Meaningful use of Technology in the Classroom: Artifacts and Reflections
Course: 5304G Digital Literacy: Theory, Practice and Research
Professor: Janette Hughes
Artifact #1: Blog:My Crazy Life as a Wife, Woman and Mother
Web address: http://mycrazylifeasawwm.wordpress.com/
As a part of the requirements for this course we were asked to experience a new literacy. We were to engage with this activity. The following artifact is the new literacy in which I used which was that of blogging.
Reflection:
This was my first experience with blogging. I found writing to be intimidating at first. I didn't know what to write about. Do I write about my life or does it have to be related to this program. How am I going to get followers? Do I even want followers? I have never had anyone read my work ( except for editing or marking purposes) on such a potentially massive scale. It is interesting that teachers find this to be a great activity, I found it to be difficult. I can just imaging students feeling the same way. Without a topic to guide you and the idea that it is so public can be scary. I am grateful that I was able to experience this medium in this way as it will allow me to relate to others when I ask them to do this activity.
My blog was a study on my life. I wrote about events that would occur daily being cognizant of my family's privacy. I emailed my family who became my followers and continued to write. In the end it was a valuable if difficult experience. I believe that blogging is a 21st century tool that can be a used as a reflective activity which can be used effectively in the classroom.
This is a meaningful use of technology as it taps in to the core concepts of being a 21st century learner. It is accessed online, it is a reflective practice which is fueled by comments from others. It has the ability to present different aspects of the writers life by connecting it to other sites of interest ie: goodreads, twitter, facebook etc. As well, it is easily accessible and can reflect in the moment activity. It is public which extends one audience out of the realm of the classroom into a more public sphere. This can be good and bad in that safety is always a concern. However, the premise of a blog can always be extended to the classroom in a safe and effective way.
Professor: Janette Hughes
Artifact #1: Blog:My Crazy Life as a Wife, Woman and Mother
Web address: http://mycrazylifeasawwm.wordpress.com/
As a part of the requirements for this course we were asked to experience a new literacy. We were to engage with this activity. The following artifact is the new literacy in which I used which was that of blogging.
Reflection:
This was my first experience with blogging. I found writing to be intimidating at first. I didn't know what to write about. Do I write about my life or does it have to be related to this program. How am I going to get followers? Do I even want followers? I have never had anyone read my work ( except for editing or marking purposes) on such a potentially massive scale. It is interesting that teachers find this to be a great activity, I found it to be difficult. I can just imaging students feeling the same way. Without a topic to guide you and the idea that it is so public can be scary. I am grateful that I was able to experience this medium in this way as it will allow me to relate to others when I ask them to do this activity.
My blog was a study on my life. I wrote about events that would occur daily being cognizant of my family's privacy. I emailed my family who became my followers and continued to write. In the end it was a valuable if difficult experience. I believe that blogging is a 21st century tool that can be a used as a reflective activity which can be used effectively in the classroom.
This is a meaningful use of technology as it taps in to the core concepts of being a 21st century learner. It is accessed online, it is a reflective practice which is fueled by comments from others. It has the ability to present different aspects of the writers life by connecting it to other sites of interest ie: goodreads, twitter, facebook etc. As well, it is easily accessible and can reflect in the moment activity. It is public which extends one audience out of the realm of the classroom into a more public sphere. This can be good and bad in that safety is always a concern. However, the premise of a blog can always be extended to the classroom in a safe and effective way.
Course: 5304G Digital Literacy: Theory, Practice and Research
Professor: Janette Hughes
Artifact #2:Blog Project video
This artifact connects to artifact #1 as it is a presentation based on the blog used in artifact #1
Professor: Janette Hughes
Artifact #2:Blog Project video
This artifact connects to artifact #1 as it is a presentation based on the blog used in artifact #1
Reflection:
The artifact I have chosen is only one of many artifacts that could have been chosen. The Masters of Education program at UOIT is essentially a practice in the meaningful uses of technology. Therefore, I could have chosen anything from the classes I participated in, the presentations I created individually and in groups, even the papers I wrote all of which utilized technology in a meaningful way. However, I chose this artifact because it was one of my first experiences creating a video for public use about a specific topic. The video was about blogs and informed the audience about what a blog is and how it can be used.
I feel that this is a good example of the just one of the many ways technology can be used in a meaningful way.The usage of Camtasia to record the presentation and youtube allowed for my classmates to be able to access at anytime. As well, this presentation shows how my skills of creating content for a 21st century learner were beginning to mature. As I became more comfortable with this type of technology I got more excited about using it for other classes. Janette really pushed us to explore these different literacies in a meaningful using the technology that we will ultimately be using either in the classroom or the workplace.
The artifact I have chosen is only one of many artifacts that could have been chosen. The Masters of Education program at UOIT is essentially a practice in the meaningful uses of technology. Therefore, I could have chosen anything from the classes I participated in, the presentations I created individually and in groups, even the papers I wrote all of which utilized technology in a meaningful way. However, I chose this artifact because it was one of my first experiences creating a video for public use about a specific topic. The video was about blogs and informed the audience about what a blog is and how it can be used.
I feel that this is a good example of the just one of the many ways technology can be used in a meaningful way.The usage of Camtasia to record the presentation and youtube allowed for my classmates to be able to access at anytime. As well, this presentation shows how my skills of creating content for a 21st century learner were beginning to mature. As I became more comfortable with this type of technology I got more excited about using it for other classes. Janette really pushed us to explore these different literacies in a meaningful using the technology that we will ultimately be using either in the classroom or the workplace.