I took this course originally to satisfy an elective requirement in order to complete the requirements towards my global MBA degree. Since I am currently a new teacher, I thought Learning through Technology would be a pretty interesting course. To my surprise, this was one of the most useful and valuable classes that I have taken. I feel like that I learned a great deal of information while satisfying the course requirements. I learned that technology is more than just a tool. It is an alternative approach to engage students and enrich curriculums. It also needs to be implemented with purpose and aim. Like with any tool that we introduce in our classrooms, technology must enhance student learning and not be used just to fill time. We must also be clear about which standards we are satisfying when we incorporate projects with technology. This provides evidence to students, parents, administrators and other teacher that we are incorporating technology with purpose and we are covering the curriculum. I also learned that technology can help personalize instruction and help teachers differentiate learning activities. This is a challenge for most teachers these days. The number of students in a class is increasing. Therefore, teachers often have to reach a wider range of learners in their classroom. In addition, we all want our large classroom to remain student-centered learning environments. Technology can help teachers achieve this.
Educators must continuously learn about new tools or trends in education and technology integration, and stay current with new research. Throughout the process of integrating technology into our curriculums, we must constantly self-reflect on what worked and what did not. Self-reflection is something that we often ask our students to do. As with every new lesson, teachers must reflect on how the new technological tool enhanced instruction. After taking this course, I feel like I am armed with a wide variety of technology tools that I can use in my classes.
Technology can definitely motivate students and enhance instruction. However, some teachers may not be using all of the available tools due to lack of training or time constraints. During this course we learned about a number of Web 2.0 tools. These applications will be a starting point from which I can incorporate more and more technology into my curriculum. I also plan to share my learning from this course with my colleagues at school. Most of these tools are free and readily available. Web 2.0 tools range from presentation tools, video tools, mobile tools, to community tools and so much more. Some notable mentions are:
• Slide Share web tool that allows you to share presentation documents and professional videos http://www.slideshare.net/
• Prezi http://prezi.com/ web based application that allows you present material with a single canvas, as opposed to traditional slides. Therefore, you can zoom in on areas of interest
• Picsviewr turns Flickr photos into presentations. http://www.picsviewr.com/
• Animoto http://animoto.com/ enables you to turn photos, video clips and music into videos to share.
• Gizmoz allows you to create a digital avatar of yourself. http://www.gizmoz.com/newsite/presite/home.jsp
• PhotoPeach http://photopeach.com/ is a free tool that allows you to create a slide show with built in pools and quizzes.
• PollEverywhere.com enables you to create a survey using your mobile device http://www.polleverywhere.com/
• Edmodo.com http://www.edmodo.com/ is a social platform for students and teachers.
• Google Docs allows real time collaboration online http://docs.google.com
• Wikispaces.com enables the creation of a private wiki http://www.wikispaces.com/content/private-label/k-12
• PBWorks.com is similar to wikispaces http://pbworks.com/
• Ning create a social website http://www.ning.com/
• Wordle.net creative word cloud generator http://www.wordle.net/
• Glogster is a visual graphic blog http://www.glogster.com/ or http://edu.glogster.com/
• Voicethread http://voicethread.com/#home
• Smilebox http://www.smilebox.com/ Online scrapbooking
• Make Beliefs Comix http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/ create your own comic strip
This class was rather special since there were only 5 students. This made for more intimate discussions and time to really learn about what we all do and want to do in our classes. The discussion boards did contribute to my learning, since I felt like my classmates were all trying to help one another understand the course objectives and content. Some weeks, the amount of discussion on the board was a little thin, yet I felt like what was discussed was very relevant. Our professor did a great job at having a real presence on the discussion boards and leading the conversations and poising relevant questions. It is evident that we all want to help and support each other and most importantly our students. I am excited to begin my second year as a teacher at Ludlow High School. There are so many challenges in education today. Yet, after this course, I feel a little more empowered to meet these challenges head on and provide my students with educational opportunities, knowledge and skills for the 21st century.
