Blog Assignment #1

What About EDM310?

This, among other things, has been a heavy question on my mind since the first day of class. I've had several Education classes before, both here and at UA where I previously attended, and know the gist of what is going to happen. I'll be expected to spend time in Elementary schools observing, learning, and hopefully understanding the method behind the madness that is Elementary Education. The bottom line is that the vast majority of these Education courses help mold you into what it takes to be the very best Educator you can be.

But what about EDM310?

What about it? Like many others either in high school or college, I've taken the regular ole' computer course. Usually these courses involve anything from learning to type without glancing at the keyboard, to learning the basic operations of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and maybe even programs such as Photoshop. However, I have never taken a course that solely revolved around "technology in the classroom". I have never had to keep a blog, only having done so on a whim once before and eventually forgetting its existence. I've never been expected to learn any sort of computer code, in EDM310's case being a smidgeon of HTML, or anything pertaining to SMARTboards or other programs such as Prezi. Don't judge me, but I didn't even know what a Prezi was until the previous semester. Yes, I am aware of how pathetic that just sounded. I'm honestly embarrassed to even reveal such a tidbit of information.

I have a friend who had taken this course during the previous semester, and because she is such a wonderful person, she felt the need to tell me just how much of a horror story this class is probably going to be. Those details are as follows, but are not limited to: numerous hours having to be spent outside of class to get necessary work completed accurately and on time (9 hours according to every important document pertaining to the course), having to create and maintain a blog, inevitably feeling overwhelmed with coursework, EDM310's important dates override anything else going on in another instructor's class (if the events happen to be occurring simultaneously). Now, I'm not one to "toot my own horn", but I am kind of knowledgable when it comes to computers, technology, and that sort of thing. I may not have known what a Prezi was, but I really do know a thing or two when it comes to making a computer do what you want it to do, contrary to what I'm sure you are probably thinking thanks to my Prezi comment.

What I think will be the most difficult aspect, and my "fear", about this course is the ::cringe:: group-work (bum, bum, BUM!). I understand there will be times that we as teachers will be required to work collaboratively with one another BUT, (and this is a BIG but), I have never had a positive experience when it comes to group work, especially when said work is for a grade. I know that group-work is meant to help individuals learn to work together as a team, and is meant to help teach those members to contribute to the group's overall success, but when every experience has led me to believe the exact opposite about group-work, I can't help having a negative connotation associated with it. Whenever there is group-work included in a class, I am always the work-monkey who ends up doing the entire project. This is mostly because there is absolutely no way that I am going to allow a preoccupied, and most likely unmotivated, individual to cause the group, and consequently me to fail. In a nutshell, I feel that if someone wants to learn to play as a team, he or she should go play baseball or some other sport instead...not try to gain this skill from doing group-work.

Okay, okay, I am getting off the soapbox now. So how do I plan to work around this necessary, but tedious, hurdle you ask? Hopefully my fellow group members will care as much about being successful in this course as I do. If our views on this happen to differ, then all I can do is the very best I can, make the situation known, and learn as much as I can from the experience. While group-work might not be my favorite, the projects that are in store for us really do seem very interesting and would definitely make for some beneficial knowledge in the near future. I plan to be the sort of educator that takes full advantage of the resources provided in the classroom, and technology is proving to be ever more useful when teaching.

All that's left now is to wonder where to go from here. Are there any unanswered questions I have about EDM310? Are there any monsters left lurking under the bed that I haven't addressed? I don't think so. I feel pretty confident in my abilities to complete what's being asked of me. If all else fails, I have the wonderful lab techs in the EDM310 lab, and my super tech-y, and totally nerdy, husband that can help me out in a crunch. As for where we go from here, I would love to quote Jim Hawkins from Muppet Treasure Island and say, "Wherever the wind may take us!", but that doesn't hold true here. What comes next is listed on the Spring 2014 Master Checklist... I prefer Jim's quote so much more.

I'll leave you with one of my most favorite characters from the film: Fozzie bear as Squire Trelawney with Mr. Bimbo, "the man who lives in his finger".