EdTech: A Buzzword If Ever There Was One
Sitting down to write this post, I find myself not knowing where to begin. How appropriate, right?! I set out to share a bit of my own dealings with technology as a teacher, and I think not knowing where to begin is an all-too-common feeling for so many of us.
(Yes, I'm somewhat stealing that idea from my Cult of Pedagogy boss Jenn, but that wasn't planned!)
So here's how I'll start:
Videos.
Creating your own videos for students to learn from is awesome. My very first video was an introduction to a research project using MySimpleShow. The sound quality is terrible, but I'm still pretty proud of it! I created it at a time when I had to be out of the classroom for personal reasons, so this very short video and a three-video series that followed helped my students tremendously.
Fast forward to spring 2017.
Before the semester began, I became familiar with flipped learning and created four more videos:
Citing Your Work Series:
I now have a USB microphone, am continually becoming more familiar with Canva, and downloaded free screen-casting software. Movin' on up!
But, #edtech doesn't stop there.
When students start making videos, you're onto something!
The first assignment I had 1101 complete was a This I Believe Essay inspired by this post. If you go to the actual This I Believe website, you'll see most of the essays are recorded as a podcast.
Ding ding!
Extra credit opportunity: Record your essay as an audio file. I only had 4 takers, but with a little work, videos like this one were created:
Videos (and flipped learning) only scratch the surface of my dedication to technology in the classroom. But, there is still so much to learn...
So I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I, as many teachers say, am dedicated to lifelong learning; therefore, I am currently enrolled in JumpStart so I can become more comfortable with technological processes beyond videos, Google Drive, and class websites.
To see my work in JumpStart so far, visit Holly Takes a Class: JumpStartin' Since 2017.
