Kierra M Keegan

 During my K-12 education, I had a mix of in-person and distance learning experiences, especially in the 7th and 8th grade because of Covid and during high school for Florida Virtual School (FLVS). I primarily used platforms like Google Classroom for assignments and submissions, Zoom for live lectures, and occasionally Kahoot or Quizlet for interactive reviews. I found Google Classroom very effective for organizing assignments and keeping track of deadlines, while Zoom was helpful for live discussions but sometimes felt much less engaging for group collaboration. One technology I haven't experienced yet but would like to try is a virtual reality (VR) classroom platform. I think VR could make online learning more immersive and interactive, allowing students to engage with content in a way that feels more hands-on than traditional video calls.  Working on Assignment 4: the Powerpoint for Information Dissemination, helped me improve my skills in slide design, voice narration, and...

Working on the Web Design assignment helped me learn several new skills related to building and designing a website. I practiced organizing content and creating working links between different pages. One design principle I focused on was visual consistency, because I wanted the entire site to feel cohesive and aesthetic. My website had a fig theme inspired by Sylvia Plath’s prose, so I used similar fig-colored tones, imagery, and fonts across the pages to create a unified look. I also used the design principle of contrast so the text would stand out clearly against the background and be easy to read. One thing I didn’t love about the assignment was getting all of the links to work correctly between the pages, because that part was a little frustrating and took some trial and error. However, I really enjoyed the creative side of the project and making something that looks beautiful and meaningful. Website design skills could be useful in my future career as a professor because educators...

 Many schools require teachers to maintain public class pages so that families can stay informed. I visited the Leon County Schools website (https://www.leonschools.net) and explored several teacher pages. Publically accessible information typically included the teacher’s contact information, course syllabus, grading policies, classroom expectations and weekly agendas. Some pages also featured downloadable assignments and resource links. However, anything involving student grades or private feedback required login access. Overall, the teacher pages functioned as communication tools that promote transparency and organization, while still protecting student privacy.  As a future creative writing professor, I envision using technology strategically rather than dependently. I would use Canvas to centralize readings, workshop schedules, and assignment submissions, but I would be cautious about over-automating creative work. Google Docs would be especially useful for workshop commen...