Reflections

 Before this course, I must say I was quite hesitant about venturing out and trying new "techie" things such as websites, apps, and certain social media platforms. Life just seemed comfortable with the few tech things I had been plugged into. Now, I can actually say that because I was pushed to take risks and try new things, I have learned a wealth about the tech world. I ventured out and discovered plenty. I am grateful for Twitter and Feed readers that will allow me to be stay connected and in touch with librarians from various places that will help me grow personally and professionally.

Basically, I am appreciative that I get to surround myself with many educational leaders that will help me stay up to date with trends in the library and the world of literacy. I also enjoyed learning about alternative tools for learning and assessing such as: my own YouTube channel, podcasts, infographics, screencasts, book trailers, how the Twitter world operates, Feed readers and how they gather preferred reading content all on one place, comic strips, QR codes, not to mention, how to blog. Prior to this course, I had zero knowledge about how to even begin a personal blog. Now, I have aspirations to write and begin a personal blog because of this course and I can actually say I am better equipped as a teacher and librarian to take my students to greater heights in this tech world. Personally, I enjoyed learning and creating screencasts. I've always enjoyed watching them and now I can continue to create some for students as tutorials such as how to navigate through the online catalog, navigating through Ebsco, or simply showing how to complete an online assignment. I thoroughly enjoyed podcasting very much, maybe because I didn't have to see myself on video lol and probably because I felt comfortable and more at ease just recording my voice. The assignment that I really struggled with was reviewing several sites that allow you to create book trailers and create QR codes for them. All in all, I am ready to take this knowledge and implement it in my current classroom and future library.

Although they were great and learning experiences, the journey (this course) wasn't always easy, but with trial and error, I overcame and in turn learned that in the tech world there will be setbacks and headaches due to technical difficulties, however the positives will always outweigh the negatives. I'll close with a powerful point Hatmaker makes in "Food for Thought" in order for us to carry out the mission, we must begin "where they are" be willing to listen to the community and serve "their" needs whether it be now in the classroom or in the library.