Course Reflection

This course has really opened my eyes to the free technologies available for teachers to use in their classrooms. I mistakenly thought that using cool technology in my classroom was out of my reach, due to the cost. Now that I have experimented with technologies available for free on the internet, I see that making fun lessons is so much easier than I thought.

My knowledge of the teaching and learning process has deepened because I now understand that I need to make my lessons more student centered, rather than being teacher centered. I will work on involving my students in the planning stages of my lessons. I will get their input on how they learn best, and incorporate those techniques into my teaching.

I can expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading by experimenting with using different types of technology to present lessons. I can try out new technologies in my classroom, then reflect on which ones worked best or how to tweak my presentation to best serve my students.

Long Term Goals:

1. Classroom Blogging: I will create a classroom blog and grant access to it for all of my students. I can use this blog to deliver classroom information, updates, and links, as well as allowing them to work on assignments through the blog. This will be a challenge, because we have limited access to computers and I have limited planning time. I will overcome these obstacles by planning ahead and reserving the computer lab well ahead of time to ensure that we can use the blog. I will also see if I can open the lab during lunch so that students have access at lunchtime on certain days. I will have to budget my planning time accordingly, so I can monitor and update the blog regularly.

2. Informing Others: My second goal is to spread my newfound knowledge to my colleagues. I know some of them will not be receptive to using new technology in the classroom, but I am sure that several are just like me, and would be open to using technology if they only knew how easy (and free!) it is. The main challenges to this will be time and teacher responsiveness. I can take care of this by planning some type of session during a faculty senate day or other team planning day. I can also only meet with teachers who want the extra training.

My answers to the checklist from week one have changed slightly. I feel that I am more receptive to working with technology. I am also more interested in seeking out others to share knowledge and practices.