Final Summary

This Digital Media Literacy class has been life changing. I feel so proud completing, and refining my E-portfolio. I think the best part of my e-portfolio is that my work is organized in a tangible way, for future employers to view. I, also, can track how far I have come along, in my Master's program.

I believe my progress is attributed greatly to Professor Shelwyn’s patience and guidance, our programs specific and flexible module setup, and the project-based curriculum. All of these experiences are lessons I will carry and build upon, through my teaching career.

A challenges for me in this program was overcoming “artist syndrome,” not finding a reasonable stopping point, and wasting time trying to figure things out, without help. One lesson Shelwyn taught me, and said throughout our meetings is “don’t spend too much time trying to figure out something, just schedule a meeting for help,” and “Don’t worry, Google is always changing.” This attitude reduced a significant amount of frustration that can come from building a live website. I also enjoyed hearing her real-life experiences, mistakes, and milestones as a professor in the every expanding information technology and communication world, because she was relatable.

The modular setup is super structured and convenient for a student in an online program. It really organizes and simplifies tools, research, discussions, projects, and reflections into clear and lesson building format. My e-portfolio is similar in organization of multi-media and digital learning resources. It will be easier for me to add lessons through my site for students, much like the modular setup.

The project-based learning really solidifies what we are learning in the TESOL, MA program. By being creative and experiencing first-hand the project-based learning instruction to show-case our comprehension of module is how I will teach my students and assess milestones in learning. Another bonus of this teaching technique is freedom for creativity. I had the freedom in content, images, and work that was guided by module lesson. For example, my social media blog exhibits my personality while discussing key ideas of our module. This makes me more personable, which is important for building teacher-student rapport.

Finally, I appreciate my peers in this program. The discussion forum was very effective in taking a question and seeing all the concepts, thoughts, and sub-topics evolve. It’s so fun to discuss and pick-each others’ minds because our small class is so diverse in experience, corporate executives, musicians, peers from other countries. Making learning fun and creative is fundamental and the online digital media literacy exceeded my expectations as a student and prospering teacher.

Thanks abunch,

Alexandria White