Blog Reflection #8

Impact:

The part of this course that made the biggest impact on me was the technology projects. With each project I completed I acquired a new skill. I did not only learn about different technologies available to me, I also learned how to use them in my classroom with my students. As a result I will continue to use these technologies with my students, and I will explore these technologies further to learn even more ways to incorporate them into my lessons. Also, I will research other technologies that are available so I can introduce my students to even more resources. 

Aha:

Some “aha” moments I have had this semester have resulted from the creation of my blog, the articles I have read, and the revision of my educational technology philosophy. My blog for this course provided me with several “aha” moments because it helped me to think about the benefits of the assignments I have completed. I had to really, truly reflect on what I learned and the purpose for learning it. The articles I read for this course also resulted in several “aha” moments. The first article I read made me realize that not all technologies are right for classroom instruction. The technologies need to be assessed for how they can benefit the students and improve their learning before they are chosen for a lesson. The second article I read made me think about how web 2.0 tools could be used for an assessment for learning. It is important for students to be capable of self-reflection and self-monitoring, and there are several web 2.0 tools out there that enable students to do this. The third article I read taught me how web 2.0 tools can improve student collaboration and promote their critical thinking skills.  I also had an “aha” moment as I revised my educational technology philosophy because I realized how little of an emphasis I put on technology. I had to go back and add several points to emphasize how crucial technology now is to my teaching. I now realize the importance of technology to benefit my students learning and achievement. 

Blog:

I will continue to utilize my blog as a means to reflect on my learning. As I continue to pursue my master’s degree I can go back to my blog and read the reflections I wrote for this course. It will be a reminder to me of how important it is step back and reflect on what I learn. 

Blog Reflection #7

Lesson Plan:

I decided to create a lesson plan for students that involved “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado”. When I searched through the Google apps I found Google Books. This is a really neat app because students can read eBooks online for free.  My students could easily find these two short stories using the Google Books app. I also decided the students should use Google Docs for their assignment. When I conducted a search on Google Docs I found a variety of templates for graphic organizers that would be useful to my students. I decided to make it a requirement for my students to use Google Docs twice, once to find a plot line template and once to create their Venn diagram to compare and contrast their two assigned readings. I chose these two tools specifically, but I also explored other neat tools that were available. I will definitely be exploring the other apps further.

Video Response:

As I watched the videos I could not help but think about how important technology is to engage learners. Our students are very technology minded, and we as educators need to keep this in mind as we create our lesson plans. The one thing that stood out to me most in the video was that students “learn by doing” and yet our students are “just sitting” there. We can improve student learning by making our lessons even more hands-on. The students need to be able “to do” to learn. This requires us to let the students be the teachers more often than not. We need to find creative ways to use more and more technology within our classes each and every day. We also need to let the students be in charge of that technology. We can improve student learning vastly just by integrating technology as best as we can. The learning needs to be relevant to our students and technology is one of the most relevant things within their lives.