If I’m going to be honest here, and I’d like to think that I am, I don’t really know what I’m doing, or at least not as much as I would like.
I haven’t had much luck with technology in my life, computers really. I got my first Mac months before switching to a school with brand new IBM’s, got a new PC before going to college where I needed a laptop, and finally saved up enough for a really good laptop only to watch the thing die on me after a year. I often think that things could have been different between the computers and myself if I had become familiar with them at a young age like my friends did, but the truth is that unless it came with a game controller it wouldn’t have meant much to a younger version of me. Plus movies in the ‘90s made it really hard to trust these things.
I wasn’t all that much more savvy after college either. I was a writer and a lit major, so when I was working on something, it was probably just a word document. Otherwise I would be on AIM or ITunes, nothing too taxing. I even bothered with Facebook for a little bit before realizing how much I couldn’t stand it.
I just didn’t see this newly computerized world as anything other than more convenient, good, but nothing that inspired me the way it has others. For some reason computers still seem foreign to me even though I’m never more than 10 feet away from one or any longer than 10 minutes without one. And yet, here I am, here we are, staring down the barrel of blogs and podcasts, and I’m intimidated by all of them. I don’t know what I’m doing, or where I can take what I’m learning. But, while I’m not overly enthusiastic about the tasks set before us, a little scared really, I am intrigued. I want to step up to this new world, alien though it may be. Yeah, I’m still stumbling through this landscape blind and a little timid, but I am moving forward and that’s something, I think.
Ryan - that is definately something! I am also not very familiar with a lot of the things we are doing in this class but I find myself really eager to learn. I understand the importance of technology integration in the classroom so I am trying to keep up!
ReplyDeleteIt is human nature to stay away from what is unfamiliar. That is exactly what happens in schools. Majority of teachers do not use technology, even when it is readily available. I conduct workshops in district, trying to help teachers use technology by first demystifying it. This class is doing the same.
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ReplyDeleteHey Ryan,
ReplyDeleteFear not! I believe that it is very normal to feel intimidated by the amount of technology and specialized knowledge that exists out there and am with you in that boat. I often find it best to look at what tools are most relevant to me and to take the time to tinker and play around with them in a DIY type setting, and looking to peers only when I'm in need of assistance. I think that being humble when assessing your skills is a great place to start, but at the same time it is important to acknowledge that everything is pretty much do-able. You have a college degree, so I bet you can handle plenty!
Hey Ryan,
ReplyDeleteAfter getting all the information for this online course I was a bit nervous that I would not be able to keep up. I too share your concerns, but I am eager to learn what's new each week. Having the ability to bring technology into our classrooms will not only be benificial to our students but can be a very useful tool for teaching.