Final Course Reflection

Ok I'll admit it! I did think that the 'e' in eLEARNING did stand for electronic. So glad that was cleared up before I finished. I really loved that final clip that spoke of the teacher's role in developing their students' skills so that they can take control of their learning. It would be so easy to say "here is a computer and a Web 2.0 tool - use it!". Technology does not eliminate our job but we become the facilitator even more than what we now are, rather than the source of information. Another important issue that was raised was the need for teachers to model learning. This is ever so important with new technologies so that we can show children that there are always some hiccups but then there are ways to overcome them too - resilience! I've heard it said that by the time a child of current school age completes their University degree that their degree will be grossly outdated. These are the students that we need to educate and Web 2.0 provides us with some of the tools to achieve this.

I'm excited that I can now confidently discuss Wikis, Twitter, Flickr, Delicious, Bubblus, Glogs etc and can actively contribute to the conversation and offer ideas and opinions. Whilst I am not currently in the classroom I am excited about the possibilities that these tools will bring and have found that many of them will still assist me in my current role as Family Educator. I am already hooked on Delicious and have been madly bookmarking each time I go to my computer. Google docs will make surveys much easier and I plan to create my 2nd Blog if chosen to go on a Pilgrimage next year so that I can share my experience with my school community. Of course, Flickr would be integrated into this. As a mother of 2 school aged children I will also be able to join their educational journey and assist them in their use of the tools.

At my previous school this year we were part of a reading project and I can see how Blooms Digital Taxonomy would come in handy. In fact, HSIE, Religion and Science would feature highly here too. Differentiation is a big focus in our schools today and when using the Web 2.0 tools such a wide variety of concepts that can be completed at such a variety of levels will be an invaluable resource.

Finally I would like to thank our learning team at St Luke's, especially our eLEARNING Reference Teacher who so patiently assisted, encouraged and supported us throughout this process. We were advised that the success rate of finished was much higher if you worked in a group and I would have to agree whole-heartedly.