Three, Two, One, GO!

Three, two, one, go! Starting the first day of my TEAC259 class-- a class centered on how to use technology in the classroom-- felt scarily similar to being thrown into the deep end of a pool with no instruction on how to actually swim (not that I'd know from experience...). In a flurry of activity and, frankly, chaos we were asked to make a power point slide with a picture of a common object. For somebody who is as technologically competent as a goldfish, even that seemingly simple task proved to be more difficult than expected. That, however, was nothing but child's play compared to the next activity.

After (finally) uploading the picture, two words were introduced to the class: affordances and standards. Mostly through self discovery, I learned that affordances are basically the things that new technology allows us to do that we couldn't do before, and standards (in this context) are the things that are consistently valued and strived for in a culture that promote the invention of these technologies. The concepts seem simple when written out, but they are not so simple when applied to something like a tote bag. Affordances of a tote bag can include anything from carrying multiple things at once because of a standard of efficiency, to allowing for more privacy because of a standard to privacy, to being environmentally friendly because of the standard of protecting our world.

Thinking of even the simplest technology in this way was very new to me and very challenging. This, combined with a teaching style that was extremely incompatible with how I'm normally comfortable learning, made the class interesting to say the least. However, I'm excited for the future. Much like being thrown into a pool and not knowing how to swim, this course could have several outcomes for me. I could very well drown. Conversely, as was the case with the 'pool incident', I could also learn more quickly and effectively than ever before only to find a hidden talent and interest. I'm hoping for the latter. Either way, I'm excited to see what this course has in store for me and am confident it will be a learning experience unlike any other.