Blog Journal #9

 Welcome back! 

So far, I have really enjoyed my experience in EME 2040. I enjoy the classroom setup and being able to explore the digital resources on the university computers during class time. In terms of what can be improved, I do wish we would focus more on class discussion-oriented activities rather than group-based activities, since that might encourage more open discourse and participation among all students. When I become a teacher, I will try my best to implement asking for students' input on class activities and presenting them with options. This would not only prevent negative reactions to some educational activities, but it would also encourage them to take a more active role in their learning.

Moving on, let's talk about Open Educational Resources, or OER for short. Much like the name suggests, these educational resources are open and freely available for anyone, mostly on the internet. Teachers with access to a computer and an internet connection can use and revise any Open Educational Resource, as well as submit their own to help out other instructors across the web! For example, the website OER Commons provides teachers with thousands of public resources, free of charge. All materials are divided into school subjects, activity type, and grade level, for easy and intuitive access. When you get the chance, I highly recommend checking it out!

Lastly, I want to end this blog post by reflecting on my Assignment 4: PowerPoint for Information Dissemination.While I had used PowerPoint in the past, mainly for school assignments, I never fully realized just how much can be done with this software. I learned how to embed YouTube videos within my slides, rather than just posting hyperlinks. I also learned how to record presentations without the need for an external application, which I did not know I could do directly from the PowerPoint app itself. There was nothing I inherently disliked about this assignment; it was just challenging enough to keep me occupied and will definitely prove helpful to me in my future professional endeavors. If I had to redo this assignment, given what I've learned, I would get through it a lot faster with the knowledge I have now. I've attached a screenshot below, happy reading!

Until next time :)