Alexis Khoury

EDT 180 Lewallen

12/5/2019

I still can not believe that I did all of those projects. Making a podcast has definitely been

something I had been wanting to try, and I also made my sister’s birthday gift from a 3D printer.

Making an application on powerpoint is something that I never knew existed and I feel like a

genius being able to complete those projects. I have never been tech-savvy and now after

showing my friends my projects for this class, they come to me if they want to be creative for

their class assignments and use my projects as templates. I now know that technology is not

ruining this generation, but it does give us some advantages as educators to use it as a learning

resource. I was surprised that I also got the hang of coding. I know Java Script would have been

way more difficult than using the buttons, but even m classmates came to me for help in the

coding assignment which I enjoyed so much.

I always had been so closed-minded to technology because the progression of phones

kept more kids indoors rather than how I grew up playing outside and horseplaying to the point

where my clothes would be covered in sweat dirt and a little bit of blood. I used to feel a loss of

connection with technology so I have strayed from using too many devices. I would rather write

on a piece of paper than to type one, such as what I am doing at the moment. I would rather do

hands-on activities with my students because that is how I learned, but I know that I need to do

what is best for my students even if that means bringing the most modern form of technology

into my classroom. I have to remember being efficient and making sure the students really

receive the material is something that technology can help with. I was surprised that I had so

much potential to learn new skills on the computer. I was excited to see that even the use of
Alexis Khoury
EDT 180 Lewallen
12/5/2019
Spheros can help students learn to program a computer, and still keep them entertained in the

material.

Some of the problems I encountered was self confliction. I told myself that I was not

going to be able to get any better at using computers and felt like I was going to struggle with the

material no matter how simple. I let myself believe that I am never going to be able to use

technology to teach because I myself was clueless about what advancements we have made in

technology. I struggled with time management also. We had projects back to back in this course

and it felt overwhelming at times, but again, it initially started with my self conflictions. I began

to do things ahead of time to make sure my assignments would not be turned in late. I also used

class time efficiently in order to get these projects are done which also helped me with my time

management. For my own self confliction in my abilities using technology, I just continued

turning project after project which proved to myself that I am capable of working with

technology. I was afraid of technology and now that I have had the opportunity to explore

different horizons of technology and new advancements, I am eager to learn more about it rather

than hiding from it.

I think my perspective of technology has been widened but not so much transformed. I

know now more than I used to about technology, but I still personally prefer more personal and

creative techniques when teaching and helping students learn. The project at the beginning of the

semester was more around exploring what technology was available in order to help out with my

teaching in my future classroom, and the projects at the end were more personalized works and

had more room to express yourself through technology that you found useful. I saw that one of

my classmates used her podcast project in order to share her love for her music, and I found that
Alexis Khoury
EDT 180 Lewallen
12/5/2019
quite intriguing. I reviewed her podcast which was informative and entertaining. She sang her

own creative pieces of music while explaining the history of other famous musicians that used

only four chords in their music and linking it with her own pieces. I want to try a podcast out

where I take time to edit, revise, and make sure it is interactive to my audience rather than just

informative. That sounds like something that would be really cool to try out.

I would go back and change my application project if I had the chance. I felt that I did an

amazing job on it, but I felt that I could have made this app based off of something that I am

interested in. I did food as my topic because plenty of people can find that application useful, but

I wasn’t really passionate about the topic. I should have chosen something to do with kids. I

could have changed that project to help parents or babysitters chose an activity to do with their

little ones. I know that would have reached a greater audience since there are kids sprouting up

every second. I could have made the app choose an age-appropriate activity for children all

across the United States. I would have added more slides as well so that the final product and

result is more specified towards the choices the participant chose. I used more general results for

my app that I turned in for credit. I could have chosen a topic that I was passionate about but I

didn’t. I chose something that seemed quick and easy which is a bad habit to have, especially as

an educator. If I had more time, I would have put more personality and love into the project.

One goal that I would set for myself for next semester and many to come is to educate

myself on new advancements in technology and to keep up with my professor for this course. I

believe he is a great resource for any questions I may have regarding technology and how I can

use it in my future classrooms. I plan to be more efficient with my time and not procrastinate as I

have every year including this one. Procrastination is a bad habit, and I need to get rid of it and
Alexis Khoury
EDT 180 Lewallen
12/5/2019
use my time efficiently. I feel like staying informed on technology will help me and my students.

I can only grow from learning more. There is no harm in informing yourself. I want to be more

involved and present with my education rather than just barely scraping by, giving the lowest

effort possible. I do that sometimes because of my busy school and work schedule. This class

would be useful to have throughout my whole college experience and it is too bad that it is only

required for one course. I appreciate and will cherish the information I received from this course

and I am grateful.