Summer Course 2013

My Final Reflection…..

I am so excited know that I have taken this course to help me become more familiar with technology and how it can benefit my professional skills. I realize that as an educator the students that I will serve need to explore and learn how to use technology as they learn. Throughout this course my professor, Ms. O’Keefe, has encouraged us to “learn WITH technology rather than from technology.” I have embraced this phrase and am eager to apply my experiences and skills learned. As we close this course I have already began to think of creative activities that I could explore that will allow the students to learn with technology. I particularly love the IWB and there are several activities I hope to incorporate concept mapping on the computer with.  This class offered a lot of information and I am better able to communicate the information learned, although I know that I am still learning about them myself. I am now able to not only incorporate technology into my classroom, but also prepare to be aware of how to observe my students as they learn to ensure they are benefitting and learning with the technology.

Technology integration has been around longer than we realize. This course not only showed how to integrate technology into the classroom, but it proved that it is important. From the simplest tools of yesterday such as the typewriter, overhead projector, or even the tape recorder to today’s highly technical advancements like the 2010 Apple iPad, IWB, or even the smallest of lap top or notebook computers, technology integration should prepare the learner for the global world. This video Did You Know viewed and discussed in our classroom offers more insight on the importance of integrating technology into the classroom.

Overall the class was Awesome, Amazing, Active, and took us on a new Adventure each class session! I am excited to apply to new skills and knowledge as well as to continue to embrace the many sites, even if I have to REGISTER/SIGN UP! I enjoyed the ongoing look at the opportunities in technology that is offered for learning in the classroom. If I could suggest anything to enhance the class, it would to review how to navigate through D2L, specifically the Turnitin tool and to begin the development of website earlier in the course. The Turnitin tool offers important feedback that helps improve on assignments and better understand what the learner missed. The website assignment was a huge task that needed much more preparation time. Now it is time to apply how I learn WITH  and teach WITH technology!

IWB

Interactive White Board (IWB)

The best tool yet! The IWB is a fascinating tool that reminds me of the almost extinct overhead projector. I feel that this is a must have in all classrooms because learners across the various learning styles will enjoy this tool.

The introduction provided in our lesson explains how the IWB  helps to understand how this tool can be effective. This course offered an excellent platform to learn, and explore the tool on two different occasions. This tool can become challenging because there may be several activities being done at once from chatting with other students to performing a quick search in another browser as the lesson in process.  The IWB allows students to become the teacher as she shares her information learned and completed through the use of this tool. I enjoyed sharing my lesson on Social Studies.

Web 2.0 Tools

(picture) https://sites.google.com/site/educationalweb20tools/

Web 2.0 Tools

                                                                                   

Oh the tools that you can use to teach a lesson! Through technology integration the opportunities are infinite and continue to expand each day it seems. The use of interactive learning for students to “learn with technology rather than from technology” as stated by my summer technology instructor allows students to become more creative in the learning process and view the activity as an adventure of learning. Integration of these Web 2.0 tools promotes metacognition and supports differentiated learning practice as each student will explore and learn at her own pace as the activity is completed.

As for me, learning about Web 2.0 tools has been both exciting and challenging. I love the infinite opportunities to make learning creative. Also these tools offer opportunities for the student to become the teacher when they are able to navigate, create, and easily master the learning objective then sharing the finished work with the class. I feel the best use of Web 2.0 tools is the ability for the learning to take place in or outside of the classroom.  However, the down side to this is that although each site is interactive with lots of options for creative input, most require the user to register for access to the tool. I feel overwhelmed by so much registration, regardless of the ‘free’ use or not. This makes me hesitant to explore other sites that may be very beneficial to various lessons I will teach in the future.

Overall I think that I will release my anxiety of registration frustration and embrace the positive impact of using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom for the benefit of my students as well as for my personal growth as an educator. Weather it is using blogs to parents, concept mapping for discussing a topic, or using pod casts to brainstorm ideas with a classmate to share ideas with one another in or out of class technology enhances learning activities and engages learners of all types.