What I Learned This Fall...

I learned that I am as tech clumsy as I thought I was, but also as smart and capable as I think I am. I knew that I could do most of the things we experienced in this class and that it would just take time. Taking the time is the hard part. Setting aside time AND setting time limits actually worked well for me and is something I hope to remember and do for myself. So instead of thinking I don't have time or I'll find the time later, think, I want to do this and I have this much time to do it in.

I learned that I have to connect to colleagues and friends in new ways because life is so busy I can't keep up anymore. I learned that Foxfire is soo much better and gmail applications are fun, easy, creative, and time/space saving. I learned that I love the idea of shared work, to keep you on your toes, get you motivated, and expand your thinking. I think we tried a good variety of tech applications within the context of immediate professional use (I appreciate that), and learned how to be a responsible professional with them. I also understand the web so much better; variety of resources, more efficient searching, and learned critical web reading skills.

Personally, I've added Linkedin and the gmail tools to my "work space and place" organization and "supplies". I will use all the projects we did in the class with my students, except for the video for lack of equipment. My art class will do a "Day in the Life" book of school; my hotlist will get used in science , and the whole class will hopefully enjoy the WebQuest and be healthier for it. I will also be using more technology with my CSU East Bay students - the younger ones will say "great" and I can scaffold the older ones to feeling capable and thankful. I will use more of the web in my class to save us all time, paper, and gas with at home learning opportunities. I can 't wait to have my first class Google Group and blog reader list.

All of the ideas and applications were valuable. I appreciated the class for being very useful, challenging in a differentiated way so I could find my level. The most valuable things are obviously the projects my students will do withg a variety of applications, and my increased confidence with, and ability to use web resources.