1. What are the things (if any) you have heard about EDM310?
Being that I am a transfer student and I do not know anyone, I can honestly say that I have heard absolutely nothing about EDM310. I am going into this class with an open mind and free from any bias. This is one of my first classes at South Alabama, and I definitely plan to use it as a learning experience.
2. What fears (if any) do you have about EDM310?
The one fear that I do have about EDM310 is that I will slip behind on my work. I know there are many ways to prevent this fear from becoming a reality; however, this fear is still very real in my eyes. I have decided to take a more optimistic approach and to get a head start by looking ahead on classwork, as well as homework. My goal is also to make sure that I post well ahead of time, so that if any issues come about, I can find a solution before I am potentially behind. I plan to keep up with deadlines and stay ahead, while still producing quality work. A fear is only a fear if you are afraid. I am not afraid of failure, I am afraid of not reaching my full potential. This semester, I plan to conquer this fear.
3. Compare and contrast EDM310 with other courses you have taken in college or high school.
In comparison to my high school courses, EDM310 seems quite a bit more advanced with its use of social media as a platform and use of technology in general. As a student coming from a small high school in Mississippi, I can honestly say that technology is not my strong point. My high school had a decent amount of technology in place for use, but never did we explore the uses of social media, such as blogging because it was against the rules of our school district. We did not even have access to an e-learning site for teachers and students because the school district prohibited access when it was learned that students used the former site that was in place as a means to chat throughout the day with each other during class times.
I do believe that my former high school is incorporating more social media platforms such as twitter into curriculum because of how rapidly social media such as twitter has begun to take over; however, when I was still in school, there was hardly any use of our technology, unless it was for a powerpoint presentation or to type an assignment for a class.
In contrast, when I attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, majority of my classes had updated pages on a site that is similar to USA’s e-learning site, Sakai. On this site, we were able to email and chat with instructors, as well as other students; however, this also does not seem as vast of an exploration as EDM310. EDM310 seems as if it will be much more advanced than this. I noticed that we will be setting up a twitter account, as well as blogging each week and emailing quite a bit as well. Hopefully, this will prepare me for my career as a teacher, seeing as how technology is beginning to play a much larger role in the classroom than it once did.
4. What do you think will be the most difficult thing for you in EDM310?
The most difficult thing in EDM310 that I can foresee now will be html code. I am up for a challenge with everything else, but my html coding needs some serious work! I remember back in the early stages of my social media use, the site Myspace was quite popular. Back then I knew several people skilled in the use of html codes, but I was not one of those people. I was very interested in html coding because of the ability to make intricate and very unique personalized pages from knowing how to use the codes properly. However, no one ever taught me how to code, and I labeled myself as someone who would never be html savvy, so I depended on my friend’s help with making my page one of a kind. I have been researching html more since beginning EDM310, so I plan to try my hardest to make my page worth viewing. I just hope this attempt is successful!
5. What is the best way for you to address this “most difficult” aspect of EDM310?
My best way to address my most difficult aspect is to tackle it head on. I have done the research on html coding, and I know several experienced html coders, so there are no excuses. I plan to not only be html savvy by the end of EDM310, but to be efficient in as many technological subjects as this class covers. With the help of my classmates and friends, I am sure that I will resolve this issue in no time. I am definitely more willing now than ever to learn html, especially since my grade is depending on it.
6. What questions do you still have about EDM310? What ideas do you have about how to address those questions?
I do not have any questions about EDM310. I am just ready to kick this year off and get into all the interesting material that we will be covering.
Candace Harris
