CEP 811 Final Reflection

1. What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?

This course made me think about the ways in which I could effectively integrate technology into my lessons. In the first session, the scholarship of teaching was introduced as a way to get teachers to focus on engaging students in the lesson designing process and collaborating with others. I also learned that instead of simply deciding on a technology and finding a place for it in a lesson, I should develop a lesson based on Instructional Design and UDL (universal design for learning) principles. These principles suggest that curriculum should be designed to “address the diverse needs, strengths, background, and interests of students in today’s classrooms.” Then, I will be able to use an appropriate technology tool in my lesson to promote student engagement and achievement.

2. How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?

When I learned about the different web-based technologies that are available for education, I felt both excitement and relief. There are several new technology tools for education available with the creation of web 2.0, in which many are free. By having access to educational internet tools, such as WebQuests, students are able to learn and review content easily and perhaps in a more engaging way than before. Something else that I had not thought much of before is the idea that these technologies can help enrich a lesson so that it is accessible to many different types of learners. Whether it is for captions, translators, audio, visual, etc., adding educational technology to a lesson, or classroom in general, can produce a positive outcome for the learning of all students.

3. How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?

By taking 4 online courses in educational technology during the past year, many of my goals have been met, the largest one being to take at least one new tool from each class and successfully use it in my classroom this year. However, I have also acquired several new goals because of all of the many opportunities I was given to learn about these tools for the classroom. I had no idea how much was out there in terms of physical technology tools (cell phones, e-readers, iPods, clickers, tablets, etc.), web-based tools (wiki, glogster, wordle, screencast, prezi, weebly, merlot, etc.), and even software tools that promote learning (StAIR,audacity, moviemaker, etc.). I want to integrate all of the tools that I have not had time yet to use with my students and continue to explore the ones I have introduced.

4. Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?

As stated above, many new goals formed frequently with the amount of tools that I was exposed to over the course of the year. After I complete my Master’s degree, I plan to incorporate at least one new tool in every math unit I teach. Between now and next summer I plan to further my professional learning for my own good and the good of my students, even after I explore the all of the tools that I learned about during these courses. I have also volunteered to lead a local school staff development on integrating technology into the classroom for the teachers at my high school in the fall. As users of technology know, the tools available keep updating, changing, and are constantly being created, so I must keep that in mind. I will continue to be active on and seek support from the many forums and professional networks I am a part of including MACUL space, Merlot, Classroom 2.0, and various blogs and websites I have bookmarked on the topic of educational technology.