If the music works, it has no real significance just a little background noise for your ears and reading enjoyment.

I have always been very pro technology even before I took ECMP 355. This is probably why I’ve enjoyed taking this class so much. I was always interested in the world of technology and wanted to incorporate it into my future classroom. My major is Business, Media, and Technology so this class was very eye-opening and intriguing. I never knew how to apply technology and introduce the endless possibilities and resources it has to offer my students. ECMP has taught me how to apply technology practically and introduced me to many new tools that I never knew existed.

I feel that WordPress was the most valuable resource I was introduced to in ECMP. Before this class I had never blogged before and only thought they were a place where people ranted and complained. My thoughts and opinions on blogs have since changed. I now feel that it would be very beneficial for educators to have a classroom blog where parents can see the progress, thoughts, and opinions of their children. Blogs can be a tool educators can use to keep in touch with their students and their parents and vice versa without actually having to physically meet. Blogs can also be a place to post and share work that students are proud of. I believe that a blog is like a reflective journal for myself and my students. It is much easier to share this reflective journal online rather than by pen and paper as it can reach a larger audience a lot faster. By starting my own blog I feel that I am having a small voice in the large audience of the Internet. My blog allows me to present my opinions without having to actually try and explain myself in front of an audience in person. I loved creating a blog and plan on updating it even after ECMP. Blogs will definitely be used in my future classroom.

Another valuable resource I was introduced to was Google Reader. Before ECMP I had never heard of any other Google applications other than the Google Search bar. The only Gmail account I had ever heard of was my cousin’s and I had no clue what it even stood for. Google Reader is a tool that helps you organize and follow people’s blogs. When you are done reading a person’s blog it simply marks it so that you are not constantly scrolling through pages searching for new things to read. This tool came in handy as we were to read all our classmates blogs. Another Google application that I found very useful was Google Docs. I used this application outside of ECMP as I used it to write a group business paper. This application allows you to collaborate together on a document rather than having to meet and swap papers in person. This application saved a lot of time and solved a lot of scheduling problems. As a future education I would use Google Reader to follow my students blogs and have them use Google Docs so that I could monitor how the group is coming along with an assignment.

Another valuable resource that I plan on incorporating into my future classroom is Wikispaces. I believe that wikis have the potential to replace reports in the classroom; students can simply make a wiki and post information rather than writing a long report. A wiki is a website that easily allows you to create web pages. Wikis can be easily updated and changed. As a educator I would consider making a wiki about a unit as my students could have easy access to information and resources. My partner and I created a wiki as part of our final project. Before ECMP I had never seen a wiki and never knew the value they had to offer.

Other resources that I have learnt in ECMP and plan on using in the future are Moourl and Delicious. Moourl is a service that shortens URL’s on websites. As a educator I could use this to create shorter links that my students would easily remember rather than the rambling of letters and numbers that can often be found on websites. Delicious is a service that you can use to bookmark your favourite websites and share them with those around you. As an educator I could bookmark sites that would be valuable for my students and instead of listing off websites to them they could simply view all of them on Delicious!

In high school I did a lot of video editing. I know first hand that this can be a very time consuming and finicky process. ECMP introduced me to a very easy video creating program called Photostory. This program creates quick videos and doesn’t require a lot of knowledge with film. My students could very easily create a video for my class and post it online. I would use this to create fun twists on assignments.

Before I took ECMP I always felt like schools were trying to keep YouTube out of the classroom. ECMP has shown me how YouTube can be used for educational purposes and in positive ways. YouTube can easily allow my students to upload videos they have created and share them with the world. Millions of people can view these videos which can be intimidating but by teaching my students how to monitor what they place on the Internet I am benefitting their creation of an online identity.

Before ECMP I could not see any value in Twitter. After taking ECMP I can now see how some people can benefit from it as you can easily connect with people. You can easily send out a tweet and get responses from people all around the world. This class has shown me that social networking is an excellent way for educators to connect and share ideas and resources. I can see how it is advantageous for educators to use Twitter but I still will not cave in as I am a devoted Facebook user.

My summary of growth does not include everything I have been taught in this class; I simply would not have enough time to write about everything! My favourite part of this class is that all of the content and resources are free. I felt that this was very important because it really does prove to educators that the technology is out there and available; it is simply waiting for us to utilize it. Overall, in ECMP I learnt that as a teacher it is acceptable for myself to use technology in my classroom as well as personally. As long as I watch and monitor what I post online and create a positive online identity I am doing no harm. Technology is the way of the future and educators need to get on board instead of resisting how technology will change our classrooms. Thank you Alec and all my classmates for a very interesting class!