Course Reflection

I have learned how to create and manage a blog, contribute to a wiki, and create a podcast. During this course I have reflected on how to use these technology tools in my classroom. I currently would not use much of this technology with my students seeing as they are so young, but I would use it with my peers. I have also considered how I would use it with older students as it is highly likely that I will change grade levels next year. I am qualified to teach secondary English and Social Sciences, so I have planned out possibilities of how to use these tools with the much older students.

This course has helped me to learn the use and application of these tools. Before this course, podcasts were something I listened to, but did not create. I now have the knowledge to create a podcast. Like many others, I have utilized Wikipedia without fully understanding it. I now have a clear grasp of how it is put together due to creating a wiki for this course. Blogs have been a valuable source of information. Teachers always talk about not recreating the wheel, but we find that so often we are doubling our efforts because we don’t share what we’ve created. Blogs allow us to share those ideas with each other. By continuing to keep up with different blogs and continuing to search for information online, I can continue to expand my knowledge of technology integration in order to increase student achievement.

My class writes research poems about ocean animals. The next time I have my class do this project, I would like to create a podcast where my students share their research poems on our class website. I would also like to have my students utilize more technology in my classroom. At this point, I’m the one using the technology to bring our studies alive. One of the assignments they often have to do is word sorts. I would like to bring in Smartboard like technology using a Wii remote to allow students to manipulate the words on the whiteboard. I have started having my students use the computer more and more in order to learn and test the content skills they need. This should increase student achievement as they are excited to use technology in any capacity. Once I get everyone trained on the computer, I can have groups work on projects together while I work with small groups to increase their understanding of a difficult concept. After I have properly trained my students, they should be able to use technology seamlessly along with the required curriculum.