Moment of Reflection:

Throughout the course of this class, I have taken large strides to becoming a more confident integrator of technology in my classroom. I have discovered that many of my apprehensions were unwarranted, and the integration of technology is easier and more seamless than I first imagined. A few ideas I am particularly excited about utilizing in my science classroom are wikis, blogging and podcasting—all of which I never would have attempted before this course. I always assumed that creating and maintaining each was difficult and time consuming, but in reality, all three techniques are user-friendly and mainly student run. Wikis are a teaching medium that encourages students to co-construct knowledge (Laureate Education Inc., 2008), which is quite a powerful tool. I love the hands-on nature wikis involve. Students also not only benefit in the core subject area being reinforced through the creation of a wiki, blog or podcast, but they also benefit from the public-nature all three methods possess. This nature aids students in becoming more world-aware and more educated 21st century citizens of the workforce.

The creation of all three during the course also aided in my new found confidence; there is a big difference between simply reading about or discussing a method and actually applying it in a meaningful way in your teaching—this course allowed me to experiment with new technologies and receive useful feedback from my peers and my students (podcasting and blogging). The course activities allowed me to experience these methods from the learner’s point of view, which is a valuable tool when it comes time to implement the tools in my classroom. The practice of these methods also reinforced my love of collaborative grouping and the educational talk it inspires. Before participating in this class, many of my labs or projects involved students working in a team setting; now I will work hard to create lessons that incorporate both technology and grouping/teaming of students. “Teaming, collaboration and interpersonal skills” as well as “effective communication” (Cramer, 2007, p. 128) are all addressed through group assignments/projects. Students are actively, “engaging in substantive conversations about the topic…[when they] work effectively in teams” (Cramer, p. 129). The skills teaming build will turn out to be invaluable tools for students in their working futures.
It is also through collaboration and the integration of technology that the teacher takes on the role of facilitator as opposed to lecturer in the classroom. It is important that students play an active role in their learning, and that the teacher takes a “back seat” in the process. Students are in control of their own learning, which is a powerful motivator and engaging practice. The teacher should act more as a guide and a source of explanation and enrichment for her students (Keengwe, 2008, p. 86) instead of a didactic lecturer (Laureate Education Inc., 2008).

I plan on continuing to explore the many assets the internet has to offer a classroom teacher—and open my mind more to the applications this technology has in the classroom. I have found that I was thinking inside the box too often before, and I need to think more outside the box when it comes to incorporating technologies into the classroom. My future goals are changing as I become more educated in terms of technology applications. My first new goal is to involve my students more in my lesson planning—making them more of an equal partner in their educations. Before now, I never would have thought to involve my students in the planning process, but now, I see the value in giving students more of a say in their own learning. “As 21st century educators, we can no longer decide for our students; we must decide with them…We need to include our students in everything we do in the classroom, involving them in discussions about curriculum development, teaching methods, school organization, discipline, and assignments” (Prensky, 2006, p. 11). I really gained a lot of knowledge and insight through the questionnaire during our week six application; I believe completing similar questionnaires throughout the course of the school year will offer many opportunities for my students to give input concerning how things are being completed in the classroom. I could even created digital questionnaires and link them to my classroom webpage—to streamline the whole process by making the results easily accessible to me (pre-calculated).

My second undertaking will be to incorporate blogging and/or discussion boards into my lesson plans. I have really enjoyed the blog format and believe it will be easy to apply in my classroom—mostly because a large majority of my students have home access to computers with internet access—and I have plenty of classroom computers to offer my students time to work in class. The challenge will be creating the thought-provoking blogging topics that relate to each topic of study we complete in the seventh grade science curriculum. The topics must be open enough to offer students a wide variety of responses—so I do not receive a bunch of cookie cutter responses from my students.

Overall, this course has made me a better teacher; not only because I have more tools in my teaching arsenal, but I am also more confident and open minded. I have discovered an inquisitive, experimental side of myself that was beginning to fade in the shadow of standardized testing. My students will begin reaping the benefits of all I have learned sooner rather than later, and ultimately they will be better 21st century adults in the long run.


RESOURCES:
Cramer, S. (2007). Update your classroom with learning objects and twenty-first century skills. Clearing House, 80(3), 126–132.

Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). The use of computer tools to support meaningful learning. AACE Journal, 16(1), 77–92

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Evolution of technology and pedagogy. [Motion Picture]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work and society. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). The Changing Environment. [Motion Picture]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work and society. Baltimore: Author.

Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8–13.