Sunday, August 19, 2007

Reflection

This class has really challenged me! Yet it has been one of the most rewarding classes I have ever taken. I think what I liked best about the Networking class is that we didn't just read about networking but we had to network. I have always been a hands on learner and although I am a bit slower when it comes to understanding all this new technology, I am excited about what I have learned to do: blogging, podcasting, and creating a wiki page with my class this year.
I think sometimes we avoid teaching with tools that we are not comfortable with. I feel better prepared to go back to school next week and use this technology with my students. I am ok with making mistakes and exploring together.
I have really enjoyed the collaboration project that I worked on with students in Australia, Canada, and other cities in New Hampshire without ever leaving my home. I am sad and relieved that the class is coming to an end. The workload was tough. I really put a lot of time into the class. That said, I feel that I have made some new friends who I could contact if I needed help. I am also blogging....who knew I would like putting my thoughts on the computer for others to read and comment on. The comments have all been positive and supportive.
The following paragraph from Siemen's book Knowing Knowledge talks about the change that is needed. The book talked about letting go of what we think we know and preparing for a rapid change.

A holistic, integral approach to thinking, learning, and knowledge is
required as our society grows in complexity. The opportunity for change is tremendous. Opportunities to restructure
organizations and society are rare. Yet periodically—in periods of
substantial social, technological, or ideological change—we have the
opportunity to remake our existence, to rewrite the inefficiencies of
antiquated modes of operation. With vision, foresight, and awareness
of change, we can move forward with a model that will serve humanity
well. We exist in such a time. If we are able to loose our faulty view of
control-in-advance and embrace an adaptive, flow-view of knowledge,
we have the capability to restructure our organizations to best serve our
learners, employees, and customers.

I am taking away so much from this class and I am anxious to share it with my colleagues.

Thanks to Jeff Utecht for doing such an amazing job teaching this class. He has opened my eyes and my beliefs in using new technology like wiki's in my class.

1 comment:

Susan said...

Pam,

I found I needed quite a bit of time for this class also but that was because I did not want to stop following the links. It also takes a while to get comfortable with new software and I think you are correct that we tend not to use the tools we are not comfortable with. The kids seem to like sharing what they know with me and I think it's OK to learn from them. They often pick up the software quickly.