Reflective Post

Photo credit to James F Clay 

This course has helped me overcome my fear of technology. I was unsure of myself at first, but I quickly became used to using discussion boards, creating websites, and working in collaborative projects.  

Through the various assignments, I have mastered the use of technology as never before. I have learned to have active discussions with my classmates and professor online. I have learned how to use the Internet and to use various search engines as vehicles for research, and how to evaluate the quality of the material I had gathered. In addition, I learned to create my own Web page and post it on the Internet. The class Discussion Board was also a new learning experience for me, as was participating in the Chat Rooms in Wiki. Both of these modes of communication enabled me to see how we can really get to work together without having to actually meet in person. Something I once doubted. These different forms of technical communication 

allowed me to participate by interacting with my class.  

Assignments:

Website Evaluation/Critique/Rubric – For this assignment we had to create a rubric for the purpose of evaluation of an educational children’s website. We had to see what made a truly outstanding. We all know there are some pretty lousy sites out there on the web. I chose National Geographic. It was probably one of the best websites I found where kids could spend hours engaged in learning. It was extremely easy to maneuver around the site without getting lost and there were so many visuals that added additional engagement to the site.

Collaborative Lesson Plan- This was probably one of the more challenging projects I did. It was the first group project in class. We had to create a lesson plan and integrate technology into the learning.  Since I had no experience with lesson plans, I was really confused on what had to get done. I wish we would have done a practice lesson plan in class, that way we had background knowledge on how to do one. Overall, I was thankful I did not have to work alone!

PowerPoint- For this project we had to create a PowerPoint presentation.  We either had the option to create one on assistive technologies or make a Pecha Kucha. A Pecha Kucha is done by using 20 slides that are only shown for 20 seconds each. No words are used just pictures and headers. I wish I had the guts to do the Pecha Kucha because it seemed like a fun and challenging presentation to share with the class.

Instructional Wiki - This was the second collaborative project we did. I really enjoyed this one. We had to select and conduct research about instructional strategies and explain how these strategies could be used to improve teaching and learning.

Teacher Web Page- Saved the best for last! This had to be my absolute favorite project to do. We had to create a teacherwebpage e-portfolio comprised of all the previous assignments, lessons and other significant resources discovered in class. We had the opportunity to be creative and think outside the box. Writing my biography for the “students” was really enjoyable.  This project really expanded my interest in teaching. I will definitely be using this site in the near future!

I own above photo. 

Discussions:

Legal and Ethical Issues:

o   Learning outcome: The student will evaluate and critique legal and ethical issues for using technology in the K-12 classroom.

Educational Technology Best Practices/Resources:

o   Learning outcome: The students will analyze and summarize the features of a selection of applicable websites providing test data from national, state and local education resources.

Assistive /Adaptive Technology for Students:

o   Learning outcome: The student will analyze and evaluate a selection of technological tools for assisting students with special and/ or diverse needs, and link the technology to specific outcomes for these students.

Technology Assisting ELL Students:                                   

o   Learning outcome: The students will analyze and evaluate a selection of technological tools for assisting students who are English Language Learners, and link the technology to strategies for teaching these students.

Textbook: Transforming Learning with New Technologies

This was probably the only class I actually used the book to its fullest potential.  It contained a vast amount of information that could be really useful for students and teachers. I had to use this book for my daily Journals here on my blogspot. As I discovered every chapter, I learned more and more. One the coolest features this book contained were the “Tech Tools”. Every chapter contained different websites one could discover and enhance our learning. I think every chapter had an important role in my learning this semester. Truly enjoyed it!

This course has helped me to know myself better. It has taught me skills I will take with me to my future courses. I will know how to collect research, create web pages, and how to integrate technology in a fun way when I become a teacher. I have already used my research skills to help myself with my other classes. In my future courses, if I have questions, the Web has a vast amount of resources that I can use that I have discovered, thanks to this class.