Thank you for a rewarding and fun experience! I found myself staying in the module longer than planned every day – a good time to just stop and reflect, and…play!
I enjoyed the readings because some were “affirming” but others made me consider deeper perspectives different than mine. While I did not fully agree with some parts of the readings that presented technology and the future of education in dark or negative ways, I can see how those ideas can be real dangers of the use of technology in the classroom. Most recently, I read the interview where people from two different backgrounds gave opinions on how technology can influence education and educators. While I found some of the statements to be a little blunt, the interviewees addressed the issues with authentic thoughts.
The reading that resonated with me the most described the learning environment as an ecosystem where space and networking and human connections intertwine. I think this article gave a realistic framework on which technology and everything else facilitating learning can be implemented. The first article I reviewed was also an enjoyable read on how smart and virtual technology can enable learning, but ultimately, we learners are still analog.
The discussions in the module shared and explored interesting ideas! I was inspired by all statements, and I am going to try some of the tools recommended, such as Google tools and new frameworks for keeping students engaged.
I found the activities to be good opportunities for contemplation and I believe I reached many insightful conclusions by doing them. Although I gained awareness via the completion of the activities, I think I most enjoyed posting images to my portfolio. The first one is something I decided to embrace lately: audere est facere (to dare is to do), and I think it relates well to why I chose to be part of this module. My “dream” technology was a gratifying exercise and I found myself seeking examples and images to represent it (I looked at immersive Van Gough, VR for teaching, etc.).
I will definitely use many of the ideas my peer DF authors recommended and even expand on some of the things I use currently, such as Jamboard – Google, whiteboards, and infographics. I would also like to use Hypothe.is (https://web.hypothes.is/) just like we did in this module- perhaps this is something on which I can receive some training. CoLab is organizing many meaningful events. Unfortunately. I am not finding enough time to attend everything I would like to attend. Perhaps more events in the summer and new technology introductions could benefit me and others. I found it valuable how CoLab has been posting videos of events or development sessions. I learned a lot from available resources on using Canvas and Zoom in this way.