Reflection Post for EDUC 6710

In the past eight weeks, I have gained much in the way of technology integration into my classroom. I have started a blog, collaborated with colleagues from around the world to complete a wiki, and I have recorded my first podcast. I have also analyzed and debated theories such as digital natives and digital immigrants.

As a part of this course, I was able to develop my technology skills. I consider myself a technology buff but had never started my own wiki or recorded a podcast. I have now done both. The best way to develop technology skills is to practice using the tools. The more I use the tools, the better I will be at integrating and teaching them in the classroom. I also feel that I have become more proficient in blogging and collaborating through technology.

Along with the applications, the readings and discussions have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process. Marc Prensky’s 2001 article entitled “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1,” really got me to reevaluate how I teach today’s students. Prensky states that students who have grown up in a digital world have brains that have been wired differently, and therefore they learn and must be taught differently. Regardless of whether you agree with him or not, there are implications to his theory that cannot be ignored. My students receive their information in vastly different ways than previous generations. They have the ability to find any information, nearly instantaneously, through the use of digital tools. While others are beginning to use computers to do these searches, digital natives have moved passed bulky computers, and now are using cell phones and similar devices to search the internet, network, stream media, and collaborate with friends. I as a teacher need to work at bringing these tools into the learning process.

This course has also allowed me to change my prospective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered. The natural tendency for most teachers is to become teacher-centered. The teacher stands in front of the class and lectures. The introduction of Web 2.0 has allowed for a shift in this, and that shift is a very good thing. Teachers should no longer need to dole out facts for memorization and have the students regurgitate them back on a test. Richardson (2009) reminds us that the web provides factual answers to nearly any question in seconds (p. 133). Teachers instead should focus on being learner-centered where the students seek to find the information they need and collaborate with their peers to use the information in a way to solve a relevant problem. Blogging, podcasting, Google documents, and wikis are a few of the Web 2.0 tools I have used in this course that foster learner-centered teaching.

There are a few ways that I can continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology to increase student achievement. One of the biggest things I can do is to continue making use of professional development opportunities that develop my skills in technology and teaching 21st century skills. In addition to these opportunities, there are professional journals to help increase my knowledge. Websites such as Edutopia are great resources on integrating technology into the classroom. In addition there are countless blogs that also offer ideas.

There are two goals that I would like to set to transform my classroom environment. The first is to go through the curriculum and begin to develop ways that I can use technology to transform assignments and activities into learner-centered, 21st century applications. The biggest factor for this goal will be time. Teachers have so very little extra time it seems. However, after the initial time factor, transforming the curriculum will actually save time and energy on lesson planning in the future. By grouping the curriculum into sections, I can accomplish this goal over the next couple of years.

The second goal I would like to accomplish is to develop a classroom blog that the students can write to that will work as a “newsletter” of sorts for their families and friends. My students love to show off their work but often their physical disabilities prevent them from expressing themselves. With my assistance, they will be able to post podcasts, videos, and posts to the blog site. The biggest obstacle I face in this goal is the lack of student computers I have access to on a regular basis and making sure I have access to the blog site through the online filter the district uses. My supervisor has been cooperative with getting the things I need to transform my classroom so far. I have finally won the battle to receive a LCD projector in my room, and I am currently working on getting additional computers in the room that can access the internet.

In reviewing the checklist that I completed in week 1 of this course I found that many of my answers to the practices to support 21st century skills shifted from the rarely to sometimes box, to the often and sometimes box. It was not that I thought these practices as unimportant or that I did not want to design these instructional activities. I really thought that if I did not have the technology available to me, there was no point in trying. Through this course, I learned that I was using these obstacles as excuses for not acting. I am now working to be a leader and an advocate to bringing these technologies and skills into our school building. I am seeking ways to use our available technology to do new things instead of just doing the same things differently.

I think that a recent video I found and embedded below sums up many of the things that were touched on in this course. The video is called, “I teach, therefore you learn…or do you?” and was created by Jose Picardo. He has an excellent educational blog called Box of Tricks. The site is a wealth of information on technology integration into the classroom. This is a video and site that I plan to share with my colleagues. I am hoping that they will also begin to see that technology is the future of teaching. I have been grateful that this class has set me on the path to being a 21st century educator.

Resources:

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.



I teach, therefore you learn... or do you? from José Picardo on Vimeo.