Final Reflection

Part 1

In my midterm reflection, I covered most of the course objectives for the class, since we met them early in the year. However, there were a few that I wanted to specifically call out in this final reflection. 

Objective 4. Reflect upon and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources.

Over the course of this semester, we have talked about an astounding amount of technology. I have personally used over 12 Web 2.0 tools, and have learned about countless other resources and web sites for teaching. I used Audioboo to create a podcast, Animoto to create a digital story (complete with musical accompaniment!), Voki to create a talking avatar, Mindmeister to create a mind map, Google Drive to create collaborative documents, Reader to gather RSS feeds to blogs I want to keep up with, Blogger to create my own blog, Sites to develop a web site, Weebly to design a webquest, Diigo to bookmark web sites, and Wordle and Tagxedo to create word clouds.
In addition to all of those tools, I have been exposed to resources like Edsitement, ReadWriteThink, Free Technology For Teachers, and Edutopia, to name just a few. (Note that I keep track of these sites in my Diigo list!) 

I honestly never thought I would use the technology I have used in this class. While I'm pretty comfortable with technology, I was never "into it," so to speak. I never had the urge to create a blog or a podcast, and I certainly never thought I'd have a reason to design a web site. Now I love it! I can't wait to teach my future students all about the tools I know how to use, and to see what they can produce.

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

One of the best benefits of integrating technology in the classroom is that technology can really help you to create adaptive lessons for students with learning disabilities, or even for students who simply learn in different ways. 

For example, if a student of yours takes a significantly longer amount of time on writing assignments because of a physical deformity or for another reason, you can use a tool like Kidspiration to help that student organize his thoughts into bullet points, then to sentences, and finally to paragraphs. 

Or perhaps you know that a student is an auditory learner. Because there are only so many hours in a day, and only one of you per 18 students, you cannot possibly offer verbal explanations of directions over and over for the auditory learner. Why not create a podcast or a Voki that the student can reference when he needs help remembering what to do? 

Technology can also go a long way in helping to assess students. We all know that the standardized, one-size-fits-all assessments do not allow non-linear learners to defend their knowledge. Technology can be used to help below average writers prove that their thinking is actually above average, or to help kids with ADD quickly record their ideas orally to respond to an essay question instead of sitting for hours with a pencil and paper as their mind races.

It is so important to recognize and utilize the benefits of technology in the classroom, and I really feel that this class has helped me to realize its educational potential. I fully intend to keep up with the latest trends in technology, and plan to use it as much as possible.

Part 2

Technology can be a huge asset to teachers in the classroom. It can make the difference between helping your students to just get by, and allowing your students to excel. As I mentioned above, digital tools can fill the gaps in student abilities to help them perform to grade level, and can enhance their skills to help them perform above and beyond expectations. Regardless of a student's basic skills, he or she can benefit from the use of technology in school.

Quite often, teachers and administrators object to using computers, smart phones, tablets, or eReaders in the classroom. Some of this hesitancy comes from fear. The Internet can be a scary place, as we saw in the two PBS videos we watched during week 4. Parents and school officials fear online predators, digital bullies, and inappropriate information that is disseminated on the web. Fortunately, there are many ways to limit students' access while accessing the Internet at school, such as blocking sites and search terms, or by only allowing access to certain sites. For example, you can create your own learning community by installing Edmodo, which is similar to Facebook, but is private. So, a student creates an account within his/her class's domain, and can only communicate with classmates and teachers.

Aside from fear, non-digital natives who are uncomfortable using technology may be afraid of looking stupid in front of their digital native students, or may be hesitant to take the time to learn new applications. A good way to help these folks is to create a committee for gathering information and training teachers on useful digital tools. Teachers are then less overwhelmed by the number of resources on the Internet, and do not forge ahead alone in their training. After being trained, the teacher again gains the upper hand with his/her students.

Of the Web 2.0 tools we have learned about and used in this course, I think the most beneficial tools for students are Animoto, because the product is so cool that kids will love to use it (they may not even realize they are learning!), and ReadWriteThink and Scholastic because they contain interactive activities that students will enjoy.

In conclusion, I hope it is clear that this class was hugely beneficial to me, and by extension to my future students. I'm proud of what I learned, and look forward to using it in my classroom!