No one will accuse me of being particularly technologically advanced or capable, and yet I have no fear of technology. In fact, quite the opposite - I look for opportunities to learn more, and I resent being pigeon-holed as a crypt-keeper soccer-mom who couldn't possibly grasp the intricacies of Facebook or iChat (okay, this is my 15-year old daughter talking - I digress...).
In my life as a stay-at-home mom, my use of technology is generally limited to the usual: researching on the internet; sending/receiving email; editing/printing digital photos; creating spreadsheets and elementary desktop publishing projects; and DVRing the TV programs my kids are not allowed to watch on school nights. Last semester, I had to produce my first Powerpoint presentation for a class - in French, and on my daughter's brand-new Apple MacBook. I was excited about the challenge, but the constraints of time caused quite a lot of stress throughout the project. I had to quickly learn about exporting and its associated glitches. I ended up needing to use the exported version for my presentation, in which some of the titles overwrote the text (although everything looked fine in the Apple version). On the whole, however, I was totally impressed with my first effort at Powerpoint, and my presentation on the history of the Black Plague in France was riveting (if I do say so myself...).
Originally, I had not planned to take this course this semester. I was hoping to upgrade my home computer first (which runs Windows ME - yes, I know...). Also, I really think this class will be fun for me, because I am so looking forward to learning some new things, so I was sort of saving it for later - kind of the way you save dessert until after you've finished your vegetables. My biggest concern about this course (other than my home computer exploding from the strain) is that web design and other technology that requires visual effects have a creative aspect, which is not my strong suit. I have a math brain, so I am good at replicating things, but not at creating or thinking "outside of the box." This will be my personal challenge in this course.
As for expectations, as I mentioned in my previous post, the term "technology" in my children's schools has become synonymous with Smart Boards, and I was hoping to learn a little about the capabilities of this technology and how it can add value to learning, but that is probably outside of the scope of this course. I am hoping, as the course progresses, to brainstorm specific applications for the skills we learn to my particular content area - world languages. I will be on the lookout for any relevant resources, and I plan to start a file.
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