Personal+Reflection

Personal Reflection

I am hoping that using the iPad and its apps will become second nature to me. When students come into the Couseling Office with questions about colleges or careers, I am hoping that I can show them how to tap into the many resources that are out there whether it be information about college admission procedures, college admission exams (ACT), interest inventories, careers, resumes and/or interviewing information just to name a few. If I can show students apps and/or websites where they can find the information they are looking for they are much more apt to follow through if it involves the use of technology.
 * What impact do you expect see as a result of this technology in the classroom?**

We really do have the world at our finger tips!

At home. I will probably continue to battle with my 3 children (ages 10, 14 and 16) as to who gets to use the iPad. I like playing games on the iPad especially solitaire. My children have showed how to play some other games but they are just way better at them than I. I have also found educational apps for children (ACT for junior daugther) which they just love. But most of all, in general at home the iPad is for fun ~ gaming, checking emails and "tweeting."
 * How do you plan to continue to use your iPad in your personal life? Professional life?**

I will continue to use my iPad at work to continue researching apps that will be of benefit to students. I am also finding that bringing my iPad to meetings and/or confereces is a nice way to stay connected to school. I am learning how to take notes and save them so that do not have to re-type them when I want to do something with them like share with colleagues. I really don't know what all I can do with the iPad so I going to have to continue to learn about this device and keep up with an improvements/enhancements that are made.

Most definitley the apps. Coming into this class knowing virtually nothing about the iPad or its apps, I was amazed at what people had already found and had been using for quite some time. At first I was very intimidated but as I heard others ask questions, I thought ok maybe I can do this. As I began searching for apps I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of apps I was finding. As I began to look for specfic things (careers or ACT prep), I was excited ~ there really are some cool things out there that I thinks my students/my children would get a kick out of using. I could spend probably all of my free time and then some researching apps. It was also nice to hear from colleagues discussing which apps they liked and didn't like.
 * What have you learned from others' sharing that you would like to try or explore more of?**

Because I did not present, I would like to comment on the class and I felt at the beginning and how I feel know.
 * Describe the presentation you gave today and the application you shared/demonstrated.**

Where do I begin? Technology scares me as I am not very "fluent" with it. I thought this course would be a good way to force me to learn how to use the iPad we purchased for our children for Christmas. Let me say that by the end of the first night of class I left feeling like I was in way over my head. As I listened to co-workers talk, I thought OMG are they much more versed with technology than me. I was actually quite ready to drop the course. I thought I can't quit, I really need to learn this stuff so I went back for the second class. Again, so much of what was being said was sooo far over my head I didn't know what to do first and because everyone else was keeping up with instructions in creating different things (wiki's, animotos, copying/pasting links etc..) I was afraid to ask questions. Although extremely frustrated I decided to let that frustration drive me and I was not going to quit this class. I struggled with almost every assignment but I did them!! And there is nothing better than a sense of accomplishment except for maybe your 4th grade daughter looking totally amazed that you actually created a video with music and pictures!