Of Mice and Middle Years…

Reflections of EC&I 831… as you can see, I don’t see this as an end to a journey.
What I have learned? As the saying goes, “Everything and nothing…” (In nothing I mean…wow there is so much out there, isn’t there!) Theory and philosophy, proprietary and open source, static and interactive, past and future, traditional practices vs engagement, analogue/ digital learning…Think about it, in reality there is no limitation to the imagination of the millions of content providers in publishing or programming that have developed or will dream of in the future in relation to educational technology. The courage of Dr. Couros to gather together the cutting edge minds and technologies that at first (for me) overwhelm, intrigue and then most important, the opportunity to play, learn and apply to my educational experience. Discussing issues utilizing Ustream and Skype and suddenly discovering that experts in the field of educational technology just happen to drop by to engage and offer their experience. Blogs, wikis, videos and readings that challenge dullard educational practices and open a glimpse of a world to come. Getting the opportunity to be involved in online discussions outside the class with people such as Dean Shareski to explore other educational issues. And two important words…TED talks! All melt together to a common theme that something must be done to meet the needs of our students. I may not have agreed with all that was presented, but I certainly found practicality where in many courses theory eludes practice.
To all the participants, I hope to encounter you all in the blogosphere or FTF sometime down the road. I think we all have taken something back that has changed much of what and whom we are trying to educate for the present and future.