Online Learning

At the start of this course, I wasn't sure I was equipped with the skills necessary to take on an online paper. Although computers are very much a part of my everyday life, (I am talking OpenOffice Text, Presentation and Spreadsheet; Photoshop, Corel Draw and so on) I am not good at troubleshooting, and although I run the risk of being made to feel stupid by my husband, Justin, (a Civil Engineer in the IT world who knows everything there is to know about both hardware and software), I still enlist his help as soon as I am out of my comfort zone.

In doing this online e-learning paper I am hoping to feel more confident using computers in any situation and to use them to enhance learning.  At the moment I am relieving at various schools and although it is great learning from different teachers and their classroom situations, I can't wait until I have my own classroom where I can try out all the ideas and see them to fruition. 

At the end of last year (2009) I lost a position I applied for at a school I really wanted to teach at because I wasn't computer savvy enough.  Looking at the Web 2.0 list below I have to chuckle quietly  - or maybe snigger loudly - to myself, as the only ones I do not personally use are Slideshare, Flickr, Delicious, and Google reader.  I am familiar with all of them but didn't realise they were referred to as 'Web 2.0' sites.  I guess knowing the correct terminology helps too.

·        Facebook

·        YouTube

·        Wikipedia

·        Blogger

·        Wikispaces

·        Slideshare

·        Twitter

·        Flickr

·        Delicious

·        Google reader

·        Google docs

In the classrooms I have worked in I have seen a few interesting ways in which the computer has been used. For instance an online stopwatch used for maths practice to encourage basic facts knowledge and faster multiplication. Using Google, (what did we do before Google?), I found one that I intend using in my classroom - http://www.online-stopwatch.com/large-stopwatch/

In another of the classes I relieve in there is a student whose needs are not being met.  It is one of the reasons I am doing this paper - so that I will be able to cater for individual needs and use the computer as a resource and not just a 'baby-sitter' as it has been called.