I'm having a great time in the Educational Technology program. There are many aspects of this field that I have enjoyed and found helpful and useful. There are also some aspects that I am less comfortable with. One of those ideas is Distance Learning, another is ScreenCasts and other recording programs.
I realize that I am taking an entire course focused on Distance Learning, but it is still hard for me. The mind set of it is what I struggle with. I cannot see it being possible for preschoolers to participate in this field. I've been working with this age for about 5 years now, and have very much come to appreciate this particular age level. I earned my Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and that is just where I feel most comfortable with. One of the aspects I enjoy most is that these children learn so much, so fast, especially because it is all hands on. For example, when teaching the alphabet, we can read books, write the letters (using pencils or in various sensory materials / textures), we can sing songs and practice the sounds, create craft projects, etc. The list is almost endless, except when it comes to Distance Learning. I can't teach my kids if they do not come to school. Yes, I let them use the computer, we go online to look at pictures or various child-friendly websites, they play educational games, but I could not imagine doing the types of things that we talk about in class with my students. The struggle for me is to get out of the "preschool, hands-on" mindset and flip over to the "adult, far away" mindset.
My other concerns are with ScreenCasts and other recording programs. I have used ScreenCasts a few times for a class, but I did not feel very comfortable with it. For one thing (which I know is a personal issue) it felt weird talking to an audience that was not there. While recording ScreenCasts, I demonstrated a topic on the computer screen while simultaneously describing my actions. In my job, when we verbalize what we are doing we call it Mapping. That has always been a weak spot for me. I just feel kinda weird narrating my actions. I realize this is a useful skill because it helps my children to learn new vocabulary (in context) and I am modeling proper speech as well as explaining how to perform an action properly. However useful that is, i still struggle with talking out loud with what i am doing. This is why I have a hard time with ScreenCast, because I do not like to talk out loud about what I am doing. To me, it is obvious what I am doing, I know for other people it is not obvious, but I still don't enjoy hearing myself talk out loud (especially when no body else is around, like while recording ScreenCasts)
Both of these issue are personal issues that I am working on. I am extremely glad for the opportunity to gain new knowledge (especially in a field I am interested in) and I do feel like I have made improvements, slowly but surely. I just need to keep plugging away, and broaden my horizons.
I completely agree with you about the distance learning concept. As a fourth grade teacher, I have always taught my material face to face. Teaching my material over the internet is a totally new concept for me. As far as the screen casts, your worries will go away the more you use the program.
ReplyDeleteDistance learning is an interesting concept, but one I am not familiar with too. I have taken classes over the internet, but learned from this course that they didn't quite know how to use it. A lot goes into a quality distance learning experience.
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