Reflection: Final Blog PostingStep 1: For your final blog
posting, respond to the following questions:In what ways has this course
helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?
It has heightened my awareness to how to look at technology and making a determination on how best to use it in the classroom. I am a huge technology and gadget buff, so naturally I am interested in all the new things that come out. I know all the noteworthy websites, and frequently use my iPad to determine how to work smarter and not harder.
In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
I have an appreciation more for the role which the teacher faces in the classroom. No longer are they considered in the traditional role. They have to facilitate many roles, and sometimes at various times or stages for students. Teachers today are more facilitators and mentors, ensuring students can learn by providing them a path for which to arrive at a destination. They oversee students learning, and process the skills and input from the students in order to better their selves in class. Technology plays an immense role in turning the classroom into a 21 century learning experience. We are in some way there, but there will often be blockages and obstacles in the way, it will not be an easy overnight change.
In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
I now need to be more cognizant of my role. I cannot provide answers and more to questions posed. I have to look at ways to provide avenues of approach to students. Students do best when they have access to technology and tools to research the answers on their own. For example in my class for ESL learners, they use their phone dictionaries to find definitions for words. I praise the students who do this, and somewhat chastise the ones who do not, or sit there with a blank stare on their face.
In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement? Keep abreast of the latest technology trends. Follow major education resources and bloggers on twitter. This is already half of the stuff I already do. Might I recommend a reader such as the Zite app for iPad. I have used this news reader to quickly look at articles relating to technology in the classroom. I read those articles about the current state of education technology today.
Step 2: Two long-term goals1.
Reopen the computer lab. Repair or wipe the OS from the computers to start anew. Create some sort of comprehensive network with them.
2. Create a standard for usage of tablet computing for open classes, as well as morning and daily classes. Finding newer and interesting ways for which to involve students in the learning through iPad presentations.
How do you plan to accomplish these goals?1.
Find a way to cheaply organize the computer lab in the off season. Restore OS and start from a clean slate. Restrict access to certain sites, and configure the computers with limited accessibility for students. Run an administrator user and download various lessons, and Web 2.0 tools for the computer.
I don’t recall any kind of checklist other than the application assignment which required us to make a posting in several technology education based blogs. I made a list of blogs, but there is a bit of confusion in this question as I don’t recall any checklist. The discussion posting was more about discussing a technology that has changed the way we did things as compared to the past. The questions were to consider which technology has allowed you to do things differently, perhaps faster or more efficiently, in your personal life. This could include online shopping, banking, and email. Also, to bring to mind a technology that you use that lets you do something different that you were not able to do before. My selection was the word processing applications on the computer and how it had evolved from the typewriter.
It has heightened my awareness to how to look at technology and making a determination on how best to use it in the classroom. I am a huge technology and gadget buff, so naturally I am interested in all the new things that come out. I know all the noteworthy websites, and frequently use my iPad to determine how to work smarter and not harder.
In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
I have an appreciation more for the role which the teacher faces in the classroom. No longer are they considered in the traditional role. They have to facilitate many roles, and sometimes at various times or stages for students. Teachers today are more facilitators and mentors, ensuring students can learn by providing them a path for which to arrive at a destination. They oversee students learning, and process the skills and input from the students in order to better their selves in class. Technology plays an immense role in turning the classroom into a 21 century learning experience. We are in some way there, but there will often be blockages and obstacles in the way, it will not be an easy overnight change.
In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
I now need to be more cognizant of my role. I cannot provide answers and more to questions posed. I have to look at ways to provide avenues of approach to students. Students do best when they have access to technology and tools to research the answers on their own. For example in my class for ESL learners, they use their phone dictionaries to find definitions for words. I praise the students who do this, and somewhat chastise the ones who do not, or sit there with a blank stare on their face.
In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement? Keep abreast of the latest technology trends. Follow major education resources and bloggers on twitter. This is already half of the stuff I already do. Might I recommend a reader such as the Zite app for iPad. I have used this news reader to quickly look at articles relating to technology in the classroom. I read those articles about the current state of education technology today.
Step 2: Two long-term goals1.
Reopen the computer lab. Repair or wipe the OS from the computers to start anew. Create some sort of comprehensive network with them.
2. Create a standard for usage of tablet computing for open classes, as well as morning and daily classes. Finding newer and interesting ways for which to involve students in the learning through iPad presentations.
How do you plan to accomplish these goals?1.
Find a way to cheaply organize the computer lab in the off season. Restore OS and start from a clean slate. Restrict access to certain sites, and configure the computers with limited accessibility for students. Run an administrator user and download various lessons, and Web 2.0 tools for the computer.
I don’t recall any kind of checklist other than the application assignment which required us to make a posting in several technology education based blogs. I made a list of blogs, but there is a bit of confusion in this question as I don’t recall any checklist. The discussion posting was more about discussing a technology that has changed the way we did things as compared to the past. The questions were to consider which technology has allowed you to do things differently, perhaps faster or more efficiently, in your personal life. This could include online shopping, banking, and email. Also, to bring to mind a technology that you use that lets you do something different that you were not able to do before. My selection was the word processing applications on the computer and how it had evolved from the typewriter.
