Final class reflection

Now that ED 5700 has come to an end, I want to take a moment a d reflect on this course as a whole. I started out the semester very wary about taking an online course. I didn't know what to expect and was instantly overwhelmed. Having all of the assignments at once is scary and only having 5 weeks to finish everything is worse. After taking a deep breath and planning out my weeks one step at a time, it didn't seem all that bad. As the weeks progressed, I found that I was managing my time much better than I originally was and I felt more confident in my ability to pass the class. Now, in hindsight, it all didn't seem too bad.
Forgetting the stress of finishing the work, the knowledge that I gained from this class is widespread. I learned a lot about technology, technology based lessons, integrating technology, and the usefulness of technology in the classroom. There is numerous articles and research that supports the integration of technology in classrooms to support student learning. We not only got a chance to learn about all these strategies to use in the class, we also had the opportunity to try out some technology to potentially use in a classroom. These activities that had us learn about new programs were some of the most helpful in the class. Gaining the hands on experience and practice explaining the program prepared us to use them in the classroom.
Although I had several difficulties with internet access during the final meeting, I thought it was a good experience. I never had the opportunity to participate in an online class that allowed the participants to present and discuss in a chat room. I think it is a very good method to integrate online classes with an in person component. It was much easier to comment on presentations verbally or through a chat for more instantaneous feedback on the presentations.
Overall, I think that I learned a lot from this class and found many tools to use in a classroom. I hope to be able to continue building my knowledge of technology and finding new ways to integrate technology into lessons to support student learning.