My expectation for a course about, Educational Applications of the Internet, was to come out of it with a zillion tools that I can use in the library this school year. This expectation was met. It was the learning that I did not expect that had the most impact on me. I have a vision, albeit a blurry one, of how to move forward in my use of technology: 1. I need to make a commitment to keep up. I found so much information on twitter. I started following some very good people that provide links to blogs, workshops, and other resources that I need to know about to stay current with my profession. I like that (unlike email) I can add and remove the people that I follow at will. 2. Equally important, I need to continue to become a better searcher. One of the greatest tools that I learned about this semester was Youtube. Of course, I had already watched a zillion videos about silly things in the past. I did not, however, realize how valuable it was as a resource. I realized this when I posted questions about 2 assignments to the course discussion board and both classmates answered with a YT link. I like to think of it as my tool for 21st century apprenticeship. 3. I also learned that to find answers to my questions I didn't always need the instructor. I think Dr. Ingram, intentionally tried to stay in the background and give us time to figure it out ourselves. This is both scary and a confidence builder. I think his goal was more about agency than giving us 50 new links to add to our delicious account. In five years the 50 links will probably be replaced by new and improved resources. It is the confidence that I have gained as an independent learner and searcher that will continue to serve me.
How do I incorporate this in my own teaching? I don't think that I have learned how to create an environment that accomplishes these goals, yet. What I did learn is that there are resources that I can find and virtual conversations that I can follow to help me to learn to create a better learning environment and become a better teacher.
