Week 1 Nerves: Blog Post #1
Week 1 Nerves: Blog Post #1
Hello classmates and friends!
I was initially feeling nervous after this first week of class- mostly because I'm remembering the desire I have to just understand technology without taking the time to learn about it. Maybe this is because I was born amidst a backdrop of Apple products taking center stage in the show of American consumerism, or maybe it's just because I'm impatient- but I just want technology to come easily, to be intuitive. This course has already been a reminder to me that understanding technology takes time- you have to study and utilize resources in order to understand technology just like you would any other subject. After coming to this realization, I feel less nervous and more determined to spend the amount of time needed in order to successfully navigate the technology we will use for this course. Furthermore, it seems the technology we are going to use will be useful to a career in teaching. My learning goal for this course is to understand how to utilize technology that will be useful for teaching, like Blogger, Wix, and Slack so that I can use them in the near future.
Slack is one of the main tools that I would like to get better at using throughout this course because I believe I could institute in my own classroom. Students will never get away from technology- whether it be a school appointed laptop or their phones- students are always going to be using technology to complete assignments. Giving students an online platform to discuss what they are learning, a platform they can have on their computer and phone, seems like a great way to liven up classroom discussion and get everyone involved. Something I learned during my practicum is that teacher's email inboxes get slammed- Slack also gives students a way to ask me questions without emailing me. This would make engaging with student questions and concerns a bit more manageable. Furthermore, if students need to ask their classmate a question Slack gives them an opportunity to do so without sharing personal information like email or phone number.
One concern I have about this class is using Animaker to create an animated video- I am nervous for this process. I've made videos in the past and I'm not the best at editing things together or utilizing several different platforms to create the final product. I'm also wondering about the unit of study that our website will cover- can this be a unit we did during student teaching? Should it be a unit of study we would want to use in our classroom in the future? Creating an entire unit and putting it on a website in just four weeks (in addition to all the other assignments we have for other classes) makes me a bit nervous- but I know I can get it done if I spend a bit of time every day working on it.
P.S. This is a bit of a tangent, but if you're interested in robots and AI check out this video that is not creepy at all... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T80yQHmqp6o
Hey Hannah,
ReplyDeleteVery well written post! You bring up a great point I hadn't thought about yet, that being my own email box. You are totally right, our email inboxes blow up everyday but using Slack as a dedicated communication tool for class work/questions could alleviate some of that stress. If I read the WIx project correctly, we are able to use a unit that we taught. We do not have to create an entire unit from scratch.
Hi Jon!
DeleteEmails are definitely a thing- my mentor teacher took a firm stance by the end of the year that students were not to email her assignments under any circumstances. I'm not sure If id want to have such a firm policy with email, but it might help to have another platform like Slack for communication. Thanks for your response to my question!
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Jon, I like what you said about using Slack to create a space for student communication that feels accessible - meeting them where they're at just makes sense, given that tech is a huge part of our lives. I hadn't thought about how helpful it could be to manage student-teacher communication outside of email, and it's a great point. I'm also right there with you about the nerves around the Animaker project. I see how it can feel like a lot.
Hi Jess!
DeleteThanks for your response, at least i'm not alone when it comes to being nervous about Animaker. I'm hoping the more I use it, the more fun it will get to make something creative.
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteTechnology can be overwhelming to try to use and understand, I totally agree! I have similar worries especially about being asynchronous and running into obstacles and technical difficulties on my own. Slack will be a good resource for us in these cases.
On another note, that video was crazy! I have heard of the AI robots but have yet to see them and wow. How long until you think you'd feel comfortable welcoming one of them into your classroom-- or your home?
Hey Isabelle!
DeleteYes- the asynchronous aspect is what adds to my nerves for sure! HA great question- as of right now I can't imagine feeling comfortable having an AI robot in my home but it might be interesting to have one in the classroom...I know students would a kick out of it. I would definitely feel like it could turn into a way to monitor teachers/classrooms spaces which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but something to think about nonetheless.
Hannah, I am a little nervous about using Animaker as well. I have no experience creating videos or editing similar content. I've seen a few friends edit videos, but it always seemed daunting to me despite my interest in doing so. I love how you mentioned the connection students have with technology and how utilizing Slack would be helpful to them since they incorporate technology into their everyday lives, whether they realize it or not. I want to utilize Slack in my classes as well to give students the chance to engage in class discussions since many of them are hesitant about speaking up in class.
ReplyDeleteHi Veronica!
DeleteThanks for your response, I'm glad i'm not alone in feeling a bit nervous. We got this! hopefully having an open line of communication with classmates will help to troubleshoot any confusion. Feel free to reach out anytime if you have concerns/question- I probably won't have an answer but we can at least share in the confusion together! lol.
Hi Hannah!
ReplyDeleteI'm very similar to you in that I am impatient when it comes to understanding technology. But I try to always remember that learning is a process no matter what, and somethings just take longer to learn than others. Slack does seem like it could be a very useful for classrooms and it does have a lot of potential benefits. I got luck during my student teaching; I didn't have students emailing me every day as a PE and Weights teacher, I can only imagine how quickly that inbox fills up.
Animaker seems a little scary to me as well, I'm not sure how I'm going to do with that as someone that isn't uber creative. Have you been able to play with it a bit already? If you have, how do you feel about it so far?
BJ,
DeleteSo true- learning is a process! I have not explored Animaker yet but plan to do so this weekend. I know the sooner the better!