During the coursework for the class, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, I believe I found my groove with education. I do not want to give the impression that it was solely the class that placed me in my newfound comfort zone. What this course really did was provide me with the back-up and support to advance ideas that have been in my mind for years. Nothing is so comforting as finding others that think the way you do. As for its relevance to the development of my technology skills as a teacher, I felt bolstered to take leaps forward with projects that, in the past, I would have not taken the risk. Technology is only as good as its implementation. For many, a laptop is not much more than an expensive typewriter. In order to proceed with the learning that needs to take place in the 21st century classroom, teachers must take advantage of the tools available without forgetting the core values of learning. Without these values, teachers are stuck with yet another piece of technology with untapped potential.
The one area where my understanding of teaching and learning has deepened is the way we learn in general. I have not always agreed with the expert positions on digital natives and digital immigrants. But what I have walked away with has been a greater understanding of a simple fact. The depth of our learning is dependent on the delivery and availability of information. When lecture was (and perhaps is) the best format available for a lesson, there can be an expectation of learning. With more hands-on approaches, a student's learning experience becomes more relevant and meaningful. The more teachers can immerse students in the learning process, the greater leaps forward students can make.
I have always felt that a more student-centered classroom was needed to take my students further. I just did not know to get there. What I discovered about my own practice is that I have been very close to what I wanted to accomplish. I have never enjoyed the spotlight, and I think this fits perfectly with students being the driving force behind the learning. There are many people who do not agree with the way I conduct business in my classroom, but the test results are at least some proof that my students are thinking for themselves and finding success.
The next step in my teaching to continue this journey is to make the lessons more relevant to my students' lives. I am still choosing what I think is relevant. I believe to find greater levels of growth, I am going to have to incorporate a method of letting students take more ownership of what they are learning. I recognize the challenges that are present with state indicators and testing. But I believe I can present my students with the tasks we must complete and at least to some degree, allow them to determine how we go about achieving these goals.
Long-Term Goals
Over the next two years, my goals for the classroom are:
1. To establish a coursework for language arts that incorporates the use of various technology pieces (podcasts, blogs, wikis, forums, etc) that is student driven.
2. To create problem-based scenarios that incorporate these technology pieces and allow for cross-curricular and community outreach to bolster student ownership of learning.
In order to accomplish these goals, I will need to communicate with the content teachers and the various offices within my school, as well as the corporation, to gain approval. In addition to this, I will need to contact community leaders to acquire their participation in creating real-world opportunities for my students to incorporate the language arts skills they will need to be successful.
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I do not feel as if my perspective on technology and education has changed since the beginning of this course. I still believe that audio and video equipment used effectively in the classroom provides some of the greatest potential for learning. Why stand in front of a classroom and deliver a speech that only classmates will hear when you could develop a video that could be shared with the masses. If you add these tools to the others that are available (blogs, wikis, forums, podcasts, etc), you could kiss the worksheet days goodbye for good AND provide students with something that could (and I believe would) create a sense of accomplishment in their learning.
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