Final Reflection

One of the biggest things I learned in this course is that there are a lot of ways to visually show information besides just a PowerPoint. As discussed in class, that seems to be the go-to for most people’s presentations which gets boring and the audience becomes uninterested quickly. All the new video programs that I was introduced to helped me grow because now in presentations for other classes, and for my future lessons as a teacher, I can present in a different way than other people which will help make me stand out. I was surprised at how helpful this class was because as a future elementary school teacher, I expected the technology we were going to use to not be beneficial for younger kids. I was pleasantly surprised that there are a lot of things from this class that I can use in my future classroom that I think are a great teaching tool for kids. The thing that caused me the most trouble was figuring out each individual program and how it differed from the last. The way it was set up, what is did and didn’t allow you to do, and how to share it was different for each assignment, so it took a little while for me to fully understand and get comfortable with each program. Something that came easy to me was the creativity aspect of each assignment. Even though it was informational, I enjoyed making the different posters and videos fun and colorful.

My work definitely improved which makes me feel accomplished. It’s nice seeing the progress I made throughout the semester and how as time went on, it got easier to use the technology. The first example that comes into my head is embedding. I remember everyone was trying to figure out how to do it on one of the first days, and it seemed like the hardest thing. Now it’s just the last quick step to each project. I think the thing I will remember most is VideoScribe and the whiteboard explainer video. I’ve always thought these types of videos were cool, and I really enjoyed making some of my own. I would love to use this tool when I’m teaching because I feel like it’s enjoyable to watch while still being educational.