Experience in EDM 310 Class

When I first enter into the EDM 310 class, I was expecting something easy dealing with computers, like how to put grades into the computer. That kinds of stuff. Boy, was I wrong!! I had to create a google account, blogger's account, twitter account, and download so many stuff required for this class. My first thought: what was I thinking? In the first couple of months, I was completely lost. I had no idea what I was suppose to do. I was literally having a mental breakdown for this class. But as I got into it, it started to become more manageable. Still wasn't easy but manageable.
The purpose of this class was to learn how to incorporate technology into education. Some of the tools that are used in educations are blogging, vocaroo, timetoast timeline, podcasting, videocasting, and skyping. There are many more, but these are the ones I have learned so far.
Blogging is a tool where you can post stuff on the internet. You can talk about whatever you want to talk about. This will be useful in English Education because it will help enhance writing skills. It is also a way to post your work online, which may make it easier for teachers to look at. It is also a way to tell the world what is going on. You will be amazed to how much you can learn from other people's blogs.
Vocaroo is a voice thread that you record yourself. You can use this tool in anything, whether it is commenting on something, emailing, or recording a lecture. It is easy to use and quick. All you have to do is write what you want to say, then you can read it out loud into the microphone on the computer. That is the best part: you can read off a paper exactly like it is. You would not have to memorize anything and you would not have to worry about doing it over and over again.
Timetoast Timeline is another really cool tool. It is also really easy, simple, and fun to use. You can be creative with this. This tool will be particularly useful in history. In history, you deal with a lot of dates and timetoast timeline can help you remember the important dates.
Podcasting/Videocasting are both very useful in classrooms. Teachers can make a podcast/videocast of their lecture and post them online. This will be very effective because students will have a way to watch or listen to them outside of class to help them with their work. If students miss class, they could go online and listen or watch the casts to help them stay caught up in classes. They will not get behind.
Skyping is another tool I learned in class. This is really cool; you can communicate with people online. It is also another way to get in touch with professors, if they have skype, when you need help.
There are so many other things I have learned in class. As I said earlier, I was frustrating with this class to begin with, but as I got into the class later in the semester, it eventually became manageable. It is also worth it because I did not know any of this stuff I have just learned. As a educator, I think I would be lost without taking this class. I was very fortunate to have taken this class.