EDLD 5366 Reflection

Upon completion of this digital graphics course, I have learned several new ways in which digital graphics can be incorporated effectively into education. I have also come to better understand the purpose for and methods in which to incorporate digital graphics into my lessons. Before this course, I was never inclined to do so. Although I have made numerous computer-based lessons, I was never aware of the design principles that should have gone into them. After learning about the principles of design and becoming more familiar with how to utilize them, I see what I have been doing wrong and that it is easy to correct my mistakes. I also feel more comfortable with the idea of including animation in my lessons. I think that my students would greatly enjoy a little animation in their learning, and would appreciate the fact that I made it myself!

As I progressed through this course, I valued the videos and assigned readings to gain greater understanding of each assignment. Although there was one instance where I placed too much importance on a reading assignment and attempted to use Gimp to create an animation. Needless to say, I spent a few days exasperatedly trying to figure that one out! But, as with all of my other courses, I greatly appreciated the opportunity to interact with my fellow students for help and guidance. The discussion board is a great tool in keeping our class connected, and reading my classmates’ input really gives me many viewpoints to consider.

In my upcoming courses, I hope to have opportunities to show the knowledge I have gained in this course. I would love to be presented with more assignments utilizing my new graphic design skills, such as designing forms and documents or creating lessons. I also hope to once again have the opportunity to work with a group of my fellow students. I continue to learn so much from them each time we have a group assignment and I truly enjoy collaborating with them. With the new skills that I have obtained, I hope to challenge myself with creating my own classroom website. I have attempted it before, because I felt that it would be a great tool in connecting my classroom with parents and other school stakeholders. I hope to use my new knowledge to successfully achieve this goal.