Throughout the semester I was able to interact with my classmates online and have meaningful conversations in discussion groups on zoom and through our blog posts.

In class discussion, I don’t necessarily love speaking out in front of the large group unless I am truly passionate about a topic. However in the small group discussions I am always an active participant. I found that I had something to offer to my classmates as I have been a practicing teacher for five years, while many are still in their undergraduate studies at the U of R. A conversation that was memorable to me was when we were discussing ways to use technology in the classroom. Although many of the ideas brought up in our small group were great, I was able to share through my experience of the reality of how to implement technology with limited resources. Ideas a great in theory, but how are you able to adapt your lesson when there are 8 iPads for 29 kids? Another conversation that stands out in my mind are the discussions around digital identity and what we posted online as teens versus us being professional adults in the workforce. This was a bit of controversial topic as we had a deep discussion over the idea of if we have the right to have elements of our digital footprint forgotten or if we can be possibly “cancelled” over something we posted in our past (either recent or long term). As teachers we are held to a different standard and always have to be smart about what we share online.

Blogging was something completely new and out of my comfort zone. I don’t often like to post about what my inner thoughts on any social media platforms, especially when you have to be careful as an educator as to what you are sharing. So having to share my thoughts about topics and allow my classmates to comment was a little uneasy. Luckily, we were in a group of supportive students who are willing to give positive and uplifting feedback. I tried to reciprocate the positive comments I was given on my blog onto the posts of my classmates on their blogs. Click here to view some of the evidence of my interactions on my classmates’ blogs.