Reflections+on+assignments+in+EDLD+5362-+Information+Systems+Management

While I know one of the objectives of EDLD 5362 was to evaluate my local school district's student information system, or SIS, I recall very little about doing so. I took this course several years ago, but two of the assignments do still stand out to me as valuable educational experiences. The Week One assignment, to interview a veteran teacher, was memorable and enjoyable. It gave me the opportunity to sit with a colleague and friend and conduct an informal interview about a topic we rarely had discussed in depth. My teammate's name was Vicki, and we are still friends today though we have changed positions several times and now work on different campuses. After reviewing the old interview, I am considering a follow up-- an independent study, of sorts. I'd like to know where she stands today on the topic of the impact of the Internet on her work.

At the time, Vicki was on the fence, so to speak. She knew that the Internet and all of its associated tools were here to stay, would continue evolving and improving, and could make some methods and tools obsolete. She was even a bit concerned that there may be danger of human teachers falling by the wayside. Publications in 2013 are still expressing a related concern. However, it's not so much that teachers are being replaced but that their roles are being refined. “The abundance of resources and relationships made easily accessible via the Internet is challenging us to revisit our roles as educators. ” (“NMC Horizon Report ”, 2013) Despite her concern, Vicki believed that the Internet brought many positive changes to the world of learning. I hope she feels even more encouraged today.

Another assignment that I found engaging was creating a blueprint for a future classroom. The resource I used at the time was a You Tube video created in 2007. At the time, the ideas were still somewhat fuzzy for me. I didn't understand all of the suggestions, and one in particular--"Instructors will be wanderers"-- caught me off guard. Aren't teachers always supposed to have plans, make deliberate choices, and guide the learning with specific objectives? Today, I understand the comment. In my current classroom, I am very much a wanderer. I move from group to group as an observer. I watch and listen, take notes, ask questions, and move on. Students have the world at their fingertips, and my most important role is to generate questions that cannot be answered on Google.

Sources (2013). Nmc horizon report 2013. Retrieved from []

Mediaineducation. (2007). //Classroom of the future hd: what's new in educational tech//. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcXEznPXj8k