EDLD 5352 Course Reflections

As this course winds down, I pause to reflect on the lessons and outcomes - for both personal and academic reasons I must confess. Regardless of the initiative behind this blog though, I will attempt to be honest and reflective in answering the assigned questions.

What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?


At the beginning of this course, the only real outcome I had was that this course would not feel like a professional waste of time. To be honest, there are times when I look at technology "instruction" and often not to be negative, as a fair share of what I have sat through is both frustrating and outdated. So, it wasn't until the first week of the course, and the "create a blog" assignment that I realized that this course could help give me some framework and rationale for practices that I was already employing in my classroom. At that point, I simply intended that I would utilize the course and the instruction to give me a framework for the classroom that I knew could exist. In that regard, I would have to say that I have achieved that goal. I have learned in this course that it is okay to be nervous when integrating technology, and that the over burdensome "Big Brother-ism" of the districts are counterproductive in classrooms.

As for the course goals, I would say that the course material was structured to produce those goals. I would have liked for more collaboration outside of the course bulletin board, perhaps within a class Wiki or Moodle page. Other than that, this was one of the more relevant classes I have felt a part of in my degree program.

To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

I would certainly say that the outcomes I achieved are very relevant in my day to day job. Granted, I work at a campus that is more technologically advanced than others, and I work with two Apple Distiguished educators who not only use technology but teach others to do so as well. I do have that luxury. However, having the coursework and the readings not only allowed me to dialogue with them on a current basis, but challenge them as well. I also would have to say that the readings more so than anything else forced me to categorize my thoughts and my classroom in regards to technology.

In regards to why this information still has relevance to me, is that I am still in educaton. Schools that fail to move with the technology will fail. They will fail to produce competitive students in an ever changing world; they will fail to produce relevant education; and they will fail to teach the new students of the new world. As a teacher, and a future administrator, I will not accept that failure. That means, I will have to embrace this technology, use it, and encourage others to do the same.

What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

I don't know that there were outcomes that I failed to achieve. I would have to say that like most of the courses I have taken, I went into this course with open mind to learn and follow the course outcomes, as I do sincerely wish to be a good principal. There were a couple of outcomes I had difficulties with- primarily seeing the practicality of some of the more "data" driven outcomes, but after using the data to create a plan, I realized the relevance of such. I think the only reason I personally have a challenge with some of those assingments is more in relation to my personality and less of the course structure.

Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

I did feel successful in carrying out the assignments. The only real struggles to complete the assingments were due to poor time management on my part. I had no issue fitting in the course readings, and I rather enjoyed them all, but there were parts of the assignments that I waited until too late and didn't offer the proper effort to them: See Week 2. Beyond that, all of the technology assignments were things I felt comfortable doing, and I actually found the assignments insightful and helpful.

What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

I think the biggest lesson in this course was the philosophy of the digital native versus digital immigrant philosophy. I have to be honest that because of my age (I'm a young teacher) and the fact that I did grow up in HS with the internet and have been using a computer since I was in middle school, that I often get frustrated with teachers that are older than me and their reluctance to accept the changes of the world wide web.

However, upon putting things in the proper philosophical context helped me to be compassionate and patient in my staff development plan for those who are "new" to this land. Understanding and communicating that philosophy is a vital step for any future leader. I do think of myself as a good leader, and the ability to communicate ideas is one of my stronger suits, and it certainly helps to have such a well stated philosophy at the ready.

What is the educational value of blogs and blogging to the 21st century learner? What are the concerns of blogs and blogging in education?

First of all blogs provide a key to instantly sharing mass information. In a very real since, it is like having an entire groups papers and collective thoughts in one place, instantly avaible. Blogs allow students to instantly find experts on subjects, share their findings in a real environmet, and partcipate in their learning in ways that extend well beyond the classroom. Blogging provides an opportunity for learning to take place outside of the time and structural framework of a classroom. Of course, there are dangers anytime students share their ideas- privacy concerns are always paramount. The web is open to anyone, and blogs are some of the most sought after fodder for the dangerous element in the web. However, a school and teacher can teach students to monitor themselves properly and to share and protect themselves as needed.

How can you use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders?

Blogging is a great tool to communicate with school stakeholders, because they can be accessed, commented upon, and shared at any time of the day, in any place of the world. The idea that a father, traveling to Shanghai on business, can know of what procedures his district has just adopted in regards to any policy, and then commuincate with the principal or other adminstrators is amazing. With all of the technology that is out there, schools have no excuse when it comes to communicating with their stakeholders.