Reflective Essay

This course has helped me develop my teaching skills by making me more aware of new movements in education, such as “The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills”. I’ve also created a new skill set that I can use with my students, team members, and parents to improve instruction and communication. I have become much more aware of podcasts, blogs and wikis and how they can be used in the classroom.

In any course working with professionals that are working across many grade levels, I feel that I get a greater understanding of the thread of learning that children experience from K-12. As a first grade teacher, it was very informative to see how middle and high school teachers planned to use blogs and wikis in their classrooms, and I felt that I was helping my students to get ahead by exposing them to these things at a young age. By the time that they are in high school, there will probably be new applications that they will use as well.

In early childhood education, teacher centered classrooms are common. The children have little to no exposure to most subjects that one is teaching. However, with the use of wikis, students can compile their own thoughts and knowledge in a meaningful way after the teacher has introduced the material. With podcasts, students can learn to summarize what they have learned in a way that others can understand. Technology can free students to work on a project for as long as they choose, and from the constraints of a teacher centered classroom.

I hope to continue expanding my understanding of technology in education by continuing the Walden University M.S. in Education Technology program and applying what I learn to the classroom. I also plan to attend the International Society for Technology Educators in Denver, CO this June. I hope that the experience will broaden my view of new innovations in the field, and show me new ways to use applications I am already familiar with.

One major goal is to increase the global awareness in my classroom. I would like to find a classroom somewhere else in the county that my students could talk to via webcam messages and share information with throughout the year. No one has ever done this at my school, and student safety is a major concern with this type of project. I will meet with administration and work with parents to make sure that everyone is comfortable and understanding of the meaning of this project.

Another goal that I have is to use student created podcasts as a way to assess how much the students have learned at the end of a given unit. The first obstacle here is getting the equipment required to do a video or audio podcast at school. Teaching first graders to use the equipment would be the easiest part of this project. Easing the mind of parents and administrators is also a priority. Most parents at my school don’t own computers, and don’t trust the internet because they aren’t aware of how we take action to protect the children. I would meet with parents and make sure that they understand the project and how it would benefit their children. I also hope that this idea will take hold at my school and we can all start podcasting and sharing our students’ gifts with others.

I’m looking forward to learning more about how to use technology with students and how to improve my own skills. I think that this class has introduced the “why” of technology in education. Students and teachers can no longer just be consumers of technology and internet information, we must contribute as well