Sunday, June 27, 2010
New and Emerging Technologies: Reflection
The Horizon report (http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/) is certainly a reference I will use each year and share with others that are looking to learn what is coming in the future of technology. It’s a way of thinking that needs to be explored by teachers; how can new developments in mainstream technology be used for education? We know that computer screens and moving figures engage children, but what else? How can we make technology more interactive, to lead our students through puzzles and problem solving activities to sharpen their minds?
With the conclusion of this course, I am wondering, what is the best way to get teachers at my school talking? I could create the modules for teams to try, but would it be more valuable to have them make their own? The latter is slower, and most teachers want something ready to use, they are already short on time. I think I would like to informally start a group that meets monthly, with each month having a technology that we explore. For example, one month could be about using blogs, another could be about podcasting, and then we could follow up the next month by showing the podcasts we created to one another and talking about how it enhanced our students’ learning.
I have been looking forward to this class since I started work on my Master’s degree. I wasn not disappointed. The way this course stressed being a teacher leader and always searching for new applications has really brought all of the coursework and knowledge I’ve gained together.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
An argument for virtual classrooms
Saturday, April 24, 2010
EDUC 6714 Reflection
EDUC 6713 Reflection
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
GAME Plan for my students
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Evaluating my progress
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I have found a lot of ways to assess student learning styles and gained more information about the ways that children in my class learn best. I’ve also learned about a lot of different virtual environments that could work for my students. I’ve also thought a lot and learned a great deal about the safety and security of my students online, especially through reviewing the i-SAFE training I completed last year.
What goals are you still working toward?
I would really like to have a class that my class could communicate with through skype, and now I just need to find a way to find that class and start talking to them!
Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?
I would like to learn more about “collaborating” with other classes through virtual environments on a first grade level. I think that it is really hard to get children that are emergent readers to use wikis and blogs, so I would like to learn how other teachers use technology with young children effectively and meaningfully.
What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
I would try to find more blogs to give me examples of what other teachers are using in the classroom to enhance their instruction with technology and how they overcame obstacles that I might also be facing.