to upload a video on YouTube and it was easier than I though it would be.  I really like Animoto as a video creator and plan to use it again in my classroom and library.

Podcasts:

Confession time-I am one of those rare people that did not listen to podcasts until I had to create one in this program.  Now, I can’t get enough of them.  I am finding myself doing extra chores around the house just so I can listen to a podcast while I work.  On the creator side of podcasts is where I find it to be challenging.  I believe this will take practice and I think I need to become more comfortable with the programs.  In my library, I will have students create podcast once they have learned a program, for various reasons. 

For my Final Reflection Storyboard, I chose to go with Book Creator.  I have seen several of my classmates blog about this app or use it so I wanted to try it myself!

https://app.bookcreator.com/read/library/-Ll4n2MD_oDCdaBZqxIA/R8VhTSyM5zV7Tu5fOQTxitIh7123/OrWQNcBwQeOOwNgWnjLlxQ/4_Yhlqt9RM6_klcSLzYt_A?from=editor