Final Course Reflection

     Throughout this course I have learned so very many things. Before taking this class, I thought that I did not know much about computers. With the help of so many of my classmates, I realized now that I actually know a good bit. Maybe it is because I am too hard on myself or maybe it is because I really don’t have too many things that actually have many digital aspects to them. Either way, I am much better off now than I was 6 months ago.
            Every assignment we did gave me a little insight into the different ways that I can use technology in my classroom one day. From the very first night with the blog, I have been amazed at the different things possible to do. One of the most impressive things that we have done so far is to make a website.
            I always knew that anyone could make a website, but I never knew exactly how to do it. Having a classroom website is something that would be so very beneficial to so many people. The only downside to that would be for the people who do not have internet access, but realistically speaking almost everyone has some form of internet access. Even if they do not have it in their homes almost all businesses offer free wi-fi.
            Another thing that I learned in this class was about the different assistive technology available. I had no idea that those things were so convenient and easy to use. I knew that there was a way to get your computer in high contrast mode or be able to use a magnifier, but I did not know how to actually do it. Now that I know, the options seem almost endless. This is something that would be a good thing for anyone to know and be able to use, not just students. The assistive technology options would even be good for someone who is older.
            I feel like if I did not have the precise instructions or google available to me then I would have never been able to do any of these assignments. It isn’t that any of them were very difficult, it was more of the fact that I do not know how to navigate my way around a computer period.
            My future goals as far as a teacher and using technology would be to familiarize myself more with all the options available to me. There are so many different resources out there that deal with technology, and I want to be able to use them.
            I plan on using all of these different tools that we learned about in my classroom one day. Everything seems like it would be so very helpful like the test maker, puzzle maker, concept mapping, google groups, and even the movie story. Every single one of these different programs would come in very handy in an elementary classroom.