I continue to learn about two things in using technological tools. I am learning that I really am becoming more
capable of things like downloading and setting up programs on my Mac. This has been a bit of a challenge for me at
times and I make visits to the Apple store to make sure that I am “doing it
right”. Each time I also get some more
advice on how to make it easier for me to use as well so the Apple store visits
are not a waste! I am also learning that
I need to just need to relax and try.
Try to experiment and try things out.
This is so much easier for me to do in real life and yet I am
apprehensive about this with technology.
I am too quick at just throwing my hands up and feeling like “I can’t
figure this out or it can’t be done” and quit.
It was so cool when a classmate suggested that I save a power point as a
PDF as I was not able to load into Moodle because of the size. I didn’t even know that could be done. And I did it!
For the first time in my life, I entered a virtual
learning landscape. I nearly fell of
laughing uncontrollable when I found the first assignment in a class to set up
my own avatar. My youngest son Joe is
obsessed with avatars; and to be told I would be setting my own up nearly
knocked me off my chair. I haven’t
played video games in years and have never visited a “virtual landscape”. I found that after spending some time in it
just playing around and trying, I was actually able to do some things like
change my appearance and fly and run. I
was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t give my avatar a cane tike I use but I
guess my avatar will be my pseudo self and not limited.
As I was trying this new environment and wondering
if I would look silly with my classmates (that kindergarten fear which haunts
us all our lives), I realized that I was not silly and probably not the only
“first timer”. I was really glad that I
spent some time several days before class trying this environment (virtual
reality) out to give me some time to struggle and figure things out. That’s what I do in real life, as stated
above. I had images in my mind, of a
“first time” beginner graffiti artist.
Wondering how to have their tag look good in passing for the passersby
and not look juvenille. What must the
beginning look like for a graffiti artist?
I’m sure their first tags weren’t as nice as the ones in this post. And how do they figure out how to paint and
tag to pass along these covert messages to the community they are
messaging? To everything, including
virtual worlds, evolution is at work.
Through looking at the work of others during this
learning process, I was amazed and amused at approaches to doing assignments
and using technology. I was amazed at
the ways one person really integrated her own art work into her power point
program. I was amused at another
person’s approach by using humor and light heartedness in discussing his work
history. Other presentations gave me
ideas about how important it is to “frame” what I am trying to do in its’
simplest terms. I found myself thinking
about how it will be important for me in my work with parents in a Parent
Education group, where I am adding in technology, to really try to keep topics
and tasks simple and easy. It can be
overwhelming to get bogged down with jargon.
I believe I can make new learning less apprehensive by trying to keep
things plain and easy.
In looking ahead I still a bit nervous about how I
will do with what I am trying. I am
trying to figure out how to integrate technology into learning for
parents. I have some nuts and bolts work
to do from the beginning. For one, I
need to develop rubrics for: what do I want parents to learn and how, how to
know “is what I am doing working” and ways to evaluate. More importantly, I have to lay a solid
framework for the ethics of what I am attempting to do and how I will address
issues or problems when using new technology.
I believe that using new and emerging technology and social networking
tools will break through barriers that exist for adult learners in parenting education.
In terms of new media and new literacies involving
technology, I believe it is important to keep it simple and to relax. And to try and encourage adult learners with whom
I am working with to do the same.
Perhaps as I move forward with working on my web site, I need to relax
and sit back and see it as an evolving project and not something that has to be
perfect. I want to see my web site as
the wall of a building where the beginning tag grows into a beautiful piece of
graffiti art.
