Reflections on Introduction to Authoring Tools

This course has been a great learning experience for me. Although I have struggled to keep pace with the work, I think I have gained valuable knowledge to help me be a more effective educator. As my comments in other discussions and posts have stated, I feel that e-learning and Authoring Tools are the means by which educators will reach the new generations of learners in the near future.

But, I think there is a great danger where schools (administrators and teachers) try to integrate just for the sake of integrating. They do not take into account the necessary training and planning to be successful. When content created and organized by authoring tools is used in instruction, there is the potential to attract and motivate students, as well as target multiple learning styles. However, this must be done thoughtfully, with a defined method and goal.

One particular area of interest for me were the technology standards that we reviewed for class. I think that these can be somewhat lofty goals for schools, depending on the school district you are working with. With my experience in urban education, I think some people are still unaware of the obstacles that lie in the way of bringing educational technology to students. Between insufficient budgets and misappropriated budgets, the hardware and software simply is not available. And, while many students in these areas do in fact have computers at home, they are often antiquated and unable to operate many useful software packages, if in fact they even acquire the software. This is a big difference from a more wealthy home where the family computer may have the entire Microsoft Office Suite, Quicktime, products from the Adobe line, etc.

Therefore, I feel that the integration of educational technology which will allow educators to use Authoring Tools effectively is in the distance for many districts around the country. However, I do feel that one of the main causes for optimism is the new generation of educators who are very willing to begin integration and perfect it; because they have grown up with it and see its potential. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the course, the reading material, and the discussion forum as a venue to exchange ideas.