Course Reflection

From the beginning, I knew this was going to be a beneficial class. After reviewing the syllabus during week one and seeing all of the things I was about to learn excited me too. Also seeing things I have wanted to try in my own classroom was a bonus too. This course has really opened my eyes to the possibilities out there when it comes to incorporating technology into the classroom. Taking this class has helped me in many ways. Not only has it taught me more about what 21^st-century skills are, but it also taught me how to be more of a 21^st-centruy teacher. In addition, I have learned more about how to use and implement wikis, podcasts, and blogs into my classroom as well. Before taking this class, I was intrigued by the idea using these in my classroom but had no idea how to even start them. So, after completing the assignments for class, I feel more confident about incorporating them into my teaching.

I have deepened my knowledge on the teaching and learning process throughout the course in many ways. The one area that really struck a chord with me was the idea of being more of a facilitator to the children. Being a facilitator of learning to me means creating, guiding, and managing groups. This is very different from the way teaching is now. As David Thornburg and Hall Davidson mention in the video “Digital natives vs. digital immigrants” more and more children are coming into the classroom as digital natives. (Laureate Education Inc., 2010) With this being said, it is now my job to facilitate the knowledge he or she is already bringing to the classroom. In addition, I have also deepened my knowledge on the 21^st-century skills that I am to incorporate into my classroom. After reviewing the Partnership for 21^st-century skills website, I found the 4C’s playing a critical role in my planning. As I plan lessons, I try to implement these skills into my students every day learning.

 Since the beginning of this class, my perspective has also changed on being teacher centered versus learner centered. The projects we completed such as the podcast, wiki, and blog allowed me to realize that most children already know how to do these things on their own so why I am not including them into his or her learning. I also realized that my students are probably more comfortable with these forms of communication than writing things out with paper and pencil. My thoughts before were more focused on the amount of time it would take for them to learn how to use it so I would do most of the work for them. However, after completing this class, I can now understand the importance of allowing them do the brunt of the work while I monitor his or her learning. The switch to more learner-centered activities will take some time to get used to, but I feel there is great potential for the students and their learning in the end.

 As I proceed to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology my ultimate goal is to increase student achievement. I believe that the most important way to do this is by continuing my education on the topic. I plan to do this through professional development opportunities that arise throughout the school year. There is a technology conference in Columbus, Ohio that I already plan to attend next year. Another way I plan to expand my knowledge is by continuing to follow blogs and journals on the topic and use ideas that I gain from them. Most importantly, I will continue to practice using technology skills in the classroom. Following the old saying, “practice makes perfect” will allow me to improve upon my skills for my future students.

 The statements mentioned above also serves as one of my long term goals for my classroom. As technology continues to change as will the children that enter into my class. Therefore, it is important to keep up on the most current trends and practices so I can be an effective teacher.  My second goal is to reach out more to the others in my building and teach some of our digital immigrants how to be more of a digital native. I plan to do this by offering professional development on various technology skills. More and more teacher are implementing the use of iPads into the classroom. Having a class set has allowed me to learn some of the ins and outs of using them with my students. Therefore, I feel that I could serve as a useful resource to others.

 When I revisited my checklist from week one, I realized that I was not implementing the use of 21^st-century skills into the classroom as well I as I could have been. Knowing more information about it, I feel that I will include it more as well as do it more correctly. Also looking at the checklist, I saw that I was not adding much collaboration into my planning as I do now. This has been a positive change for my children because they have the chance to learn so much from one another.  I was depriving them of their greatest resource in class. After reviewing the section of developing technology skills for the school and workplace, I noticed many of my answers did not change. I still create technology opportunities as I did before. I feel after completing this course, I have more knowledge of how to do this more effectively to provide my classroom children with the most beneficial resources for learning.

In the end, I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and all that it had to offer. I believe that any teacher would be able to benefit from information as we head into a very technologically advanced school environment.

References:

 Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program fourteen. Debate: Digital natives vs. digital immigrants? [Webcast]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

Podcast

Here is the podcast that I had completed with two very nice and tech savvy 3rd graders I teach this year. Enjoy!

Podcast