Wow! I cannot believe it is already nearing the end of our class! Reflecting back on my experience in this class, it has been a great one. I feel like I have grown in so many ways! To wrap up this class, here are my answers to some great questions that have encouraged my own thinking.
- In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?
Throughout this course, I have developed my own technology skills as a professional teacher in several ways. I was exposed to various types of technologies that I could implement within my own classroom. I created a blog where I could interact with other professionals in my class or just update my blog with my thoughts on technology. I also created a wiki page with a few of my colleagues which included various resources that could be implemented in my classroom. With my students, I created a podcast through the Audacity program which I had never used before. And lastly, I designed a lesson that integrated technology and 21st century skills. The best way to develop and improve technology skills is through exposure and bringing them into the classroom. In “The Changing Role of the Classroom Teacher: Part 1” video, a great point was brought up about the role of the teacher. The role of the teacher is to “demystify” the technology tools available so students can utilize them effectively (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). I believe this course has allowed me to do that to help me in developing my own technology skills as a teacher.
- In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
This class has helped me to deepen my knowledge of the teaching and learning process. First, it has helped me to explore my role as a teacher. With the integration of 21st century skills and technology in the classroom, my role of being the main leader of the classroom has developed into a facilitator role or even a student among my students. I have given more control to my students, which is quite a shift from what the classrooms used to look like a number of years ago. Dr. Dede shared his thoughts about the continuously changing role of the classroom teacher and discussed how big changes that teachers need to respond to is the fact that teaching now is done in a fundamentally different way (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). The learning process for students should be aligned with the 21st century skills involving skills such as critical thinking and collaboration.
- In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
There are several ways that I have changed my perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered. When I teach, I am modeling for the students what is needed, while allowing the students to explore individually while also allowing them to interact and collaborate with others around them. The students are also evaluating their own learning. They are reflective of their own skills and collaborative efforts within the class. They assess their own learning and use their classmates, as well as me, as a resource to help them out when needed. Often in my classroom, the students are working among small groups and I float around the classroom to facilitate. Lastly, I am always providing “real world” examples so the students make the connection to what they are doing in class to where they might see the concept outside of the classroom. From this exploration, the students drive purpose and meaning into their activities. When I plan my lessons, I have the students’ best interests at heart. I take into consideration what activities will provide meaning for my students and how it will help them develop their skills.
- In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement.
The first way I can continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology is to continue to explore. Through exploring and using a blog and wiki, for example, has helped me to realize what technologies are available and how these types can be implemented in my own classroom. Sometimes the only way to learn something is by using or doing it and that is something I want to continue to do. I also think it is important to spread the word on technology and to collaborate with other co-workers in my building, or even reach out to others outside of my school, and share ideas and resources with them. As collaboration is good for students, it is also good for teachers because there is so much that can be shared. Lastly, continuing to blog and to respond to others blogs about technology is another way to expand my knowledge. I think it is important to also begin changing my lessons around to integrate technology into my own classroom. I want integrating technologies as a part of my teaching practices and to begin reaching this goal, I have already begun tweaking my lessons to include technology.
Goal Setting: Two long-term goals for transforming my classroom environment by which I may have to overcome institutional or systematic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?
One of my long-term goals for transforming my classroom environment is to continue the usage of my classroom website, but I want to make it more interactive for my students and their parents. I want the students to be a part of the process and to help with maintaining the information on the site, as well as providing resources for student and parent usage. I plan to have a small group of interested students to help me with the website. I want them to take ownership of posting fun and interactive websites for their peers to use. I also want to incorporate the website into our everyday classroom routine. For example, I always want to refer to it when discussing the daily homework assignments or show the students how they can access the smartboard notes that were taken in class. I could begin posting these on the website! This is something I would like to take into effect at the start on my new 2012-2013 school year.
Another long-term goal I have is to incorporate technology into my classroom activities at least twice a week. There are so many resources available online and I want to make sure I am incorporating those into my lessons. For example, I might be able to find a mini-clip to emphasize a particular concept being discussed in my classroom. It is a great way to break up the monotony of the classroom environment. I want the activities to be engaging and interactive. I plan to accomplish this goal by making sure my lesson plans have a space where I can include technology activities or interactive websites so this is not overlooked when I am planning.
Refer to your checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course?
At the beginning of this course, I checked “Rarely” for several areas. For example, “As a teacher leader at my school, I promote the development of leadership and technology skills in my students and colleagues.” Before this course, I did not find myself doing this as often as I would like. I consider myself to be pretty tech-savvy and I have offered myself as a resource for many of the teachers in the building. I have helped many of them in utilizing technology to guide their lessons through their interactive whiteboard. Another area that changed was “In my teaching practice I provide students with opportunities for sharing and presenting information in multiple ways, with a choice of medium (text, multi-media, graphics, etc). This course has allowed me to think differently about my lessons and how I can integrate technology into the activities to promote my students’ learning. I have had to change my thinking to incorporate these opportunities for my students.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program twenty-one. The changing role of the classroom teacher: Part 1 [Webcast]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore , MD
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program twenty-one. The changing role of the classroom teacher: Part 2 [Webcast]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore , MD
