Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Final Reflection


            Taking this course has definitely helped me understand what types of technology are out there.  I enjoyed learning about blogs and wikis and I plan on incorporating both of those into my classroom within the next year.  Pod casting was a little more difficult but I still plan on using it right away.  Instead of coping notes for my students when they are absent, I plan on recording each of my lessons that way my students can go directly to my website, watch the video lesson and then complete their assignment.  Hopefully this can be done even before they return to school that way they will not be behind, but this last part might be just wishful thinking.

            I have definitely become more aware of my students capabilities with technology.  I now have a greater understanding on exactly what they have accessible to them at home and at school.  This definitely opens the door for me as an educator to now be able to use more of these 21st century skills that we have learned about.  This also gives me the opportunity to change my classroom to be more learner centered rather than teacher centered.  I fully understand that I will always be a role model and full of knowledge for my students but I am not the only thing full of knowledge that they are capable of using.  Sometimes I will have to step back and watch my students use their critical thinking skills and have them work together to build their collaboration skills when working on projects.  I plan on trying to incorporate a couple of the projects found on the 21st century website but changing them just a little to meet the requirements of my grade level. 

            Last year our school had a PLC regarding technology and next year I have decided I want to join it that way I can show different things that I am doing in my classroom and also learn from others as well.  I think continuing on in this master’s program I will gain lots more knowledge on integrating technology into the classroom and my students will greatly benefit from it as well.  I will continue to follow my blogs that I have subscribed to and try new things that I learn from them as well.  I look forward to gaining all this new knowledge and watch my students excel from it.

            I have come up with two long term goals for myself in transforming my classroom.  My first goal is to begin recording my lessons on my Smart board and then uploading them to my website.  By doing this, the students will be able to access all my lectures.  My second goal is to start a classroom blog within the next year.  That way the students will be able to communicate with myself and others on my website and this will help increase their collaboration skills.  I believe with these two goals, my classroom, my students, and I will be more successful and ready to take on new technology as it arises. 

            My answers have changed dramatically from the beginning of this course regarding the impact of technology on education, work, and society.  I rarely applied any of the 21st century skills into my classroom let along helped develop technology skills with my co-workers.  However, my goals have changed regarding technology and I plan on changing my classroom within the next few years to start incorporating these new 21st century skills.  I just know that it will be a long process and won’t happen overnight.  I plan on joining the Technology PLC at work, like I stated earlier that way I can learn and help others learn about technology in our district.  I am very excited about what the future holds for me and my students.

References
Partnership for 21st Century Skills.  Retrieved June 13, 2012, from  http://www.p21.org/

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