Introduction
Only a few short months ago I felt like I knew a lot about technology and felt like I was doing a good job of implementing technology in my classroom. However, after completing EDUC 6710 I now realize that I have a long way to go to meet the needs of my students in my class. This course has made me aware of 21st century skills and how I need to make changes to my teaching and thinking in order to help prepare students for life beyond school.
· In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?
Most importantly this course gave me the confidence to try out new technologies such as wikis, blogs, and podcasts. I had heard of these technologies but was not sure how they would enhance my teaching. However, after having participated in the creation and use of each one I now see first hand how they can enhance my teaching and student learning. I already have plans to create a wiki or blog as a way to help my students respond to a book they read within their literacy group. This course has also helped me realize that developing my technology skills takes time. Taking the first step was key and now I must continue to take small steps to change the way I teach. EDUC 6710 also helped me to realize that my students are a very helpful source about how to use these tools. Several of my students are more knowledgeable than me and by turning to them for help they begin to realize that just because I am the teacher; I do not hold all of the answers (Richardson, 2010).
· In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
My knowledge of the teaching and learning process has deepened because I have been forced to think about the “why” of each lesson that I do. I now think more critically about if a lesson is providing students with worthwhile skills or is it just a lesson I have always done with out a real lasting impact. Questioning my teaching has been hard and at times I have been quite disappointed with some of the lessons I have typically used. I realize that I was mostly just doing things differently not actually doing different things (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).
· In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
Changing my perspective from being teacher-centered to learner centered has been difficult for me and continues to be a work in progress. When I am successful at creating a learner centered activity I see the benefits and the motivation of my students. During these types of lessons I get the chance to see my students problem solve, think critically and come to conclusions on their own. I still need to work on giving over control and letting my students be the source of knowledge or discover how to find the answer to their questions without coming to me. Continuing to make this shift will be one of my long-term goals.
· In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?
I will continue to increase student achievement by further expanding my knowledge of learning, teaching and leading with technology. EDUC 6710 has familiarized me with several educational blogs and websites that I now frequently follow—thanks to the ability of RSS feeds. Hearing and seeing first hand what others are doing in their classroom around the area of technology integration is what will help me most to expand my knowledge. As I continue my studies at Walden University I also hope to further explore wikis, blogs, podcasting etc. so I become more aware of their educational capabilities. My teaching will continue to change by continuing to make small changes to how I teach. This time of year in the classroom is a great time of year to try out these changes because my students are aware of my expectations and I know a lot about their capabilities. Trying new things now will help me implement them at the start of the new school year next year.
· Set two long-term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?
My first long-term goal would be to create a class blog. I would like to post daily on this blog and have students respond to my questions and each other. My biggest obstacle to achieve this goal is limited access to technology. Having only one computer in my classroom limits the students chance to contribute. Most of my students have a computer at home that they can contribute but I would like to be able to provide time in class for students to respond. To overcome the obstacle of limited technology I need to work with the librarian on setting up a designated time several times a week that my students can use the computers for blogging or other technology related activities. This will be a challenge as all classes use our library as both a library and computer lab. Another obstacle is not having permission from all students to participate in blogging. To overcome this I need to educate families on the benefits of using blogs and let them know the safety measures that are in place to protect students from interacting with strangers online.
My second long-term goal is for me to continue to shift my classroom from being teacher centered to learner centered. For this goal I do not feel like there are any external obstacles. To meet this goal I must begin to change my mindset and turn over control to the students. Setting high expectations, modeling and guiding students to be successful will be key. Providing students with project-based activities that requires the use of 21st century thinking skills will put them in control of their learning.
· Refer to your checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course?
When I refer back to the checklist from the beginning of this course I realize I have started changing my practices to support 21st century skills. The main area is that I have developed a vision for technology integration in my classroom. I have also started having the conversation with my colleagues about promoting technology integration. In my teaching practice I have changed because I am now using digital tools to collaborate with parents; students are exploring new technologies helping them solve real world problems and I am designing more instructional activities requiring student collaboration to accomplish a task.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). EDUC 6710: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work and Society [DVD]. The emergence of educational technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:Corwin.
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