Teaching+with+Technology+Reflection



The outcomes I envisioned for this course included: becoming more technology knowledgeable, learning new methods of integrating technology in my classroom, and gaining a better understanding of project-based learning. I feel that I was successful in achieving these outcomes. Before taking this course, I had never used a goggle document or collaborated with a group to create a solution to a classroom situation so meticulously. Reflecting on all that I accomplished, from using a goggle doc, to uploading a PowerPoint presentation to this website, to learning about project-based learning from videos, lectures, and a hands-on approach; I know that the knowledge gained from my experiences these past five weeks will serve to better prepare me for my leadership role as a district technology coordinator. Furthermore, I will be able to apply my knowledge in my classroom to better meet the needs of my students. For example, the UDL Book Builder, designed to allow educators to create their own online books, is a perfect resource to reinforce student learning about a concept, while being easy to use. The knowledge gained from the course outcomes absolutely apply to my classroom. I think the skills, such as, using a goggle doc to communicate with my group is very relevant to my collaboration with my grade level on campus. When I first learned of wikispaces, which was a few months ago, I was so excited to start implementing them on my campus with my grade level. However, goggle docs are better for communicating with a group using Word and other applications, like PowerPoint and Spreadsheets. I also became more informed about other places of the country and how teachers are successfully using technology to engage students in their learning. Although I think that my campus is still a few years away from embracing technology to educate students for more than just 45 minutes of computer time; when my campus finally makes the change to start integrating technology to a greater extent I will be able to better facilitate and offer suggestions for improvement. (To view an example of how technology can improve classroom insturction click on the following link: ([] I feel that one of the course outcomes that I did not achieve was managing my time very well. As an educator, I feel that the time I have to teach, just as the time I have for applying myself to my studies is very limited. It is important to manage your time wisely and prioritize in order to achieve your goal, whether it is student learning or completing a group project. I think that one of the reasons that I successfully participated in my group for this class is in part due to my team’s dedication. Whenever I logged into my team’s goggle docs site, I was more motivated to keep participating and contributing to our final group project, as well as, our weekly assignments because I did not want to let anyone down and I also did not want to seem like I was not contributing to the group. However, I do feel that I was pressed for time because I had to balance teaching and planning for a group project at the same time. Yes, I feel that I was successful in completing the course assignments, as well as, in applying what I learned through the videos, lectures, and weekly readings. In part, my success is due to the weekly assignments being correlated with the videos, lectures, and readings. I feel that these weekly assignments provided me with hands-on practice for applying the concepts that were discussed in the assigned videos, lectures, and readings. I absolutely believe that all my dedication and determination to complete the group project resulted in the completion of our project. I must admit that I was a little discouraged about working in a group because of my past experiences with working in groups. Usually, I am the one that does all or most of the work. However, this group project was really a great experience because everyone in my group contributed and participated in the weekly assignments. In part, I think this is because even though we were working in a group, we were all accountable for our own assignment, as well as, contributing to the groups goggle doc site. My attitude regarding group projects changed significantly, I learned to be more open-minded about working with others. I was also able to understand how to better implement technology in my classroom. Watching the videos, especially those that demonstrated how students across the country are using technology, presented me ideas on what I can do to better help my students. I think that all the weekly assignments that I participated in aided me in applying what I learned; thus, I am better able to recall and teach others about these modern technologies. For instance, the UDL Lesson Builder is a great online tool for developing lesson plans, while a goggle site can be used to communicate and share these lesson ideas. A leader must be responsible, hard working, and committed to completing a task, as well as, knowledgeable in their particular area. I think that this course better prepared me for my future leadership role as a technology coordinator for my district.