Connecting this Course to Me

I never would have thought this course would connect to my teaching in the art classroom. Although I may not be discussing the insides of a computer with my class, the knowledge learned is valuable. If nothing else, I am able to understand the passions of some of my students to create meaningful relationships with them. This may seem small, but I had the opportunity already to connect with a student that I thought was impossible due to the assignment of taking pictures of the inside of my computer and labeling the parts. His face lit up as he asked me what I was doing. I will remember that moment for a long time to come. It is easy to lose sight at times the value in student-teacher relationships.
Besides a lasting connection, this class has opened my eyes to the possibilities offered through technologies. Coming into this program with little knowledge of computers or technology, I have come a long way. I will use blogging in my classroom on a weekly basis, now that I am in the habit of writing. Currently I do weekly vocabulary words, which I can create a blog spot for students to discuss the words. I will also look into implementing an art history assignments where students can go to the blog to view and critique a famous artwork.
As far as the real content of this class, I find it to be most valuable on a personal level. I am much more aware of properly protecting my home computer than I was before. My eyes were opened to how naive I was. A prime example of the classic saying, 'It won't happen to me', was my thought. I have been lucky not to have experienced a computer crash thus far, but I am not willing to risk it. I have upped my firewall protection and hard drive backups, feeling more secure.
Overall I feel the information presented in this class was very valuable. As with anything, you will get out of it what you want to; meaning if I want to find a way to connect the information I will. It is prevalent the use of technology is a beneficial tool when teaching to our students of the future.