Coming into this course I thought I had a decent knowledge of how to integrate technology into my classroom but soon discovered that I didn't know much at all when one looks at the whole scope of where technology has taken us. My stress level skyrocketed on the first day of class as I became overwhelmed with the terms and tools we would be using. I can now say, however, that I know what web 2.0 is, what wikis and blogs are, and what an RSS Reader is and how to use feeds. I also know how to bookmark, utilizing and developing a Google Calendar for its educational uses, how to present material using Prezi, and how to do a screen dump and why we might do one. I am able to use cloud computing to collaborate on projects with others, tools I can use to increase productivity in my personal and professional life, and even how to keep my computer running smoothly and efficiently. But one particular thing has had a profound impact on me more than anything else. While researching SMARTBoards for our SIG Project, I became suddenly aware of the fact that my students are not the same type of students that I was educated to teach and I just finished my teacher education classes a mere six years ago. These 21st century students come from the digital world and need more than I have been able to give them to keep them motivated and engaged in our classroom lessons. Our school is so behind in its technology development both for the purpose of teaching with and as a learning tool for students.
I can confidently say I have learned a great deal and have made amazing growth in my technological abilities and am looking forward to continuing this growth through the required courses I will be taking here at Michigan State to acquire my NP Endorsement. I also feel I am at a comfortable place where I can help my school research and make educational decisions on what types of technology would make the greatest impact for our school community's particular needs and budget constraints and will continue to advocate, collaborate, and share the tools I've learned and how we can implement them into our teaching practices.
The Internet is such a profound tool to use within the classroom. Next year, with the promise of some new laptops my students will have access to once or twice a week, I look forward to teaching them how to research material on the Internet and safe citizenship in the process. My mind is busy working to find ways to implement the limited technology we have into my classroom and equipping my second and third graders with some of the life skills they will need to learn to be competitive in this digital world they will be working in. I believe that technology has a place in the classroom. It is definitely a tool that can be used to help ensure that educators are meeting the various learning styles of our students and it's applications can help to motivate and engage our students with learning.
Of all the projects we did, I feel the SIG project was one piece that exemplifies good teaching with technology. It utilized a variety of tools and practices that can be used with our students. The reason I chose this over all the others is because it was a group project in which we each had to research our own material, bookmarked the resources we found useful, wrote our own piece and collaborated online with the rest of our group members to put together the final project as a wiki. Then we utilized Prezi to develop a format for summarizing and presenting the project to our audience. This project had so many different aspects of technology use to it that it ranked highest for me as an exemplary example of teaching in the 21st century.
Technology and the Internet are a big part of our world now and they're not going away. Rather, they will continue to evolve and no one knows where they will take us. I am busy planning ways in which to integrate the limited resources of technology I have available to me and creating lessons to develop my students' skills for using this incredible and powerful tool.
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