Hailey Roberson

EDT 180C

December 2, 2019

Professor Lewallen

Final Reflection Paper

When looking back and reviewing my project reflections throughout this course, I have

learned a lot about how to incorporate these ideas into my future career. The first theme that I’ve

noticed is that it is more beneficial to use mediums that are easily accessible to review or revise.

Experiences and education change people’s viewpoints as time goes on, so it is convenient to be

able to modify work when needed. I have also repeated a few times throughout my different

project reflections that I should add in more photos, videos, and special effects. This creates a

more interesting project for people to view, rather than just reading or hearing information.

Some different problems or challenges that I have encountered this semester mainly

revolve around experience and time. I solved them by researching the topic or medium I was

focused on. One of the main projects that I needed to gain expertise in was in the Inquiry Module

Project with the Ignited Lab. I had very limited knowledge when I went into the lab and I did not

know what to expect. This would have helped me visualize further, more in depth uses for them

in the classroom. It may not have been doable for me to see them to their full potential though,

because I do not have a high amount of knowledge in the technical area. In researching more, I

would have been able to generate more ideas to utilize in my classroom. My strategy for

overcoming challenges has mainly stayed the same in this class but has also altered slightly at the

same time. I began by not knowing anything about technology and left knowing more than I did.
This made me change the way I tackle these challenges because I realized the amount of research

and time that I would need to spend in order to reach my full potential in these areas.

When I began this course, I viewed learning with technology as if elementary students

were using computers for everything in the classroom. I really disagreed with this, because I like

the idea of students doing hands-on activities and things without technology. My view has

changed though, because EDT 180 has showed me how technology can be used to aid the

educator in a way that does not control the classroom. It can have many benefits for teachers and

students that I was unwilling to see at the beginning! I believe the way I view this concept has

changed because I have experienced more technology than I knew of before. There is so much

that can be done with these different technologies in a classroom that can benefit students and

teachers. Technology is becoming more and more common in everyday life, so it is crucial for

people to stay updated and be aware of the benefits it can have, especially in education! If we, as

a society, know the benefits and setbacks of technology as it continues to progress, then we can

ensure that we do not overuse it or overrun everyday tasks.

The beginning of this class compared to the end, I approached assignments a little bit

differently. At the start, I approached assignments not knowing what to expect or address in our

projects. I also had limited experience in podcast, website, and video creating! Once I realized all

of the opportunities that these programs have though, it allowed me to approach the different

assignments with a more creative outlook. I feel that at the beginning I held myself back in fear,

because I had limited knowledge using all of the different kinds of programs. Once I found out

all of the different ways that I could apply my own personality and viewpoints into my projects, I

felt more comfortable with getting creative!

 Something that I’ve noticed in my classmates’ work that I would like to use in my next

project would be the program called Prezi. I really enjoy creating PowerPoints, but often feel

restricted due to limited effects. One of my classmates used this to create her expression module

and I thought it was very creative! It seemed like a good way to present her ideas in a fun and

interesting way. If I were to do another project, I would definitely consider using this online

application.

Thinking about each of the projects that I’ve completed throughout this course, the one

that I would go back and do differently would be the Communication Module project. When I

completed this assignment, I wish I would have incorporated more effects and music into my

podcast. I had limited knowledge and did not use my resources to the fullest. I would also

slightly alter my topic. The topic that I had chosen was asking a few people for a great piece of

advice. Now, I would plan the conversation a little bit better in order to make it flow and be more

interesting.

One goal that I would like to set for myself for next semester would be to continue using

the knowledge that I have gained from this course, and also from my first semester of college in

general. I have learned a lot about living on my own, time-management, the ways in which I

work best, and computer/technology skills. I will use what I have learned and continue to utilize

those skills throughout next semester, my whole college experience, and future career!