Final Course Reflection
This course has assisted me to develop my own
technology skills as a professional teacher. The two areas of technology that I
have gained an appreciation for through this class are blogging and podcasts. To be honest, these are two areas I have not
used with my classes prior to this class. Weblogs are easy to create and
encourage critical thinking, creativity, analogical thinking, reflection, and
social interactions (Richardson, 2010, P. 20). Weblogs can be used in any
subject for any topic. There are great
number of ways I would use them in my sixth grade English language arts, ELA,
class. One way I would use a weblog would be to post a positional statement and
have students react with a thesis sentence.
Students would be asked to post a reply to at least two members of their
class. Another way I would use weblogs
would be to have students respond to a literary question such as: What does the
following metaphor mean to you? or Why did the main character ______? I was appreciative that our course required
us to create podcasts. I discovered that
they were not very difficult to make. I
used Apple’s Garage Band to create my podcast.
After a short time I felt comfortable with the process. In the development of creating my podcast I
thought of a number of uses for podcasts in my classroom. As an ELA teacher, I thought podcasts would
be a great way to share student writing.
After each writing assignment, I could create a Writers’ Showcase podcast.
This would be a fantastic motivation for my students. Thanks to this course, I have developed the
skills required to create blogs and podcasts, and I believe the blogs and
podcasts I create will have a positive impact on my students in the future.
I
have a deepened knowledge of the teaching and learning process. The one area of teaching and learning that
caught my attention and made a lasting impression with me was the 21st
Century Framework. From the minute I
first read it, it made sense to me. First
off, it was created by a number of organizations that I have great respect for
such as Apple Computer, Destination Imagination, Lego, Walt Disney, Crayola,
PBS, and the NEA (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). The 21st century skills are logical
and address all of the skills necessary for students to be successful in
life. The framework values the core
curriculum, but also emphasizes technology, problem solving, critical thinking,
communication, and collaboration. In
addition, life and career skills are also an important aspect of the 21st
Century Framework. These skills include
responsibility, respect, flexibility, and initiative to name a few (The Partnership
for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). The life
and career skills are areas that my students are lacking when they enter though
my classroom door at the beginning of the school year. Even though my district is walking away from
the common core and has become more relaxed when it comes to life and career
skills, I will implement the 21st Century Framework in my classroom
because they make sense. The P21 Mission Statement
is: “To serve as a catalyst to position 21st century
readiness at the center of US K12 education by building collaborative
partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders” (The Partnership
for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). It is important that all involved parties
cooperate to provide our children with the skills necessary to strive in our
ever-changing society.
I have not changed my perspective from
being teacher-centered to learner-centered. I created a teacher-centered classroom about
four years ago. I was tired of seeing
children bored in my sixth grade language arts classes. I taught grammar lessons straight from the
book with the occasional “fun” activity thrown it. It was different when I taught third grade
for 12 years. Standardized test were
less of an emphasis at the time. I was able to do thematic units and creative
problem-solving activities. When I
switched to sixth grade, everything was new to me. Test scores became a focus. I felt I was obligated to follow the provided
text. About four years ago I made the
change to a more learner-centered classroom.
At first it was difficult because there was a feeling of losing
control. Administrators, even though
they say they want classrooms to be more student-centered, do not truly appreciate
a learner-centered classroom environment.
There is an impression that the teacher isn’t doing his or her job
because they are facilitating instead of leading discussions. ISTE Student
Standard 4 is: “Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making” It
states: “Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research,
manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate
digital tools and resources” (ISTE Standards For Students, 2012). I have seen, in my learner-centered classroom,
students more engaged and interested in the materials I cover. As the facilitator, I do a lot more modeling,
moderating, and listening.
I will
continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with
technology with the aim of increasing student achievement. It is important to me to keep up with the
latest technology and applications. When
a new type of social media becomes popular, I sign up and give it a try. If I see a new piece of software, I get it and
use it so that I am aware of what my students are using or should be
using. I believe that the 21st
Century Framework should apply to educators as well as students. I must problem solve, critically think,
communicate, and collaborate. In order
to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading, I must be responsibility,
respectful, flexible, adaptable, and take initiative. Dr. Hall Davidson believes that children’s
exposure to technology at early ages has charged the way they learn. Dr. Thornburg feels it may be neuroplasticity
based on survival mode (Laureate Education, n.d.). I have to agree with Dr. Thornburg when he
addresses Prensky’s theory of digital natives and digital immigrants. By Prensky’s standards, Thornburg would be a digital
immigrant, yet he is an expert in the field of technology. The same would go for Steve Jobs, Bill Gates,
and Steve Wozniak. Thornburg on the
other hand feels that digital native and digital immigrant is more systemic. Thornburg feels we must step away from labels
and address the needs of children based on kids’ educational expectations (Laureate
Education, n.d.). As long as I am
flexible and adaptive, I will continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching,
and leading with technology.
One of the long-term goals that I have
set for the next two years is to create a classroom Twitter account for parents
and students to tweet out classroom happenings on a daily basis. I do have some institutional obstacles to
overcome in order to achieve this goal. The Germantown School District does not
have a policy that allows teachers to use social media in the schools. Therefor, teachers are not permitted to use
social media. The school Internet filter
blocks any type of social media. I plan
to lobby the technology director, superintendent, and school board to develop
policy and allow me to pilot Twitter in my classroom. To be successful, I must
present the board with compelling reasons why Twitter can be used as a helpful
tool. According to Will Richardson,
Twitter is a great way to “build a Learning-on-demand environment.” It can deliver small bits of important information,
assess student understanding, and provide instant feedback (Richardson, 2010, P.
88-89). I also believe that
Twitter provides an opportunity for me, the teacher, to develop a means of PR
with my parents. I can send links to
blogs, updates on class activities, homework assignments, photos, and any other
information that parents and or students want know.
My second long-term goal that I have
set for the next two years is to develop technology choices for all of my
culminating activities for each unit.
Instead of giving all students one project to complete at the end of a
unit, I will provide them options that meet the students learning styles and
expectations. An example of how this
would work would be the culminating project for a literature circle. After a group finishes their book, students
would be given a choice of three projects.
The choices may be to create a movie trailer for their book, to design a
book jacket using a computer application, create a podcast which summarizes their book
and discusses a controversial topic tackled in the storyline, or allow students
to design their own project with teacher approval for more advanced students. “A 2008 meta-analysis of 41 studies found a
strong link between giving students choices and their intrinsic motivation for
doing a task, their overall performance on the task, and their willingness to
accept challenging tasks” (Patall,
Cooper, & Robinson, 2008). The only roadblocks for my goal are time and
hardware. With this being a two-year
goal, I will work over the summer to create these technology options and
rubrics to assess them.
Looking back at the survey checklist I
took at the beginning of the year, I feel comfortable with the answers I
provided.
I am looking forward to implementing
the tools and ideas I have found in this class.
I know they will lead to increased student motivation and an increase in
my motivation. The increased motivation
should in return lead to increased student achievement.
Resources
ISTE Standards For Students. (2012). Retrieved
April 19, 2014, from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-students
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Debate:
Digital natives and digital immigrants [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Patall, E.,
Cooper, H., & Robinson, J. C. (2008). The effects of choice on intrinsic
motivation and related outcomes: A meta-analysis of research findings. Psychological
Bulletin, 134(2), 270–300.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis,
podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
(n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.p21.org/
