When I look back at this course, it will be much more than
creating a poster, logo, animation, and website. This course actually got me to think about
how much more I could do in my classroom using the information that I
learned. I have created a Google site
and a blog for previous courses but with the knowledge I gained from this
course I am able to apply it to my previous work and teach it to others.
From the first assignment I learned techniques that I can use
in my classroom to help my students create projects that will enhance their
learning. With the knowledge I gained
from week one, I can teach my students that too much color or fancy fonts does
not make the project better. Using the
resources from week one by Robin Williams and the YouTube Video by Barry Jahn,
helped me learn the basic principles of graphic design. This is something that I have never thought
about when creating content for my classes.
I had designs in my mind, but by using the graphic design principles, I
would make the necessary changes to my project to follow those guidelines.
The week two and three assignments were a lot of fun but the
most important lesson was about personal branding. Your personal brand should be authentic—it
should reflect your true character. It should be built on your dreams, purpose,
values, uniqueness, genius, passion, specialization, characteristics, and
favorite activities (August 2007). Personal branding was something that I never
thought about and how important it is. I really liked the article by Marshall
Goldsmith especially the quote and it will be something that I will share with
others.
I really enjoyed the group website; I was involved with four
great people that worked hard on the project.
I really learned a lot from them and by creating our website. It allowed us to use all the things that we
learned in the course and put it all together.
It was great to share ideas and learn from each other the different
resources that we included in our project.
Learners do not just receive
information only at the time it is given; they absorb information in many
different ways, often after the fact, through reflection. The most powerful
learning often happens when students self-monitor, or reflect (Zemelman,
Daniels & Hyde, 1993) (ETE, 2005) (Gerstein, 2011). This was the most important lesson; it is
something that would be beneficial to me and my students. It is a tool that I
will use immediately in my classroom for my students and for my own
professional growth.
Robin Williams: The Non-Designer’s Design Book,
Third Edition.
Jahn, B. (Producer) (2007). Retrieved from http://youtu.be/mF_mWi6r-9I
Goldsmith, M. (August 2007). Authentic personal
branding. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/sep2009/ca20090929_228578.htm
Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (1993). Best
practice: New standards for teaching and learning in america's schools...
Portsmouth, NH: Reed Publishing.
ETE. (2005, April 28). Reflecting - the reflecting
student. Retrieved from http://www.cotf.edu/ete/teacher/reflect.html
Gerstein, J. (2011, August 16). Where is reflection in
the learning process? Retrieved from http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/where-is-reflection-in-the-learning-process/
