Course Reflection

This course has helped me to develop my own technology skills by introducing me to the tools I need to implement into my lessons. Along with the introductions, came the assignments to use the tools, allowing me to explore and become familiar with the capabilities these tools allow for. I am now able to create blogs, wikis, and podcasts. I know how to use RSS feeds and to subscribe to various feeds that I can use as resources staying abreast of new advances in technology or sharing lessons with other teachers.

Social networking has deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process. “Social constructivism extends constructivism into social settings, wherein groups construct knowledge for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings. When one is immersed within a culture like this one, one is learning all the time about how to be a part of that culture, on many levels” (Philosophy-MoodleDocs).

Reflecting back on these experiences, I felt frustrated, overwhelmed, anxious, but most importantly, excited. I looked forward to trying everything I was learning, including the audio podcast. I teach American Sign Language, so the last thing I want is for my students to use their voices. Yet, I could challenge my first year students to research various elements of Deaf culture and create a podcast to present a mini-report to the class, thereby using technology to present the information. Students can create personal diaries by making vodcasts of themselves signing as they complete each unit in our courses. They can download these into their iPods or mp3 players.The class will be more learner centered by allowing students to use creative ways of displaying their skills. Dr. David Thornburg, in his interview with Hall Davidson, stated that teachers have told him that technology has allowed them to move from a didactic teacher driven world to a more query driven project based world and that it has restored the joy of teaching for them. This is what this course has done for me.

By collaborating with other educators who use technology as a tool for teaching and learning, I will be able to continue learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement. Also, by allowing students to use their mp3 players as tools in their education, my goal is to capture their interest and engage them in their own learning. As teacher Randy Kolset stated, “let them explore, and pretty soon you have the kids making a connection with the school, the curriculum, and their ideas” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008)

I have set two-long term goals for incorporating technology into my classroom. The first goal I have already started by creating a classroom website for my students to use blogs and wikis. It is still in the early stages of me learning how to navigate through it and set it up for the students to start working on it. I had to go to my principal and technology director to get approval and have the account created. The second goal is to incorporate the use of vodcasts in our activities. By allowing students to create videos of themselves, they would be producing an ongoing video journal or portfolio that they can use as a resource to display their growth and continuing skills in our class. They could also upload their videos to YouTube.com or to their mp3 players. We could invite administrators and colleagues into our classrooms to observe students presenting their work created on vodcasts to illustrate their learning both in the curriculum and in the use of technology as an educational tool.

References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.

Philosophy. MoodlesDoc. Retrieved from http://docs.moodle.org/en/Philosophy. October 29, 2009.

http://ledwards72.podbean.com/

Here is a survey I took with some of my students to see how much and how often they used digital technology on a daily basis.

www.21stcenturyskills.org

I was impressed with how dedicated this group of people is in emphasizing the importance of teaching 21st century skills to today's youth. The 21st century standards focus on skills, content knowledge, and expertise that students need to succeed in the 21st century work force. the standards emphasize engaging students in real world learning in and outside of the classroom.

As I was looking through the website, I did not really find anything that I disagreed with. In fact, I found the articles on cursive writing becoming a lost art to be very interesting and true. this website has many varied topics that affect us as educators, parents, business professionals, and future workers. It has a lot to offer and is a great resource for staying current with what is taking place within education.

As an educator, I need to find ways to implement technology into my teaching to help provide the skills my students will need to be successful upon graduation.

Utilizing blogs in the Classroom

From the start of this course, I have been asking myself how I could use blogs in my classrooms? This year, I will be having my level one students reading a book together in class. I would like to use a classroom blog for the students to post their reactions, make comments, or ask questions about what we will be reading. Every class has a student or two who never participates in a discussion. I believe a blog will give those students an opportunity to express themselves without intimidation.
I would also like to post my students' work. I know that I can post pictures, but I would also like to submit videos of my students signing their stories, if this is possible. I wonder, would this be like you-tube? This would be a great way for the students to see how far they have advanced from a level one student up to a level three student! These could become their ASL portfolios!
By posting assignments on our blogs, my students would be able to keep track of their assignments, especially if they miss school due to an illness or an unscheduled vacation from school. Parents would also be able to access the blogs to keep track of their children's assignments and accomplishments.
I am looking forward to all the possibilities of blogging!

My First Blog

Hello, everyone! This is the first time I have created a blog! I am a high school teacher of American Sign Language (ASL). I have been teaching now for eight years. Before that, I was an educational interpreter for deaf students for fourteen years. I am working on my Master's degree in Integrating Technology into the Classroom from Walden University. As overwhelming as I sometimes feel, I am excited about this program.