In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?
This class has encouraged me to seek new ways to incorporate technology into my classroom. I have always enjoyed learning about and using technology with my students, but sometimes I lacked direction. I now have some clear ideas as to what skills I need to be focusing on to make learning relevant to my students’ lives.
In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
My knowledge of the learning process has deepened in that I have a better understanding of how important it is to include ways for students to share and find their own answers to relevant problems so that they can take ownership in what they learn. I have learned that technology can be used as a tool that will help them learn how to collaborate and investigate to arrive at a common goal.
In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
My perspective has changed in that I now see how important it is for students to become the experts. It is my job to guide and help students understand how to use tools and learn the skills that will help them find and utilize information.
In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?
I will continue to seek different ways to help my students to gain the skills they need for the 21st century by incorporating technology in all areas of my teaching. I will not rely on traditional teaching methods, but embrace, and share, ways to continue to teach lessons that allow for creative and collaborative problem solving methods using a variety of technology related tools.
Set two long-tem goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?
Two long-term goals that I have set for myself include creating a class wiki and implementing the use of podcasts. These two technology based tools allow students to learn and practice skills that are important 21st Century skills. Before taking this course, my goals would have lacked focus on these skills. I now understand the concept of doing different things and doing things differently and the difference between the two. I plan to start out small with these two goals and develop a system over time that works through trial and error. I think the main obstacle that I will encounter will be adequate time and access to the technology. I will dedicate our time allotted in the computer lab to working on these projects.
This course has given me a much clearer understanding of the kinds of skills that I must focus on to help my students be successful 21st Century learners. I am looking forward to using many of the tools that I learned about and watching my students grow from these experiences.
