Reflection

The phrase "Learning Odyssey" is certainly appropriate for my personal experiences in the TATC program.  There were good times and bad times; there were days when things went smoothly and days when things were quite rough.  In the end, I think there were areas where I learned immense amounts of information and developed significant skills, while at the same time there were areas where I learned less than I would have hoped.  Clearly, I am better off as I prepare to exit the TATC program than I was when I entered it.  My skills in technology applications have, overall, clearly advanced.

Standard I - Informed Decision-Making:  Surprisingly, this standard saw a significant amount of growth.  One of my deficiencies coming in was software, specifically knowledge of what's available and how to evaluate and determine what to use.  I have advanced significantly in this area.

Standard II - Acquire, Analyze, and Evaluate Information:  I have advanced far in this area, in part because of the advances I've made in Standard I.  When it comes to software, I am much better at how to seek out the information I need, assess it, and make a decision.

Standard III - Task-Appropriate Tools in Problem-Solving:  Again, I've advanced here in part because of my growth in previous standards.  I have a better sense now as to how I should approach technology-oriented tasks and how I can accomplish them.

Standard IV - Communicate Information:  In previous technology experiences, I had always achieved moderate success in this area.  What's improved more for me through TATC has been communicate information in a variety of formats, most notably web design.

Standard V - Instruction that Incorporates Technology:  I've grown moderately here.  I received the opportunity to develop some instructional materials, but I think that, should I teach a TA class in the future, I will need to work more diligently to develop the materials I need.

Standard VII - Desktop Publishing:  This was one of the most surprising areas.  I had significant experience prior to TATC in developing print documents, but in TATC I was able to hone my skills further and address some refined areas of desktop publishing.

Standard VIII - Digital Graphics/Animation:  This area saw some of my greatest growth, and yet it's an area where I still require further development.  I had almost no experience in the realm of digital graphics prior to TATC, but throughout the program I was able to gain more skill and confidence, however small and slow my steps may have been.  Obviously, though, I will need to continue working in this area to gain an acceptable level of expertise.

Standard IX - Multimedia:  My growth in this area is primarily a function of my growth in other areas, and how that growth added together leads me to greater competence.  I now finally know, more or less, what "multimedia" really means, and I have a much better sense of how to develop a multimedia technology product.

Standard X - Video Technology:  I had dabbled in editing video prior to TATC, but I had never dealt with digital formats.  This area of Technology Applications proved quite useful, and fun, to me as I discovered how easy manipulating video can be in the digital arena.

Standard XI - Web Mastering:  Coming into TATC, this was the area in which I sought the greatest growth.  I knew some things about rudimentary web development, but I really wanted to gain some advanced skills through TATC.  Thankfully, I got what I wanted through the program.  I still have some more growth to pursue, but I've now been exposed to some useful and exciting areas of web development, and I want to learn and grow more.

One thing I should point out further with regard to my learning experience relates to personal lessons, outside of the Technology Applications Standards.  Obviously, as an "outside" learning experience, this year has been an enormous challenge in terms of time management, self-direction, and patience.  I anticipate being astonished at how much better I'll be able to use my time once the program is completed.  And I imagine I will also feel like the days have suddenly become 28 hours long, since I have so much less demand placed on my time.  I should also mention that the notion of e-mail communication, downloading/uploading files, and working within specified networks will no longer be remotely "intimidating."

So where do I go from here?  My first objective is to develop better web mastering skills.  This is the area that I think will help me most to enhance my economics classes.  I also intend to develop better desktop publishing skills and produce documents for immediate use in economics.  In terms of the other TAs, I intend to develop skills in these areas on a gradual basis, working toward my eventual career goals in tech support & training.  Once I have those skills at the level I seek, I believe I'll be fully comfortable training teachers to utilize these areas of technology to enhance their own classrooms, whether they actually teach TA classes or not.  I believe knowledge of the TAs can enhance any class, particularly as the field of education places further emphasis on utilizing computer hardware and software to advance the development of students.