Looking back...

What a Whirlwind!

This course has truly tested me. Being someone who does not like to use social media for personal posts, having a dedicated blog to tend to each week has not been easy. However, I will say even though it was not easy it was fun! I was able to test my limits and extend myself past my comfort zone. That is not something I can say I have done too many times before. 

When it comes to technology in education, while I am not a teacher, I think that there are so many interesting tools out there for educators to utilize. The world is ever changing and our dependency on technology only increases. Educators must prepare future generations to be ready for an education, life, and workforce that is heavily influenced by technology. It is also important that the future generation is taught how to interact with technology safely and responsibly. Children younger and younger are being exposed to social media, and with that comes the good and the bad. What you see and post on there stays with you throughout your life. It is the duty of every authoritative adult in a child's life to act as a guide for them. 

When it comes to technology being used in my workspace, I can say that I am far more open to it than previously. I do not think that I will ever want to take up the mantle of creating and/or running social media pages for our workspace, but I am not averse to new technologies being introduced. Even if I do not understand them, that does not mean I will not try my best to. There are many technologies and tools out there that can be of great use to our patrons and it would be a disservice to deny our patrons these resources just because new technology can be intimidating to me. It is my job to learn and help when I can and pass on those resources. 

When it came to our blogs, the one that definitely stood out to me most was our digital tattoos. I was not previously aware of just how much of our personal information was out there on the internet for anyone to see with so many different sites to help find you. I will be thinking twice before I divulge any personal statements in any of my social media profiles, not that I was very personal on there, to begin with. I also greatly enjoyed learning about the Professional Learning Network (PLN) and where my role falls into that. After taking those personality quizzes they gave me great insight into what areas I can improve upon as well as what areas I am exceptionally great in. 

I have gone out of my comfort zone when it came to this blog. I pushed myself to interweave personal connections to my posts making them more palpable and meaningful. I think that incorporating those parts of yourself into your work is important. With anything you do you want to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. I want to thank all of you who took the time to read my blog posts and interact with them. It is nice to know that I am not posting into an empty void. In my first blog post, I uploaded a GIF in which Christina Aguilera, all glammed up, clicking on an old-school computer mouse with a sense of strong intentions. This time around, I will post the wonderful Britney Spears. She walks up golden staircase and pauses to look over her shoulder and give her audience an excited smile. I was not sure what I was getting myself into with this course, but having almost completed it I can share that I have come out the other side more knowledgeable and eager to explore new technology.

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