Week 11 - Blog - Final Reflection

Final Blog Reflection, wow! This class flew by, and I feel like I have learned so much. 

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Part 1:

At the beginning of the course I realized that I had very little K in the KWL, and an awful lot of W. Now, I utilize Gmail to its fullest, complete with Google Docs. I have also learned about so many different Web 2.0 Tools, some that I didn't even know existed, such as:

Wordle
Scratch
Glogster
Blogger!
Voki 
Animoto
Audiboo 

Most of these I have even used on here! 

Another large chunk of what I have learned is the ability to conduct research using the internet. I had a fairly good idea of how to do this beforehand when I was working towards my Bachelor's Degree, however I did not know how to utilize the internet specifically for teaching. There is a plethora of information out there, but this class taught me how how to filter out legitimate sites, and also listed a lot of websites to use. This is all made easier by using a program called Diigo, because it keeps all of these websites and information together in one place where it can be sorted into specific categories.

 

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While I covered a lot of the Course Objectives in my Midterm Reflection, I did not reflect upon these two Objectives:

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies and other digital resources to personalize and differentiate learning activities for every student

I feel that we demonstrated an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies to personalize and differentiate learning activities for every student by discussing the adjustments that can be made for each lesson to accommodate each student. Such as having a student make a Voki, but only have them list 3 facts rather than 5. We also demonstrated this objective by discussing the use of digital resources to help teach students who may not have been able to participate before because of limitations. An example of this is the iPad, which can be utilized with just one finger.

 8. Evaluate, adapt and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature

I think this Objective was accomplished throughout the entire term. We reviewed a lot of research (which was current, thanks to the internet!). A key example of participation would be when we joined in on a live Global Education Conference as a class. That was really neat to be connected to professionals from all over the country (and a few other countries!), and they were very pleased to have us there to learn.

All of this will help me as a future educator because I'm prepared for the direction Education is taking. I am equipped with the knowledge to use technology in the classroom, and use it successfully. 

Part 2:

It is important for all teachers to integrate technology into the lessons they teach, regardless the age of the students or the genre taught because that is the direction the entire world is headed. Technology touches almost every aspect of our lives, so we should also use it as a tool.

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This class has emphasized that the lesson plan is bottom line the most important part, and that if technology can be integrated then great, but make it about technology. Technology should enhance the lesson plan and the learning for the students. We have covered so many examples (listed at the top of the post with links) that the options are endless really. It can be easy to make technology integration seamless. This is helpful because it will keep today's Digital Native's engaged and interested in what they are learning.

Of course there will be barriers to technology integration, such as funding, and the sad truth that some teachers don't want to change. As a future teacher, I think I can overcome these barriers by first being extremely fortunate to be part of the future teacher generation that is being taught all of this before they are even in the field. I also will try to overcome the funding barrier by utilizing whatever I am given to the best of its ability.


I am very happy that this was my first class in my Master's program, I feel that I will use so much of the information I learned!!
 

Week 10 - Teacher Interview - "Hi My Name is.."

I conducted my Teacher Interview with Ms. B from GH Hood Middle School. She is a Reading Strategies Specialist there, and I was able to observe two classes before sitting down to talk with her. My experience was unique in the fact that I actually got to have conversations with about 4 other professionals as well. My interview was pretty informal, but witnessing/participating in classes and being immersed in stimulating conversations, I feel I walked away with a lot of information.

Going into GH Hood Middle School I was prepared with the following questions:

1. What technology is available to to the students?
2. How many computers per classroom are there?
3. Do you think technology is a good tool for assessing students?
4. Is there better communication within the school?
5. Are parents more involved?

After I arrived at the school and acquired my Visitor's Pass, I made my way to Ms. B's classroom. Since she teaches Reading Lab, she is in the one of the two lab classrooms. The classroom is equipped with 10 Mac computers along one wall, and then desks and tables fill the rest of the room. In her first class she is more of an assistant to another teacher. This teacher is just three weeks shy of her internship being finished so it was really great to talk to her on her perspective because she had to log in Field Experience hours at a few different schools before her 16 week internship. From what I gathered from her, and from a wonderful woman who is a paraprofessional, GH Hood Middle School is fairly advanced with technology.

Now each person I spoke with would quickly correct me and say that they still have a long way to go. Diane, a Spanish teacher at the Middle School, is so advanced that every single lesson she has is accessible to her students online. She spent the summer converted absolutely all of her information, and all of her videos to youtube so that there is one single spot the students can access the information. I was amazed at how much out of her personal time she put into doing this, and it's all to make learning easier and more interesting for her students. She added that there is no excuse if they were absent one day because all the information is available to them, which I thought was funny.

I think what is really helpful for this school is that they have a Laptop User Group. It is a group of teachers who are willing to embrace technology. What I find most admirable of this is that some teachers, like Ms. B, may not be particularly tech-savvy, but are willing and brave enough to attempt to integrate it into their teaching. This group works hard to make cases for why technology is important in the classroom, and how it can be easy to use.

The Laptop User Group was influential in making sure all of the teachers have school issued laptops. It's really cool because they are all using Google as their main program. I asked if Gmail (and email in general) made it easier to communicate with everyone and Ms. B said it perfectly: "Well, it's great because you are always connected, and it's not so great because you are always connected". I can definitely see how that statement applies to life. She explained further that it makes a lot of things go smoother, but that you also have to carve out extra time for catching up on emails. Another positive note is that all of this communication helped start breaking down some barriers in the school. It's not so much the classroom as a separate planet from another, instead they are corroborating, and I think that is great.

Ms. B explained that she loves using their technology for assessing students. They have a program called the Power Teacher Grading Program, and I got to take a peek at how it all works. It's unreal! There is everything and more available for a teacher to use. Aside from the grades and roster, I thought it was particularly great that each child had their entire schedule in the program. All the information is so thorough. Looking at that program, I asked if the parents could also see the grades. The parents can be involved and see grades, but through another program. I thought this was very innovative because it really brings the parents in to participate firsthand. I do understand the downfall would be that not all parents utilize it, but I hope they would.

Overall, this was an amazing experience for my first Field Experience requirement. I really enjoyed introducing myself to, and interacting with the students. I am very appreciative for the time I spent at GH Hood Middle school, and I'm appreciative of the wonderful staff who let me into their world!