What have I learned?
Through this course I have been challenged to take my subject to a different level. What I mean by this is integrating technology has challenged me to think more outside the box with my normal curriculum. I have really enjoyed creating all of the different projects and learning about the different resources and strategies that are available. I was particularly challenged by the process of establishing the relative advantage. This is something I had not considered in my thought process previously in regards to integrating technology into my classroom. I found this very helpful in laying out the purposes and uses of tech within my classroom.
AECT Standards
1.1 Design- This course has a very distinct design feature to it. THough we were not creating a complete course, as in the Instructional Design class, we were able design different expereinces that allow students to learn. The relative advantage project allowed us to consider what technology to use, how it will be used and going into details of the process. In all of the projects we were not only tasked to design the process but implement it as well as use the materials.
2.3 Computer-Based Technologies: My final project was a website with the majority of my projects using computer based technologies to enhance learning
2.4 Integrated Technologies: Throughout the semester different online technologies (from prezi, google docs, videos, games, etc.) were used to created different learning experiences within the classroom.
How have I Grown Professionally?
I find that with each course that I take within the EdTech program at BSU I become a more confident teacher. Professionally I want to enter the EdTech field after this but in the mean time I am able to integrate the new information and ideas that I learn into my classroom. This course has given me some great starting points of different technologies that I want to try to integrate into my classroom this coming year. The final project has given me a great foundation as well. Overall, professionally, I feel more confident in technology integration and look forward to practicing what I have learned in the upcoming school year.
How has my teaching practice been impacted by what I have learned or accomplished in this course?
As I went through this course I tried to consider how each project would be altered to fit into different subject classes. The overall set up of our course also brought some inspiration for my classroom. I have started to consider the portfolio based learning using a website or wiki. I really like how the final project came together. I also really enjoyed the fact that each piece was a building block to the final project. I hope to find ways to implement this into my classroom soon.
How theory guided development of the projects and assignments you created?
Within each module the theory that was presented from the text and other articles allowed me to have a greater understanding of the task at hand. In the past I would consider using an online tool and figure out how to fit it in. From the reading I was able to gain guidance and example on how to integrate and practice the different content we were studying. Roblyer and Doering (2012) wrote in their text, ” Modern tools and techniques are simply the latest developments in a field that some believe is as old as education itself” (p. 4). This text challenged me to think outside the typical “template” of teaching and think of new ways to facilitate learning to my students.
Part Two: Assessment
As I read back over my blog as well as review the rubric I would give myself a score of an A. I believe that my blogs were rich in content and provided real life situations that related to the topics at hand. I was able to use the course text to enhance my blogging as well. All of my posts were posted in a timely manner besides the first post, which was off because of a time difference mistake (thank you Hong Kong!). I feel I was able to provide strong, encouraging feedback to my peers, offering them both praise as well as questions that might help in their though process. Overall I believe I met every requirement of this project. It was a great experience and I am thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of this course!
Cheers!
Works Cited
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A. H. (2012). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Boston: Pearson.
EdTech Thoughts 