As I reflect on what I have learned in this course, I realize how motivated I am to start the new school year. Not to say that I am normally not excited, but this course has given me a new outlook on the ways I can change how I teach to become more of a facilitator of student work.
This course has helped me to develop my own technology skills as a professional teacher by introducing me to various forms of technology and ways that they can be implemented in the classroom. In many ways, these technologies are demanding that we reexamine the way we think about content and curriculum, and they are nurturing new, important shifts in how best to teach students (Richardson, 2006). I have always considered myself well informed with technology but now I have the confidence to implement technology in my class and the knowledge to use it in a way that is most beneficial to my students. I can now instruct my class in ways that engage students, promote self-reflection, and true understanding of material.
I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process by understanding that it is important for the teacher to act as a facilitator and provide guidance to students as they are learning instead of lecturing them on course material. I no longer feel that students should all be required to read the same material and then recite it back in test form. The true test is whether the material they are learning will be valuable to them in the future. I also see the importance of teaching students the skills necessary for the 21st century. Before this class, I was not even aware that there were skills to prepare students for the 21st century. I want students to be able to share their work with an audience and not just their classmates and/or teacher and I know have the understanding and ability to make that happen.
I have changed my perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered by really looking at the curriculum I teach and ways that I can incorporate technology to allow students to learn by “doing” instead of “hearing.” I want students to learn from each other and provide them with opportunities to use problem-solving skills in real-life context. By allowing the classroom to be more learner-centered, I will have the ability to do so and provide guidance as needed. This will also prepare students for skills essential for the future. Our students will be required to collect, store, and retrieve relevant information throughout their lives, and we need to give them the skills to do so effectively and efficiently (Richardson, 2006).
I can continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement by constantly learning about new ways to incorporate technology into the curriculum. As technology changes, so will students and I need to be prepared to educate students in a way that is challenging and engaging to them. I would like to find research and articles that provide forms of technology that increase student achievement and “pilot” them to see if I obtain the same results. The ultimate goal is student success and if that means modifying how I “teach” each year, that is what I will do! I would also like to encourage more learning communities in my school so that we can work together to increase student achievement and share ideas with one another.
One long-term goal that I would set for transforming my classroom environment is to incorporate the use of blogs to improve student writing. I will need to seek approval from my administration as well as the Technology Director so that our school filter does not block the blog sites. Once I have overcome that obstacle, I will set up accounts for my students to blog using the 6-Trait writing model, as discussed in the first chapter of Will Richardson’s book. Once I have taught the trait, I will have students write a blog and then post comments to their classmates work and reflect on ways they can improve their writing as well as positive thoughts on things they have done well. I will also need to use the paraeducator to help monitor student work and provide assistance in reviewing material before publishing.
Another goal that I would set for transforming my classroom environment is the use of digital portfolios. This will also be something I would need approval from the administration and Technology Director. I would like to work with our school IT coordinator to set up sites where students can upload samples of their work that they would like to share with others. Students will also create a podcast to accompany the work that explains why they chose it, how it meets the objective of the assignment, and anything they would do differently. This is something that can be continued for many years after leaving my class and can be added to with additional work. Students can also use this to share with their parents during Student-Led conferences.
Many of my answers from the checklist for this course have changed after completing this course. Though I have not been able to implement any of these new teaching practices yet, I will be using them to start the new school year. I see the importance of using technology and the benefits it has to provide students with opportunities to share what they are learning and truly gain an understanding of what they need to know and how it will benefit them for the future.
Reference:
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
This course has helped me to develop my own technology skills as a professional teacher by introducing me to various forms of technology and ways that they can be implemented in the classroom. In many ways, these technologies are demanding that we reexamine the way we think about content and curriculum, and they are nurturing new, important shifts in how best to teach students (Richardson, 2006). I have always considered myself well informed with technology but now I have the confidence to implement technology in my class and the knowledge to use it in a way that is most beneficial to my students. I can now instruct my class in ways that engage students, promote self-reflection, and true understanding of material.
I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process by understanding that it is important for the teacher to act as a facilitator and provide guidance to students as they are learning instead of lecturing them on course material. I no longer feel that students should all be required to read the same material and then recite it back in test form. The true test is whether the material they are learning will be valuable to them in the future. I also see the importance of teaching students the skills necessary for the 21st century. Before this class, I was not even aware that there were skills to prepare students for the 21st century. I want students to be able to share their work with an audience and not just their classmates and/or teacher and I know have the understanding and ability to make that happen.
I have changed my perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered by really looking at the curriculum I teach and ways that I can incorporate technology to allow students to learn by “doing” instead of “hearing.” I want students to learn from each other and provide them with opportunities to use problem-solving skills in real-life context. By allowing the classroom to be more learner-centered, I will have the ability to do so and provide guidance as needed. This will also prepare students for skills essential for the future. Our students will be required to collect, store, and retrieve relevant information throughout their lives, and we need to give them the skills to do so effectively and efficiently (Richardson, 2006).
I can continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement by constantly learning about new ways to incorporate technology into the curriculum. As technology changes, so will students and I need to be prepared to educate students in a way that is challenging and engaging to them. I would like to find research and articles that provide forms of technology that increase student achievement and “pilot” them to see if I obtain the same results. The ultimate goal is student success and if that means modifying how I “teach” each year, that is what I will do! I would also like to encourage more learning communities in my school so that we can work together to increase student achievement and share ideas with one another.
One long-term goal that I would set for transforming my classroom environment is to incorporate the use of blogs to improve student writing. I will need to seek approval from my administration as well as the Technology Director so that our school filter does not block the blog sites. Once I have overcome that obstacle, I will set up accounts for my students to blog using the 6-Trait writing model, as discussed in the first chapter of Will Richardson’s book. Once I have taught the trait, I will have students write a blog and then post comments to their classmates work and reflect on ways they can improve their writing as well as positive thoughts on things they have done well. I will also need to use the paraeducator to help monitor student work and provide assistance in reviewing material before publishing.
Another goal that I would set for transforming my classroom environment is the use of digital portfolios. This will also be something I would need approval from the administration and Technology Director. I would like to work with our school IT coordinator to set up sites where students can upload samples of their work that they would like to share with others. Students will also create a podcast to accompany the work that explains why they chose it, how it meets the objective of the assignment, and anything they would do differently. This is something that can be continued for many years after leaving my class and can be added to with additional work. Students can also use this to share with their parents during Student-Led conferences.
Many of my answers from the checklist for this course have changed after completing this course. Though I have not been able to implement any of these new teaching practices yet, I will be using them to start the new school year. I see the importance of using technology and the benefits it has to provide students with opportunities to share what they are learning and truly gain an understanding of what they need to know and how it will benefit them for the future.
Reference:
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
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