Reflection #1

What attitudes, skills, and concepts have you gained from participating in the course so far?

There are several things I have learned so far from this course.  First of all, I have learned how to navigate my way through a wiki with a lot more ease.  I have also learned how powerful a wiki can be in terms of collaboration, content, and accessibility.  Secondly, I have also come to recognize that there is a wealth of knowledge and resources available in the area of technology that I did not know existed.  I have learned a lot about different sites, terms, and technologies that I can adapt to fit the needs of my class.

What have you learned in the course that you will not forget tomorrow?

So far in this class I have learned that technology is coming and we owe it to our students to be ready.  After listening to several videos and podcasts and reading articles and blogs about the future of technology and what is coming our way, I feel more informed about my responsibility to prepare my students.  I also won’t forget that just because teachers have access to technology doesn’t mean they know how to use it for the good of students and support of the standards.  Investing my time in learning about innovative ways to incorporate technology is a must.

How will you apply what you have learned to your teaching and future learning?

I will apply all that I have learned to better my use of technology in my classroom.  I think that up to this point, I have not done all that I can to use technology to benefit my student s to the best of my ability.  Just turning on a Smartboard and writing on it does not constitute good use of technology.  While I have a classroom blog, there are so many more things I can do with it to help my students and parents get better use out of it.  I can incorporate more videos and resources to help my students.  I have also wondered if a wiki might be a better outlet for parents and students since they could also add content and comment etc.  I also think that I will continue to develop my PLN.  I really had no idea how powerful it could be!  After learning how to use Google Reader, Netvibes, Tweetdeck, and Diigo, the possibilities are endless!  I feel like I have already honed in on some good contributors and will continue to follow and learn from them!