Reflections

 

Reflection Part 1

Reflection Part 2

A) I learned more about actually using media tools in any classroom. Other classes have felt more like the tools were meant for teachers alone, but this course helped connect the tools into the classroom as well. My course goal was to find tools that I can use with my students. This can be tough with my students being 1st graders. A lot of technology is meant for upper grades and it can be difficult to implement new tech tools with little ones. I think as an educator, the ISTE standards I have met through this class are the Learner, Citizen, Collaborator, and Designer. I have put effort into learning more about updating my use of tech in the classroom, further established my electronic citizenship skills, collaborated with other educators/gained information from others through media, and have designed tools to further enhance my students' learning in the classroom with media tools this coming school year. 

B) I found the most useful tools to be wevideo and screencasting. Wevideo is a tool that has a huge range of options on how you want to create content. I found editing on wevideo to be very user friendly and I enjoyed all of the options for add ons such as audio, backgrounds, cutting and reorganzing video, etc. It uploads in a timely manner and I could see myself creating more content for my students using Wevideo. Screencasting was my favorite tool because it made it easier to give step by step instructions, with a visual, to my students. I could see myself using screencasting to create reusable student directions for learning units, class reviews, read alongs, and more. I think screencasting, when used correctly, can be an engaging way for students to work independently in the classroom. 

C) I plan to continue to use screencasting and youtube playlists in my classroom, and I plan to add in more wevideo content. I think that when used in brief sessions, students will enjoy how these tools present media, while also helping them in their learning process. These tools also create easy ways for me to save teaching tools and reuse them each school year once the content is created. I think teachers should always be updating their own learning and methods, but having some go to content that students enjoy and that helps students connect to what they are learning is always a great thing to have on hand!