Alondra Renteria

Professor Lewallen

EDT 180B

23 September 2019

Module Reflection

1. During the in-class critique session, I was praised for exploring different
technologies that were not the most popular, specifically the Ring alarm system. My
partner said that she had not thought about using a security system in a classroom, but she
agreed with my viewpoint of how it creates a safe learning environment. This same
partner also commented on how lengthy my responses were and how I should consider
possibly cutting some unnecessary words and phrases. I was a bit taken aback by this
comment, but I understood what she was saying; I should answer the question straight to
the point, add insight, but not overdo it to the point where it becomes dreadful to read.
Another piece of feedback I received was that my video report was unique and
informative. This person told me the video had great quality, audio, and most importantly
content. They appreciated that I was not reading off of a script or paper and that I
answered the questions from paper. When I told this person I received help from my
boyfriend, who is a photographer and videographer, they told me I should have tried to
do it on my own because it was not fair to the other students. Their opinion changed once
I told them I used help, but I told them I simply had my boyfriend record me, and that I
edited as much as I could without him doing all of the work.

2. A revision I took into consideration that I could further implement is choosing my

words and phrases wisely, so that my paper is concise and has a smooth flow. I tend to
overwrite whenever I have a written assignment, usually to cover any word-minimums or
not miss any point I want to make, but because this assignment is based off my personal
experience, it is definitely manageable to go back and revise any over-worded
paragraphs; quality over quantity is paramount. However, the other part of feedback I
received regarding using my boyfriend’s help as “cheating” seems unreasonable to me
due to costs and experience. I knew I could have done the video completely on my own,
but I preferred to use my resources, my boyfriend’s expertise, to give a better quality
video that demonstrated my experience in a more effective way through small video clips
of the items as I used them. I do not have editing software that I could have used for this
assignment, so I saved myself the money by editing the video on my boyfriend’s editing
program which was very efficient and time-saving, especially as I was working on
several other assignments at the same time. Overall, I appreciated all the feedback I
obtained and seeing a different point of view of certain aspects of my project.

3. As I revised my project several times before turning in the final draft, I realized
how every time I went back to edit it, I would find a new mistake. Especially when
reading my paper out loud, I caught a multitude of mistakes I had missed when reading it,
 so I began to read it aloud as many times as I could. It was also helpful to have a different
perspective read my paper because it made me see how others could interpret my paper
differently than what I intended. Looking back at the process of my project, I would
definitely first go experience the products before beginning to write the paper. This was
very useful for me because I did not even know what products I was going to use, so
going to Best Buy and finding the products I wanted to review then made the writing
process much easier. I also think I would have recorded myself when I went to see the
products for the first time if I did this project again, but I think I would have added an
introduction and conclusion to my video. Looking back at the video, I felt like a small
piece was missing, so if I had added just a small conclusion of my overall experience at
the end, I think the video would have been even better.

4. A part of the process of this project was having to think outside the box of what these
technologies could be used for outside of their normal use. The Alexa Echo, for instance,
is usually seen in a home setting and used for playing music and answering questions, as
well as other features, but in a classroom the Alexa could be handy in setting timers,
playing background music while students work, or even answering questions the entire
class struggles with. A case I have not seen of the Alexa being used in the classroom is if
I were to be teaching a first-grade classroom, and we are filling out our weather chart of
the day and the students do not know what the weather that day is like, we can ask Alexa
as a class, “Alexa, what is the weather like today?” This question may be normally asked
my people in their homes right before leaving, but it could also be hypothetical in an
elementary school setting. The virtual reality system is also an example of using
technology differently than what is expected. A reasonable scenario I could see a VR
system being used in a classroom is during a lesson that could include real-life experience
without leaving the classroom. These systems are commonly known and used for video
games, but if students are taught to use them for educational purposes, they could be an
excellent integration in a classroom and giving students a 360 experience. The final
technology, the Ring alarm system, is probably the most uncommon technology to think
about in a classroom. Before this project, I had only ever envisioned this alarm system in
a household or a business since that is where I had only seen it. However, as safety
concerns rise in schools, it is hypothetical to have alarm systems in classrooms to call
help quicker and prevent dangerous people from coming into the classroom. Overall, it is
shocking and intriguing to see how technologies we may use every day can be
transformed to be used in various settings.