1st screencast- forms

This week I created a screencast of myself exploring through using forms on microsoft. I have honestly never use microsoft for anything other than word really, so this was a cool experience for me to realize the multitude of benefits that exist merely at my fingertips simply within microsoft.

I also realized the benefits of being able to do something as simple as screencast. In a day such as today where the expectations are huge on not only teachers, but also students, it is imperative to be able to streamline learning and make it not only engaging but also coherent for all students. By being able to prepare lessons with screen casting it allows for educators to place a personal touch on their lessons, which can be a helpful factor in terms of increasing student engagement.

There are many examples of where multimedia learning principles were not followed by me in the past. However, it is largely due to the fact that I am not completely comfortable with many aspects of technology and due to certain limitations of technology (such as accessibility) that exist. Nevertheless, I do see the benefits of having technology boost a lesson, and I also think that this course is pushing me to see the very many benefits that exist with using technology to learning. And as is explained by the TPACK model which was introduced in 2006 by Mishra et.al of Michigan State University it is important for educators to be balanced in terms of their content knowledge, pedagogy and technology use.

Now I will continue to push myself to look a little beyond my comfort zone in term of technology assisting me in the classroom. I am hopeful that this will not only benefit my students, but that it will also help me to streamline the work I need to do in class. Which in turn will allow me to be more present with my students are the classroom learning, as opposed to always needing to be present in terms of what is required next.