When I started this course, I was really excited because I could not wait to work in the area of Technology. At the same time I was extremely nervous because I had no idea what graduate classes would be like and there was a little part of me that felt I was out of my league. Once the class started and my professor talked to us, I realized that all of my classmates were feeling the same anticipation and I was not alone. As I worked through the class I began to envision the outcome being one of more understanding about how Technology connects to the classroom and the long range plans that the State has in store. As the class progressed I began to make some of my own connections that I did not even realize were missing and those outcomes not only aligned with the outcomes I had in my mind, but they surpassed what I was expecting.
The outcomes that I achieved in my first graduate class, Fundamentals of Leadership, exceeded the outcomes I had in mind for this class. I was able to make connections that I didn’t realize were missing. The work I did in class is very relevant to the work I do in my daily job as Computer Lab Manager at Garza Elementary in McAllen. As I learned in class, the Long Range Plan for Technology has a huge task ahead of it that is expected to be fulfilled by the year 2020. If I am to enable my students to achieve all that they are expected I am required to understand the Long Range Plan for Technology, which up until now I did not connect with my job. As I am now empowered with the knowledge of why the STaR chart is used, what the Long Range Plan for Technology is and how to put the two together, I find that I can give my students more and empower them as well.
I love working online at a fast pace, I have done it since 2005 while getting my Associates degree at South Texas College and continuing up until I finished my Bachelor’s Degree at Lamar University. In the graduate program, the five weeks are awesome. I love getting the work done quickly and moving on, but it does come with a small price. Not really having enough time for everything is a sacrifice I must make. There are sacrifices that I must make in my personal life, too but for the sake of reflection I am I mainly speaking of my school work. As far as what I was unable to accomplish, I would have to say that reading all of the articles and getting the most out of them was not completely achieved on my part. I find myself skimming the articles to see which ones I find the most interesting, when at the same time I feel that I am missing something by not being able to focus thoroughly on the articles.
For my first graduate class, Fundamentals of Technology, I had no problem carrying out the course assignments. That being said, I don’t want to come across making it seem like the assignments were easy, they required much thought and a lot of work. The assignments in this class were very time consuming, but I did expect that having taken many online courses. The most important thing about being an online student is of course time management. Figuring out how this class fits into my daily life is very important. After time management comes understanding how the professor runs the class. Each professor has their own pace and ways of doing things. What I liked about this class is that all the assignments were open and accessible. It can be a little overwhelming to open all the folders and see what is due, but being able to do them at my own pace, either ahead of time or on schedule, gave me a lot of confidence. Other online courses I have taken keep all assignments locked down and only allow students to work on the week that has started. I like having my assignments open because it gives me the chance to get ahead, just in case something comes up, yet if I choose to I can simply work in the week we are on.
My first graduate class, Fundamentals of Technology, taught me many things about myself. I learned that my temperament is Guardian. I am always keeping everyone together. It is me that keeps in touch with my siblings, and I am the one that makes sure the family is kept up to date on everything we are doing or involved in. I also learned that I have a lot more technology experience than I gave myself credit for. As I was reading the articles and doing the required assignments I realized that I already implement a lot of technology into my Computer Labs, but now I have even more to offer and teach. Another thing I learned in this first class is that I have many leadership skills that I did not realize I had. Being a leader comes in many forms and I am quickly discovering all that leaders can do.
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