Final Reflection

I drew a blank as I pondered about my experience throughout this course. I could not believe that I have made it to the end and survived another semester while trying to balance work, life, and school. I’m grateful to learn more about this aspect of my chosen path - educational digital technology. Truly, a librarian wears a lot of hats!

Source:

https://abashawa.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/the-many-hats-of-the-librarian/

I’m most excited to share about the different infographic tools. I noticed that there are a lot of students who enjoy reading graphic novels. Naturally, they gravitate to learning resources that have a lot of visual representations. I look forward to showing the students how to create an infographic for themselves. I tried Glogster when it first launched and saw the potential of how the students can use it to show their learning. So, I’m thrilled when I came across other online resources like Piktochart, Easel.ly, and Infogram. It can do what Glogster can and more!

My least favorite to create was the Screencast because it was such an uncomfortable task for an introvert. I’m glad that it only captures the screen of my computer, but recording my voice does not come naturally for me. I had to start over so many times because I was unhappy with the recording.

(*Note to self: Learn how to stitch audio to keep from starting over next time.)

With the big push to blended and personalized learning, the most beneficial digital tool is the Screencast. Yes, it is very uncomfortable to create recordings, but it has the most impact on student learning. Students can access the lessons anytime and anywhere. They can pause and replay as much as they need to support their learning.

Food for Thought:

These digital resources may have added tools to my trade, but I cannot just go into teachers’ classrooms and start showing them what I have learned. According to Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “seek first to understand then to be understood.” Sometimes, trying to be helpful by showing all the different digital resources will just overwhelm some teachers instead of supporting them. I need to understand the teachers’ need and meet them where they are at...another librarian’s hat.