Final Posting--Course Reflection

I have learned so much from the IT 465 online class that I otherwise would not have known about or would not have attempted to use. There were so many programs that I did not know about until now. I have had a Gmail account for over a year and did not know how to use the Google Groups, Blog, or Google Docs until taking this course. Prior to this course I considered myself pretty computer literate—but by no means a wiz—but I wasn’t really adventurous in trying new things. The assignments have helped me to explore many new online options. I still do not consider myself to be a computer wiz, but I am more apt to try new programs and more confident that I can learn how to use them. The instructions and tutorials for this class were wonderful and basically walked you through each assignment step by step. The information that you needed to understand each assignment was clearly explained so that nothing was overlooked.
I feel that my stronger points were the Windows Movie Maker, Web Tools, Turnitin, and Teacher’s Web Page assignments. I was never able to get narration to work on the Windows Movie Maker, but I was able to narrate via text slides. I really liked the different Web Tools, especially BigBus for creating my own online quizzes. I had never known that there was an online source to help prevent plagiarism until the Turnitin assignment and I was really impressed with that. I thought that creating a class website was really fun and I cannot wait until I can create a “real” one for my future class. My weaker areas were the Concept Map and Google Group assignments. Inspiration was a really good program but a little time consuming and since completing that assignment I have found other sources to make concept maps that will be simpler and more age appropriate for the grade I intend to teach. I do not think that the Google Group assignment was difficult; it was just confusing for me at the start. I find it a little hard to work in groups sometimes, which is something that I am trying to get used to. I can see myself using Google Group in the future though.
The IT 465 course included many communication tools so we could keep in touch with each other and the instructor. The email and discussion board were very easy to use and I always got a quick response when I needed something. The chat room feature was good to use if you were in the middle of an assignment and needed help from a peer—usually the other students online had had similar issues and knew how to advise you. Creating a Blog was a new experience and certainly one that I would not have initiated on my own, but it was pretty neat to read other classmates reflections on the same assignments. Having a Blog also provided me with an outlet to explain positives and negatives in doing an assignment. I was never able to log into the Wimba Live Classroom even after I went through the tutorials and system checks, but I feel like I was still able to keep up with everything I needed through email and announcements.
I must admit I was a little apprehensive when I found out I would be taking a technology class, but overall I really enjoyed it and I am glad I have access to so many great tools and programs to assist me in my teaching career—thank you Dr. Wang!