Course Reflections EDLD 5306

This week already marks the close of my first course toward my master's degree in Educational Technology Leadership. I'm surprised by how quickly the course has passed, but I am impressed with the many things I have accomplished during this busy time of year.

Coming into to this course, I was not quite sure what to expect. Since this course was my first introduction, I expected to get an overview of the 18-month program. I was interested to see how the pacing of the course would be given the 5-week time period, and I was curious to see the type of assignments I would be completing. I didn't really expect to be covering a great deal of new content, but as I took the post-course self assessment, I realized I had become more comfortable with things like the Vision 2020 plan, the STaR chart, and some Web 2.0 tools. I believe I achieved the course goals and outcomes, sometimes without even realizing that I did so.

The weekly assignments and how I chose to complete them were telling, as well. This is my first experience taking upper-level coursework while working full-time, so I had to balance school, work, and family responsibilities. I feel that maybe I was not able to spend as much time on the readings as I should have. Each week we were only required to read 2-3 articles, but as I scanned others, I know there was lots of quality content I probably missed. When I read through the downloaded assignment documents before beginning, I often felt overwhelmed with what was expected of me to complete independently in just one week. However, I was almost always able to fulfill all the requirements, and I feel like this course helped me form positive habits and attitudes that will help me as I progress through future classes.

The various self-assessments I took during Week 1 were interesting and helpful for gauging my attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses as I began the program. Some of the results told me things that I already knew about myself, but I did gain some new insights. Although I work at a technology magnet school, I am still a new teacher with just two years of experience and need more time to develop my technology integration skills. I don't have a great deal of leadership experience, in my opinion, and I need to feel more confident in my role as a valuable team member and potential leader. I pride myself on being a person that likes to keep current on technology trends, but the landscape is always changing, and I must actively seek out new information.

I do feel that I have been able to use some of the things I have learned immediately and that course content has been relevant to my current position. I feel much more comfortable creating and maintaining a wiki, and I can see how I might be able to integrate one into current classroom activities. I found lots of interesting links and resources through my technology book review, and I have already created accounts with Curriki and Connexions. I feel more knowledgeable about the STaR chart we are required to complete each year. I was also impressed with the fact that I was able to complete two in-depth internship plans without feeling completely lost.

I feel that this course was a positive introduction to the Educational Technology Leadership program, and I believe I am ready to move forward in the program and have continued success.

EDLD 5306 Web Conference Reflections

This week, I attended the first of what will probably be many web conferences to virtually meet with my professor and various classmates. Although I was very sick with the flu, I was still able to participate and get all the information that I needed without the risk of infecting anyone else!


The Adobe Connect software was very easy to use on my MacBook, and I did not even need any additional tools. I liked the way that the professor was able to speak and show us a presentation at the same time, and how I could get an idea of who else was beginning this program with me. There were opportunities for interaction through both a microphone feature and a mini chat-box. Most of the students asked their questions on the chat box, and I hardly noticed anyone "raising" their digital hand to speak out with the microphone. However, I can understand their feelings. Although I didn't have any specific questions myself, I might feel a little nervous or awkward hearing my voice through the program or breaking the flow of the conference that way.


I believe that the web conferences can be valuable for students who like to work face-to-face and enjoy connecting with their peers. The greatest advantage I see for myself is that I will have these files saved and available to review again in the future.