Exploring Digital Media

Throughout my years of school, I have written many papers and completed many assignments which required a bibliography to accredit my knowledge. I have not, however, learned how to create an annotated bibliography. I was taught how to annotate in high school and I'm aware of how beneficial it is in regards to having success while reading and writing. I like to annotate the books I read to ensure I'm reading actively. I think this will be a great way for me to know which sources are important for my future research. Because this is new to me, I'm a little anxious that I won't do it correctly. It always helps me to review the class recordings when starting a new assignment. It refreshes my knowledge and sometimes I hear something I missed during the live class. I have more than 10 sources for my research so now all I need to do is read them, make sure they're worthwhile, and start my annotations. I might struggle with determining how long to make each annotation bec...

The thought of completely disconnecting from technology for 24 hours is a scary one - especially for me. Technology is a huge part of my every day life. I check my phone constantly, listen to music almost always, and there is usually some TV show playing as background noise for whatever I'm doing at the moment. I grew up with technology so I don't know much else. It will definitely be a challenge for me to complete these required 24 hours. I plan to complete my hours while I'm staying at my boyfriend's house just outside of Chicago. I will find a day where we are outside a lot or staying busy because I know how difficult it will be. I will need to give my family and friends a warning about this project because they are used to me constantly checking my phone. I think it will be interesting to see just how difficult this really is for me. I look forward to this reality check!

In this course, one of our projects is developing a professional Twitter page. This is new to me because although I have been using Twitter for a few years now, I only know how to use it on a personal level. I am able to connect with the people I follow and those who follow me. I have learned how to find posts and people I like and how to filter out the things that don't interest me. I feel like I know a great deal about using a personal Twitter account.  I'm excited to learn how to use Twitter for something other than what I find interesting right now - typically dog pictures or whatever is trending. I want to learn to use a professional account to expand my knowledge regarding my future career. I hope to connect with others in the field of Special Education so I can learn more from them. I'm excited to build my professional profile online through this project. 

I hope this blog can be a way for me to improve my writing skills and show progress in my class. I want this to be something I enjoy doing so it will likely be pretty personal. I want to get excited about posting blog entries and I hope this is something I can continue even after the course has ended. I think it will be easier for me to write and I will grow in confidence as I keep practicing so I have high hopes for this project. I want my posts to be interesting and fun even if they are just reflections of my other projects. I plan to make a schedule and write fairly consistently so there is structure throughout the posts. I'm a little apprehensive about starting this project because I don't know much about blogging or how to make it successful. I'm excited to start, however, because I think it's a great opportunity to learn from myself and others. It can be a great outlet for me and I think it'll be awesome to be able to look back on my experiences throughout t...

My name is Taylor Heitke. I'm 19 years old and from St. Cloud, Minnesota.  I currently attend St. Cloud State University and my major is Special Education. I have a passion for teaching and making a difference in the lives of the people I meet. I plan to use this class - IM 260 - Exploring Digital Media - to further my knowledge regarding integrating technology and media into my classroom. This blog is a way for me to practice and gain more experience. I hope you enjoy!