Impact of Technology Class Reflection

This course has helped me improve my technology efficiency greatly. It has taught me how to create blogs and produce usable podcast for in the classroom. Before this class I thought that making these items would be very difficult, but it has shown me that if using the right resources it can be fairly easy with little to no hassle at all.

I think some of the ways for me to continue to expand my knowledge is to put forth the effort to stay up to date on the new technologies that are coming out. By using the resources that I have collected throughout this course I can find ways to use these new technologies in my classroom. As teachers we have to be open to all new ideas being presented because we never know which ones are going to take off in the interest of our students. To be successful in the classroom we have to hold the interest of our students and us their interest to help them gain knowledge they will need for in the future.

My two long term goals are to use web discussions as part of the learning process and students using technology to develop lesson to teach each other. I think one of the big things that will help accomplish the discussions is the use of Edline. This is a program that allows me to post assignments, grades and a variety of resources that can be used in the classroom. One of the things it does offer is a discussion board that can be used in the classroom. The discussion board could be used for current ideas or ideas that we will be visiting soon. The lesson part of my plans will require a yearlong planning on the types of lessons that I would like for the students to teach and educating the students on the different resources that are available for them to use. To help with this next year I would like to designate one day for every one to two weeks for us to use the computer labs. By doing so it assures the use of technology with the students as well as allowing the students the chance to also show me things that they already use and want to use in the classroom.

My First Pod Cast

Lets hope this works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Liu-2uCb4

21st Century Skills

Reaction:
The website at first is very over whelming with the amount of data and information given. It takes a little time to feel your way around and realize how the site is being laid out. Even after viewing it several times it seems to be difficult to navigate. The thing that I see positive is the main idea that the site is promoting. This being that yes we need to covers our typical core subjects but also to cover life and career skills, learning and innovation skills and finally information media and technology skills. I think this is a positive addition to what most schools are teaching now.Overall I did not disagree with anything being presented on the site.

Information Provided:
I like to idea that the website provides not only information about upcoming speakers but also gives information on previous presentations. It is nice to be able to look back at the speeches and the materials that they used during the speech, such as power points. There are a lot of resources once you are a able to find them. The website gives an easy to follow rating scale to make searching the resources a little less daunting. I was a little surprised that they twittered their information but I should have expected as much from what they are promoting. I really like the fact with the information that is given that even more information could be found through hyperlinks to other websites.

Educators and Students:
As educators and/or students I think we needs to take in a serious consideration of the ideas that this group is pushing for. The criteria that they are pushing for will be highly beneficial to both teacher and students. Their focus seems to solely be one prepare using for the future yet to come. We should utilize the information provided to further enhance our teaching strategies and better prepare ourselves for the future. There is great amount of knowledge that can be gained from this site and others like it.

Blog in the Classroom

Being a middle school math teacher my focus is not only teaching the students how to solve the problem but why the problem is solved the way it is. When they thoroughly know the content and how it works is when it is truly learned and not memorized. I would create a blog that focused the discussion on topics currently being taught in class. This blog will provide basic questions for them to research and answer. Along with the basic questions there will be several higher order questions for the students to consider and discuss with one another. The higher order questions will involve collaboration between students to come to a proper conclusion. This blog is can be used for the students to interact with one another outside the classroom. It would bring a better understanding to the students learning through their discussions. It could also be used as a intro into an upcoming lesson. I think the sixth grade students that I teach would really latch on to this idea and run with it. They can get help from friends in the learning process and it would give me a informal assessment on how well the students understand a topic. These students thrive off of technology and interacting with one another. The blog brings both of these things together. Truthfully I don't think the students would really see it as learning as much as a source for help and incite. When it isn't seen as learning in my experience they are more likely to learn from it. Blogs have many applications that can go in any direction with the teachers help.

Hello Everyone

Hello fellow educators around the world. Here is a little about myself. I am a sixth grade math teacher in the western part of Maryland. I coach a high school girls soccer team and an indoor track team. I am very exicited about what I am going to be learning as a Walden student when it comes to technology. I can see the effect of technology already in education and I do not want to fall behind. As a teacher I want my classroom to be educating as much as fun and engaging.