Final Reflection

I am glad that this class gave me a reason to experiment with these tools.  There is never time unless we make the time.  Many people have told me that I spend too much time at school, and as a result of their concerns, I try to only do what I feel absolutely must be done.  Experimenting does not fit in this category, and that is why I never took the time to even set up a youtube account.  Now I have and I think that will be a time saver in the long run.  I liked Storybird as a fun and easy way to create lesson visuals that are engaging.  Screencasting is another tool that will help me to be more efficient in my prep time, especially when I am preparing for a sub.  Google forms might save me from the annual task of filing artsonia.com permission forms.  Google docs could be a way to collaborate with other staff not only in my building but also with my job-alike group in other buildings.

The process of learning the tools was frustrating for my old brain at times.  I knew the thing I wanted to do was probably just a matter of finding the right button or link.  The blog format was extremely helpful in solving these types of problems.  I could look at the posts of others who worked on the same assignment and learn from them.  The open lab was also helpful because sometimes you just need a human being that you can explain your problem to and they can usually at least point you in the right direction.  Sometimes it is simply the process of voicing your problem that makes you realize the answer yourself.