While building my e-portfolio, I was able to learn some new skills.  I had used a web-authoring tool before but I had forgotten how to use it.  The course helped to refresh my memory in this area.  I also learned how to use Puzzle Maker, Photo Story 3, and what a WebQuest is.

 I already had skills for many of the other projects.  However, I was able to think about the programs and skills in a different way.   Instead of learning how to use programs for my own use, I was thinking about how they could be used in a classroom or how students could benefit from them.  The process of writing an annotation for each project really forced me to think about how each project could be used in my future career as a teacher. 

            Completing each project gave me a little look at what the programs and processes were like.  I feel pretty comfortable with most of the projects that I have completed throughout the semester.  If I had more time, I would like to explore WebQuests more.  A WebQuest is such a big and involved project that I really feel I could learn more by trying another one out.  I think it would take a couple of more tries putting together WebQuests to feel comfortable with them.  The fact that we did the project in a group meant that we split up sections so that each person worked one part instead of the whole thing.

            For this class, I don’t think that group work is particularly useful.  Most of the time the project would get split into pieces and we would end up working on our own part at our own computer.  In this case, there was no communication going on and we were not benefiting from the so-called group work.  It was nice in the case of the WebQuest that each person did not have to do tons of work to complete the project but it was hard to know what each person was going to say in his or her part. 

I think that group work can be a great tool but I don’t think that it works as well for a technology classroom.  I think that if group work is going to be given, it is a good idea to have a role for each group member.  That way, each person is contributing equally.   If you just want students to briefly explore a piece of technology then groups work well.  For students to really understand the program I think that individual exploration is better. 

If I were to create small groups to learn about different forms of technology I would give each group member a role.  If it were an introductory exploration activity, I would have each member look at a different aspect of a program and become an “expert” in this area.  Then, I would have the group come back together and share with each other what they had learned so that the whole group has the same knowledge basis.  For group projects, I would want each member to assess how well he or she had contributed to the group along with how well the other group members had done. 

            Most of the projects were pretty straightforward and not too complicated.  I was able to learn how to do little things like change the color scheme of a newsletter in Publisher and make a table in NVU.  The fact that the projects were straightforward meant that I could do my best on each one and think about how it could be used in a classroom. 

            I think that one of the most beneficial aspects of the course was the readings that we had to reflect on.  The readings offered meaning to what we were doing.  They explained what multimedia classrooms are, how technology can be integrated, and why it is important.  Just learning how to use a program or resource is not helpful if you do not know how they can be integrated into teaching and learning in a way that will best benefit the students. 

            Learning about programs and resources like Photo Story 3 and Puzzle Maker was great because they are good programs that are fun and easy to use.  I am excited that I know about Puzzle Maker and can incorporate puzzles as part of the learning process in my class.  The frustrating part of the class was uploading things the wrong way and having to redo it.  However, it helped me learn how to do things the correct way. 

             I hope that I can use many of the projects and things that I have learned about technology to help integrate technology into my classroom in the future.  I would like to have computers available to my students in the classroom so that they have a chance to explore different programs and use them as a resource.  I would want to use technology in all of the different subjects through things like webquests, Puzzle Maker, newsletters, and powerpoints.  I think that teachers should make an effort to incorporate the technology throughout the different subject areas.  I think that by using each of the programs we have learned about, it will be easy to use bits of technology on a regular basis. 

            I think that learning should be hands-on and student centered and I think that technology allows for this.  Technology takes away from the norm of worksheets and allows students to discover for themselves.  They are able to learn more and have more fun because they are having the hands-on experience.  This technology class has helped to give me resources and skills to help me allow my students to learn their best in the future.