Reflections on the Past 8 Weeks

When I registered for this class the day before it started I felt pretty uncertain and overwhelmed. I was starting a new position at my school and taking grad school classes for the first time, and I really didn't know what to expect my work load to look like. Thankfully there was a lot of overlap between what I had to figure out for my job and what we were asked to learn about in EDU776. A few times throughout the course I was asked to help teachers at my school find a tech tool suitable for their project, and I ended up either hearing about a great tool from Mrs. Zumpano, or would be able to complete an assignment that forced me to learn more about a tool I wanted teachers to try. It was also great to read and respond to other educators' blog posts to learn about educational technology used in a variety of settings.

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Biggest Takeaway: Twitter Chats and PLNs

Prior to this class I did not value Twitter as a place to grow as an educator. For years I had used Twitter strictly for following music, sports, and news, and to think about using it for work seemed like it would ruin it for me. I assumed teachers posting on Twitter would mainly be sharing photos of their classrooms and bragging about their students,  which is great for building a positive classroom environment and recognizing students, but I did not think that it would help me grow as an educator. After participating in a few #edchats I realized the wealth of information to be had on Twitter from other people working in education. I am just starting out as a tech coach and need as many ideas as possible when teachers ask for help. It makes sense that Twitter would be a perfect place to find forward-thinking, innovative teachers who are eager to share their ideas. I am excited to participate in more Twitter chats throughout the school year and build my PLN. I have shared my experience with other people in my building and they are also getting invested with using the site for professional growth.

Favorite Tool: Adobe Spark

My favorite new tool that I learned about in EDU776 was Adobe Spark. I had given a poor attempt at trying to use it before and given up right away. I decided to give it another shot for my Web 2.0 post, and I ended up being a huge fan. It was fun to create a narrated video on the site, and I was able to show it off to teachers at my school who will now be using it in their classes for a project.


Taking EDU776 had an immediate positive impact on my job performance, which is not always the case when taking classes while working a full-time job. Although I had a few weeks where I was struggling to balance all of my responsibilities, I can now reflect and say that I was #BlessedToBeStressed.