To be honest I’m not real sure what I expected out of this course. I really went into this program blindly. I guess my general idea was that we would learn about the foundations of educational technology, why it is important, how it should be implemented in a school district. I guess since I learned about the foundations and the processes, and the ways technology can benefit education, then I did achieve those outcomes. The class was very informative and made me think about things that I had either forgotten about or shed some new and different light on. I can say that I was pretty aware of all the documents, concepts, and programs mentioned throughout the course, but I definitely learned more about them.
The concepts we learned about during this course are very relevant to the work I do at my schools. Now, some of the articles were a bit outdated, and there could be some new information included in the course documents, but the over all ideals are still relevant. The ideals will probably never change completely, just change form. I will say that I was a bit shocked, and unfortunately disappointed, that some of the articles written in 2005 and earlier were relevant. I would have hoped that articles about cutting edge technology and advancing technology in the school systems written that many years ago would be antiquated and outdated. It goes to show that although I believe we are making progress there is still a long road ahead of us.
There really were not any outcomes I didn’t achieve, because I didn’t go into the course with any outcomes that I had envisioned before hand. I guess the only thing I can say that I did not achieve was learning something totally new. Which I guess can be seen as a good thing or a not so good thing. I was hoping there was going to be some big revelation that was shone upon me during the course that would totally transform my life and career. Alas, there wasn’t. But I guess that can be a good thing if you think about the fact that I am at least aware of the major issues and processes that deal directly with my career. Granted I still have a lot to learn about each and every thing we focused on, but at least I’m not totally in the dark.
The course assignments were difficult. I would say that the course was much harder than I had envisioned. I very much underestimated the time commitment this course would be. I have two friends who previously took this course (cohort 1 I believe) and they said they spent about 5-10 hours a week on course work. I would say that I am definitely spending twice that much time, if not more. It is hard to squeeze another 20-25 hours into an already very packed week of being a full-time employee, a full-time, often single-mom, and a full-time student. I managed all the assignments, so far, and didn’t have too many roadblocks along the way. I did at times have to manage some time restraints, connectivity issues, and availability of personnel needed to gather some district information during a weeklong holiday, but I managed to get what I needed. I had to work at a McDonalds in the back hills of Missouri one night to get a Wi-Fi signal since my in-laws are in such a remote area they only have a dial-up connection, but it worked. Also, many of the assignments were confusing to understand what exactly was expected. There were times I had a difficult time trying to decipher what it was that was expected of me. But I guess I did ok.
This first course in my graduate work did teach me a lot about myself. I was pleased to learn that I have a strong core knowledge and background in my field of work. I enjoy my job and I’m glad that I seem to be on track with my career. While creating my Curriculum Vitae it was brought to my attention that I haven’t done much outside of my district. Although I have taught well over 250 hours of staff development courses within my district, I haven’t had much, if any, exposure to teaching or leading workshops outside my area. I’ve already spoken with my supervisor and we are working on setting up some teaching engagements. On a personal note, I learned that I can do this. School and I have not really played well together over the course of my schooling days. I have always struggled with reading, staying focused, and being successful. Although these things still offer me challenges, I know that I can over come them and be successful in this program.
