EDUC 6710 Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society - Course Reflection

What a journey!  I have learned so much in a short amount of time. I have never created a blog, I have never created a wiki page, and I have never created a podcast. I did these things during this course, and I still managed to deepen my knowledge of the teaching and learning process along the way.  When I was creating the blog I came up with many ideas on how to incorporate it into my classroom that supports our curriculum and incorporates the International Society for Technology in Education standards as well. The wiki page I found difficult, but with practice and maybe some more ideas, I can find a use for it.  I think the podcast was great.  I can see them really wanting to create a podcast in lieu of writing a paper.  I am also of toying with the idea of using a podcast as an extension of their learning by posting the concepts of daily lessons for review, or to get a better understanding of the day’s lesson.

This course also reinforced some of the skills that I have been using in my class, while also learning about 21st-century skills that allowed me to take a more profound look into the direction of education in today’s society. Even though I have not changed every lesson to be learner-centered, I am structuring more culminating activities to be less teacher-centered, and take the role of a facilitator rather than a lecturer. With activities at the end of a unit, students should have a decent background allowing them to explore and complete self-guided tasks.

This is definitely not the end of the journey for me.  As technology progresses, so will the use of technology and the evolution of technology. I will continue to expand my knowledge of learning and teaching with the goal of increasing student achievement. I will keep up with the current practices through publications like Tech & Learning magazine for technology ideas, and take advantage of district professional development opportunities with current 21st-century themed skills.

I would like to establish a couple of goals for the future.  First, I would like incorporate more Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I am comfortable with using a blog, but having the students use more tools they use regularly and integrate them into the curriculum would be ideal.  I would also like to use more social media sites and alternative posting methods for final products, like a podcast or a wiki page.  For my second goal, I would like to do more exploratory activities where the students have to use the Internet for research, and posting their findings online.  This is where I would like to incorporate a more student-centered classroom. Acting as a facilitator and having them figure out how to solve problems will give meaning to these lessons and build the confidence in the students so they can feel like they can function on their own in the digital age.

When looking back at the checklist from week one, it is hard to say that many of the items have changed at this particular time.  I see many items that will change in the future.  These changes will happen primarily because of the lack of knowledge I had to use the tools necessary for particular skills, or having the resources available to implement these skills.  I would say that my motivation to incorporate these skills has changed the most.  I have a better understanding of 21st-century skills the students should obtain and I acquired guidance on what technology skills teachers should be proficient at to better prepare their students for the modern world.