Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Project Reflection


One last post it is then. Alright, so I must confess that the most important thing that I’ve learned through my final project has little to do with technology and teaching.

As soon as I heard Lloyd’s presentation earlier in the semester I knew that I had to sign up for this project. Cortland has done so much for me, so I wanted to give back; Karen was right when she identified this as being something that I cared about.

As many of you know, initially, things didn’t go as smoothly as I had planned. There was the issue of no one being in charge; I did not have the wherewithal to be able to manipulate the HTML to integrate the blog right onto Lloyd’s page; the thought of posting twice a week on content I couldn’t identify (at that time) was terrifying; Not to mention that this was my first class at the graduate level and I didn’t know what to expect (and what was to be expected of me).

Now that I’m sitting here looking back at these things in hindsight I realize that what I accomplished was pretty impressive. I was able to make myself in charge. I was able to find a way to get the blog up in an acceptable fashion (thanks Sarah, again) and I was able to produce more than two posts a week. So I guess what I learned (which coincides with what we are learning in this class) is that I when I’m faced with a problem I will be able to do what it takes to find a solution. Real life, here I come!

There are many things that I would like to investigate more thoroughly. First off, I’m hoping that gaining some teaching experience will finally solidify my transformation in to the M.A.T. program and a life of teaching. I owe a lot to this class, thanks to everyone… But, as for the technology, I am still curious to see how a blog would truly function in a classroom. Chris had mentioned how he is “torn” and I’m curious to see how I would truly feel if I had a classroom blog.

I think the pedagogical applications that blogging has in a classroom have been exhausted by the discussions that we’ve had throughout this semester. But, I don’t know if anyone would be able to convince me that a blog is a bad idea; actually I feel that a blog would be crucial to a classroom that I was in charge of, but, again, I have no experience. The benefits of blogging seem to be limitless from what I’ve witnessed this semester. I can identify some risks, also.

You asked what I would do differently if I were to continue this project… Well, I am going to continue working on the Downtown Cortland Blog. I enjoy writing, specifically blogging, and I feel that it is good for both Cortland and me. So, if anyone is still around and isn’t’ too busy—keep checkin’ it out. Some things are going to change, though. There will be another writer besides myself (I think) so the description and pictures will have to change. I will also be adding a culture section. But besides that I think things will run pretty similar as to what they are now. But, if there are any suggestions please let me know.

I’ve said this before, but I am really proud of how the Downtown Cortland Project turned out. Thanks to everyone who read and commented on the blog! Keep on reading, folks! Cheers.

2 comments:

Sarah said...

Just wanted to give you some feedback on your project and presentation. You and Katie did a great job. I liked that your presentation incorporated the process of your project as well as the end result. It was a very realistic portrayal of the challenges of trying to make something happen. Great work. I really admire how you two stuck to it in spite of many obstacles.

It's been fun working with you over this semester. I hope you find success in teaching - I think you'd be great. If you're interested in visiting a high school, let me know and we'll work something out. Have a good break.

Rachel said...

Ray,
I just wanted to tell you how fabulous your presentation was. I am ashamed to admit that I haven't had much of a chance to check out your website/blog for Cortland Downtown on anything resembling a regular basis. But what I saw in class the other night looked absolutely fabulous.

I know what you mean about Cortland being personal for you, and I think that taking such an active stand for the city is awesome. It soudns like you learned some important stuff, beyond technology application, in the course of this project. For you to have had to take the initiative like that makes what you have accomplished even more impressive.

So, to wrap it up, you did an excellent job, both on the project and the presentation. Good luck with the remainder of your grad studies, and I have faith you'll be great at whatever you decide to do.