How does this course, and its content, connect to you? Is it useful information that will help you in the future? If so how? If not how might it be improved?
These are the questions that Dave have asked us to reflect on. I have to admit - I feel that this course has empowered me. I'm not afraid to look deeper into a problem that a computer might have, where before at any sign of a problem I ran to the IT guy. (I'm not sure he likes it, as now I offer solutions instead of a blank look! With one laptop that was having problems recently, I did the basic troubleshooting steps myself, and when I couldn't solve the problem, I did a search with the symptoms. When I found a solution that looked like it fit the problem, I gave the laptop to the IT guy with my suggestions. He looked at me like I was crazy, and asked me where did I come up with that! Turns out I was right! Awesome!)
This course has also helped me understand how a computer operates, and solved the mysteries for me. When someone starts talking about hard drives, or ethernet connections, it's not a foreign language anymore - I know what they're talking about! When I look at the specs for a computer, I understand how a component works, so I can make an intelligent decision myself instead of always deferring to what someone else suggests. This doesn't mean that I don't want suggestions - it just means that I understand why they might make the suggestions they do, and that I can make an intelligent decision myself.
More importantly, I now can teach my students about these components with some background knowledge. In the past, I taught what someone told me to teach without really understanding it myself. Now, I know what I'm talking about, so I can pass this knowledge onto my kids. With a push towards testing our students on the national tech standards, my role as an LMS has increased. Quite a few of my elementary teachers are tech-impaired, so a bulk of the technology instruction falls on me, or I teach the teachers what they need to teach. With the knowledge that this class has given me, I feel more competent as a professional.
How would I change the course? I don't know if I would. Maybe change the way assignments are posted so that everyone has access to them. If they're posted as a googledoc, unless Dave posts it you can't access it. Either that, or I just don't know how to. Other than that, I like the format of the course. Dave made us find information ourselves, rather than just tell us about it. He added information when he needed to, corrected us when we were wrong, and kind of gave the control of the class content to us - we got out of the class what we, as a class, put into it. Thanks, Dave!
These are the questions that Dave have asked us to reflect on. I have to admit - I feel that this course has empowered me. I'm not afraid to look deeper into a problem that a computer might have, where before at any sign of a problem I ran to the IT guy. (I'm not sure he likes it, as now I offer solutions instead of a blank look! With one laptop that was having problems recently, I did the basic troubleshooting steps myself, and when I couldn't solve the problem, I did a search with the symptoms. When I found a solution that looked like it fit the problem, I gave the laptop to the IT guy with my suggestions. He looked at me like I was crazy, and asked me where did I come up with that! Turns out I was right! Awesome!)
This course has also helped me understand how a computer operates, and solved the mysteries for me. When someone starts talking about hard drives, or ethernet connections, it's not a foreign language anymore - I know what they're talking about! When I look at the specs for a computer, I understand how a component works, so I can make an intelligent decision myself instead of always deferring to what someone else suggests. This doesn't mean that I don't want suggestions - it just means that I understand why they might make the suggestions they do, and that I can make an intelligent decision myself.
More importantly, I now can teach my students about these components with some background knowledge. In the past, I taught what someone told me to teach without really understanding it myself. Now, I know what I'm talking about, so I can pass this knowledge onto my kids. With a push towards testing our students on the national tech standards, my role as an LMS has increased. Quite a few of my elementary teachers are tech-impaired, so a bulk of the technology instruction falls on me, or I teach the teachers what they need to teach. With the knowledge that this class has given me, I feel more competent as a professional.
How would I change the course? I don't know if I would. Maybe change the way assignments are posted so that everyone has access to them. If they're posted as a googledoc, unless Dave posts it you can't access it. Either that, or I just don't know how to. Other than that, I like the format of the course. Dave made us find information ourselves, rather than just tell us about it. He added information when he needed to, corrected us when we were wrong, and kind of gave the control of the class content to us - we got out of the class what we, as a class, put into it. Thanks, Dave!
Denise,
ReplyDeleteI am feeling a lot of the same things as you. It is nice to stop and think what a problem might be and how it can be solved. Sometimes it is faster and easier just to let the tech people take care of a problem. But then how do WE learn? And it is wonderful to pass our new knowledge onto others, whether they are teachers or students.
I like the idea that you find yourself "empowered." That is a great word, and it means you are comfortable going beyond the basics. I also like that you are going to teach your students about computer components. I do believe they need to know how technology functions. Thanks for a great class! Good luck on the rest of the program.
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