EDLD+5364+Final+Reflection

=Final Reflection=

Going into the Teaching with Technology course, I had hoped to acquire new skills that would help me better integrate technology into my classroom. I had also envisioned learning about available resources that I could suggest to colleagues as they also move forward in their efforts to create “connected” classrooms. I find myself very intrigued by the new programs and digital tools that we have encountered in this class. I am excited about implementing new brainstorming software and data collection tools into the classroom to help students gain new levels of success. I did not envision learning so much regarding differentiated instruction. What a gift this has been considering my recent move into a special education position! I have already had an opportunity to share what I have learned in this class about providing multiple forms of recognition using multimedia tools. I have been able to assist others with new strategies in allowing their students to choose the type of response tool that is most effective for them. The end result of this course has more than met my expectations.

The information I have learned through Teaching with Technology is extremely relevant to my work with elementary students. I am one of the few teachers on our campus willing to embrace new technology. I have many eyes watching me on a daily basis to see what I choose to use in my classroom. It is up to me to help other educators become more confident in using technology to teach their students. As a teacher on a special education collaboration team, it is my responsibility to introduce them to the Universal Design for Learning. I plan to help teachers incorporate activities into their classroom instruction that more effectively address the recognition, strategic, and affective networks. I will expose them to the UDL Book Builder and Lesson Plan Checker. I think it will also be beneficial to teach them how to use SMART boards and Classroom Response Systems to engage more students. I see this as an opportunity to help teachers, students, and administrators expand their horizons.

I was unable to participate in the video conferences due to lack of resources and limited availability. I was also unable to incorporate original video footage into my group project due to the same issues. It has raised my awareness to which pieces of computer hardware I hope to purchase next. In addition, I have asked that our school campus be allowed to purchase a video camera that would be accessible for all teachers to use in their classrooms. Unfortunately, I also became aware of my need to upgrade my computer in the near future. This just drives home the point that we can only use technology if we have the tools to do it. I recognize that our students are at a disadvantage when they do not have ready access to computers in school or at home. Schools that have not embraced this new era of learning digitally will be putting their students at a disadvantage in the future.

The course assignments were challenging at times. My most difficult week had to be Week 3 of the course when we were required to create our own UDL lesson plan, create a UDL digital book and blog about it, collaborate with our team members, reflect on our wiki, as well as keep up with the discussion board. It truly “stretched” me as a person as I juggled personal and professional responsibilities while also being ill at the time. In addition, the UDL website was both intriguing and complicated to me, so it took a while for me to digest how to use their techniques in developing activities that would be appropriate for our case scenario. At times, it was frustrating to collaborate with people who are all on different schedules. Some were able to work on activities at work, while the rest of us have students all day and had to complete our work after hours. However, at the end of the day, it all was completed and I did not have to let anyone down in the process.

I was once told that the more you learn, the more you realize how much you do not know. That would be true of me in this situation. I thought I knew a fair amount about educational technology, but I was wrong. There are so many more resources available than I had imagined. From text-to-speech software to virtual field trips, I was constantly surprised by the new forms of technology that I found. This class also tested my leadership abilities because I have always been the “behind the scenes” kind of girl. I do not mind being the brains of the operation as long as I do not have to present it to a large group or dictate assignments to others. Well, my experience as team leader for our group project really forced me out of my shell. Yet, it was not as hard as I thought it would be. I think a good collaborative team makes all the difference. I will not shy away from leadership opportunities in the future.