3-2-1 Reflection

 Hi everyone,

As my semester in Instructional Technology class winds to an end, I want to take a moment to reflect on what I have learned. As a grandmother in her 50's going back to school for my master's degree, there was so much technology that I knew nothing about it was nearly overwhelming. Here is my 3-2-1 reflection.

3 things I learned in class that are valuable to me:

• Learning how to use Canva will be very helpful to me in my business as a health coach. Most of my clients come by word of mouth and my Facebook posts that share my own health journey. Canva will allow me to create unique, eye-catching Facebook posts that I can schedule for future posting.
• Learning Powtoon will also be valuable. I teach bible lessons each week to third through sixth graders. I look forward to using Powtoon to develop engaging animation videos to help teach our lesson each week.
•  Learning about copyright, fair use, and Creative Commons will be very valuable as I move forward creating videos and social media posts. I knew that not all images on the internet are free to use, but I didn't know what all of the different licenses meant.

2 things I learned as part of my PLN:

• Podcasts - Prior to this class I had never listened to a podcast before. What a whole new world. There is so much information out there to grow and enrich my PLN.
• LinkedIn! - I had created a LinkedIn! account many years ago but had quit using it because it seemed little more than an online digital resume. I got tired of the email notification that someone was looking at my profile. This time when I logged into LinkedIn! there seemed to be a lot more content and more of a networking vibe. This will be helpful as I grow my PLN because I am not very good at networking.

1 thing I will never forget:

• RSS readers! I of course had read a blog here and there, especially when looking online for a recipe, but had no idea how to subscribe to a blog. The ability to put all of my favorite blogs in one place for ease of access and reading is the best gift from this class. I can see where the blog list could become so extensive I don't have time to read them all. So much information...so little time.

So many tech tools...so little time.

 

Hi everyone,

As the semester begins to wind down our Instructional Technology class is sharing a lot of great information on technology tools. These tools are especially helpful right now when much of our teaching and learning is happening on-line. We just recently completed a Technology Tool E-book that you can access here Instructional Technologies in HRD eBook that includes instructions and examples of 20 different instructional technology tools.

Our assignment this week was to choose a new tool from the ebook and learn how to use it. I chose Canva because it was one I had never heard of and was completely unfamiliar with. Canva is an online graphic design program that helps you create social media posts, flyers, posters, and other visual design products.  Using the instructions in the ebook, I found it very easy to learn and intuitive for users that are at all familiar with creating graphic designs. There are hundreds of templates, images, and objects available to choose from. I choose to create a Facebook post for my side business as a health coach. As a health coach, I try to create a Facebook post every day that is either inspirational, shares healthy recipes, or shares my own weight loss success story. Canva will allow me to create scores of Facebook posts and then schedule when I would like them to post. This is amazing! What a time saver for me, to be able to block out time to create the posts then schedule them for posting and not have to remember to do it every day. 

This is the post I created. This one is very simple, but the possibilities are limitless.

 

Do you know how to Jam?

 

Hi everyone,

I can't think of a more exciting time to be learning about instructional technology tools than right now. While the pandemic has brought many hardships, it has also driven the the field of instructional technology to all new levels. Remote learning has caused us to be more innovative in developing ways to deliver instruction. 

This week I have been browsing Youtube and learning so much about what is out there in technology tools. I thought I would share this video with you, because I think the uses could be vast. My daughter does some private math tutoring and this would be very helpful for her to be able to help a student remotely. I had never heard of Google Jamboard. I hope you learn as much as I did.

Taking Care of Me

 Hi Everyone!

This week in my Instructional Technology course I learned another new tool, Screen-Cast-O-Matic. I think I could have a lot of fun with this tool. Our assignment was to create a video on any topic of our choosing as long as it related to class. I chose to share with you what I did to relax during our mental health assignment two weeks ago. I hope you enjoy this small glimpse into my life.

                                                                            

Podcast Listening Newbie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I have heard of podcasts of course, after all I don't live under a rock, but I had never listened to one until today. Why? To be honest, I didn't even know how to access a podcast. I'm not sure why I didn't think to google podcast, because I google everything else. 

In my Instructional Technology course this week, I was tasked with finding podcasts to listen to that would enhance my PLN. Unlike many of my classmates, I am not a teacher, nor do I have any immediate plans to become one. I currently work in the Academic Affairs department of a public four-year institution and my area of interest is in Institutional Research and Effectiveness. With that being said, I found an incredibly interesting podcast called "Campus Intelligence." I took some time this afternoon and listened to two episodes that I found interesting. The first was on digital badging and credentialing. I had heard the term digital badging, but didn't know exactly what it was. I found the discussion about the differences between digital badging and assessment enlightening. If you would also like to learn more about digital badging you can listen to the podcast here.

https://www.campusintelligence.com/podcasts/breaking-down-digital-badging-and-credentialing/

The next episode that I listened to on the same podcast was about change management during the current COVID-19 pandemic situation. Campuses have had to make radical changes to campus life, administrative functions, and instructional delivery. This podcast discusses the various ways that campuses across the nation enacted and managed these changes in a rapidly shifting climate. If you would like to learn more-

https://www.campusintelligence.com/podcasts/managing-change-during-uncertainty/

I can't wait to hear what else awaits me in the world of podcasts!

 

How do you visualize your dreams?

 I have to confess right from the start that I have never created a vision board. I am not a visionary. If I dig deep enough I think this stems from the very sudden loss of my mom in a car accident, one month after I graduated from high school. You see, I had great plans for my future. I had it all planned out. College, marriage to my childhood sweetheart, kids. In the blink of an eye, all of those plans changed. That experience taught me to not waste any moment of the present because the future is not guaranteed. I admit, I probably became too focused on the present, but it has saved me a lot of time not worrying about the future.

All of that said, I have been learning a new technology tool in my Instructional Technology course. Powtoon is a video generator that can be used to create instructional, training, business, or personal videos. It can also be used in the classroom by students to create various creative projects. It comes with pre-built templates you can edit, or you can create your own video using the easy tools available in the workspace. One of the templates is called "My Blue Sky Board". I have included the link below to show you what I created in just 30 minutes.

https://www.powtoon.com/s/c6nwRqrcntu/1/m

Dream big!

Practice Makes Perfect

 

You have heard the old adage that practice makes perfect. Well, I have learned that this has never been truer than it is for me trying to learn new technologies. I am still trying to get a feel for Twitter. I can't seem to easily weed through the garbage that I don't want to see to read what I do want. I have already blocked many people, who Twitter recommended for me. They obviously don't know me well enough to make recommendations. 

Our assignment this week in Instructional Technology class is to learn how to edit images using PowerPoint. I have used PowerPoint for years and never knew about its image editing capabilities. I created the images for this blog post to practice this new learning. They are not very complicated but with additional practice, I think I can create some powerful and useful images. I am going to keep practicing because this tool will make my future task of explaining how to use Powtoon much easier.

So I will keep practicing, honing my new skills, and learning to incorporate these technologies in future instructional designs. With enough practice I hope to be able to set my Twitter bird free.