Thursday 26 May 2011

Mmmm.... Reflections...

I have definitely become a blogging convert over the course of the semester. My attitudes and reservations towards the use of e-learning resources within the classroom have altered and I now feel competent to embed technological elements into my teaching. I think that embedding technology can be an effective time saver, when it is incorporated with a structured pedagogy and this will effectively provide students with new avenues for exploration and interesting learning opportunities.

Engaging with technology is nothing like joining an exclusive club, who speak an 'secret' language, instead it can be used to anyone, anywhere! I think that it is important that we attempt everything and embark on a journey with the attitude that nothing is impossible, almost! We need to learn collaboratively with our students and experiment together to discover HOW technology works because learning is an active, constructive process for us as well as for our students.

I enjoyed writing my blog and found myself engaged in this assignment because I had the opportunity to develop practical skills and to be creative in the process. In my first week, it took me a long time to learn HOW to post a blog, without all of the excessive spacing between paragraphs. I also remember battling with a youtube video, which decided to embed itself into the middle of my paragraph and would not budge. But, I made it! We all made it! SUCCESS!!

Writing a blog requires a very different process to writing an essay. I discovered that blog writing is a much more personal process and I found that my writing style changed from entry to entry, while I was trying to discover the most effective way to express myself. I believe that the key to blog writing it to be honest and express my opinions and to not be afraid of taking chances.

I believe that the shared experience of peer discussions was one of the most beneficial educational experiences and the most constructive. I found it fascinating that we all have different contextual backgrounds and experiences and yet we can all come together and engage in technological discussions. In regards to e-learning, the key is to learn through doing, which is essentially what we are asking our students to do.

In the future, I am interested in creating and maintaining a blog. I believe that it opens students up to new avenues for communication and it provides students with an opportunity to speak in a public forum. I would like to use blogs or wikis in a classroom setting and I would encourage students to be open to engage in technology.

1 comment:

  1. Lexie, that was a wonderful final reflection. It was very emotional to read, it made me feel as though another side of you has been shown to me through your blogging journey. I hope you, and everyone else in our class, leaves their blog online so we may refer to them in the future as they all contain great ideas and links. Well done on overcoming your blogging obstacles!

    ReplyDelete