Blog Post Journal #1

 Hi! I'm Cassandra, and I am so excited to share with you all my journey in EME2040 this semester!

    I love being creative even in the little things and exploring the world through novels. I also love to imagine stories of my own and put them to paper. Movie musicals from the 50s and 60s are my favorite, and classical music is a must on any given day. As a college student, I am very excited for this class and this new Spring in 2023! I hope to encourage you guys as I relate my own educational technologies experiences along with everything new that I will be learning over the next fourteen or so weeks.

    Growing up, I was straddled between traditional education tools and the emerging technological age. Sure there were whiteboards and transparencies, but there were also SmartBoards and platforms such as Google Classroom and later Canvas. In the then brave new era of the early-mid 2000s, we still had a steady blend of assignments completed online and those physically turned in. So long as you knew how to type with a keyboard, visit a couple of homework game websites, then you were golden. It was not until middle school that I really felt pushed to do more with technology and confront the reality that the days of cursive and hand-written essays were coming to a close.

    The first distinct memory I have of this change took place in the seventh grade. In a research-based class, our teacher wanted us to take our research papers and transform them into an iMovie presentation. Needless to say, it was intimidating for someone who was not a tech-person by nature. The whole process, though a significant learning curve, gave me more freedom to be creative in how I wanted to express the research that I compiled over the past handful of months. By the end of things, I not only felt more confident in my abilities as a student, but as a communicator, exploring a new way to share knowledge with those around me. I am truly looking forward to experiencing that kind of rewarding struggle in this class, as I am once again pushed past my sense of familiarity and taught how to use new educational technologies, many that I have not even heard of before.

    Coming into this course, I have created a personal learning network for myself to help me in school, as a college student, and even just as someone interested in diving deeper into my hobbies. YouTube really can be a girl's best friend, especially if you want to hear from authors on how they plan and write their stories, or figure out how to format your paper in APA conventions with less than a week left till the inevitable deadline. However, sometimes I rely on more scholarly platforms, such as the university's library database, my textbooks, and my TA's. Also super helpful since coming to college is simply giving my mom a call to ask what setting to wash my sweaters on, or how to make sure that the AC does not break every other day. The older you get, the less you realize that you know. I am not sure if someone already said that, but it certainty pans out. All that to say, I have come to appreciate and rely on lots of resources and people to help me grow and learn. If you have not compiled a list of people and things that help you learn and grow as a person, I suggest that you try to make one today! 

Until next time!