Final Reflection

I signed up for this class to meet a requirement to go from a temporary teaching certificate to a professional certificate.  I hadn’t taken a college course in nine years.  Technology sounded more interesting to me than Ethics; those were the only two classes I had to choose from this semester.  I also thought a Tech class would be easy.  I was wrong!  I thought I was pretty tech savvy, but I was wrong again!

Every week, this class has challenged me to do things that I didn’t even know existed.  At times it was stressful trying to complete all of the tasks in such a short amount of time.  It was also frustrating to work on collaborative projects with people who didn’t have the same schedule as me or didn’t seem very motivated.  Despite all that, I persevered and got the job done. 

The digital badges seemed a little repetitive, but I did like how you wanted us to explore a different Web 2.0 tool each time.  Had that not been a requirement, I wouldn’t have learned about Emaze, Storybird, Canva, and the others I used.  I have already shared these sites with friends and colleagues.  A good friend of mine will be teaching a high school technology class this year for the first time.  He was thrilled when I told him about the Web 2.0 tools we were using in this class.  He was familiar with some, but others were new to him as well.

I’m looking forward to teaching a science unit on animal habitats so I can put my Webquest to use.  I think my students are going to love it and I know the other teachers on my grade level will too.

For the last two years I have said I was going to create a class website, but have never found the time.  This class has enabled me to do that, as well as, create an ePortfolio.  It will be easy to maintain and add to the site now that it has been started.  For that, I am thankful.

I think the following photograph sums up this class very well.  I will be able to use everything I have learned in the years to come with my students.  Thank you for making my return to college an enjoyable experience!

Photo credit to Curtis Palmer.

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Badge #8

Chapter 11 - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

  Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Badge #7

 

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Badge #6

Chapter 9: Creating and Sharing Information with Multimedia Technologies

Chapter nine summarizes what we have been doing throughout this course: creating and sharing information.  I used Emaze for this posting.  I love how it is similar to PowerPoint, but it can be accessed via the internet on any computer.  That sort of technology makes things so much easier and can streamline the presentation process.




Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Badge #5

Chapter 4: Integrating Technology and Creating Change

Created on Canva.com

The thing that stuck out most to me in chapter four was that it is the teachers that are responsible for the impact technology has on the classroom.  There are a wealth of technological resources available for teachers to use to enhance their classrooms, yet many teachers don't take advantage of them.  I've seen it first hand at my school, a school that has SmartBoards and student computers in each classroom. There are new teachers that are excited about technology and implement it in their classrooms and there are teachers that have been teaching for many years and are reluctant to change, especially change involving technology.  In many instances, the technology infused classrooms have more engaged learners. Tech Tool 4.1 offers resources for online technology integration that are good for not only new teachers, but teachers that are weary of technology.

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Badge #4

Chapter 6: Teaching with Educational Websites and Other Online Resources


Every week, I get more and more excited with the new tools I am learning about.  I can't believe I have never heard of WebQuests before and I can't wait to take my students on a virtual field trip this year!  Also, Storybird is such an amazing site!  I look forward to exploring it more.









Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Badge #3

Chapter 8: Communicating and Networking with Websites, Blogs, Wikis, and More




Chapter 8 discusses ways teachers can communication with colleagues and students via websites, wikis, and email as well as some other things.  Tech Tool 8.1 offers resources for teacher websites and blogs.  I have enjoyed learning about and using wikis and blogs over the past few weeks.  The more I learn I'm trying to come up with a way use them in my classroom this coming school year.  I'm afraid that it will become a burden.  I don't want to take on a project that I can't keep up with.

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Badge #2

Chapter 5: Researching and Evaluating Internet Information

What pieces of information do students need to know about Internet searching?

It's important for students to know how to evaluate the sources that they find in an Internet search.  Students need to be able to discern if the source is valid.  They should look for multiple sources that support the opinion or state the same facts.  Students should also know a variety of different search engines, especially ones that are designed for educational purposes and that they can search via free-text, keywords, or Boolean.

Tech Tools 5.1 Photo and Audio Resources on the Web

Flickr and LibriVox are the two resources that are featured in this tech tool segment.  I am quite familiar with Flickr and have had an account for many years.  It is a wonderful photo sharing resource.  Many of the photos on Flickr have Creative Commons licenses, so the photos can be used by others as long as the original owner is credited.  LibriVox is a resource that was new to me.  Public Domain books are read by volunteers and are available to be downloaded for free.  This seems like it would be a great resource for a secondary education language arts teacher who often using the classics in his/her instruction.

Chapter Summary

Chapter 5 focuses on researching and evaluating Internet information.  Search engines are discussed at length including how to use them, how to locate the information you need, and how to determine if the information your search finds is valid.  Plagarism and ways to prevent it are discussed next.  The chapter also features a lesson plan called, "Think Globally. Act Locally! Conducting Social Studies Research on the Internet."

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Badge #1

Chapter 1: Becoming an e-Teacher

What six key issues should a teacher consider when looking to integrate technology?

The six key issues teachers should consider when integrating technology in their classrooms are 1) Using Technology in Teaching, 2) Motivating Factors, 3) Barriers to Technology, 4) Ideas for Technology, 5) Teaching Methods, and 6) Students and Technologies.

Chapter 2: Transforming Learning with Unique, Powerful Technology

Tech Tool 2.3 Web Resources for Engagement and Collaboration

There are many interesting resources listed for engagement and collaboration.  My favorite is the Poll Builder.  It's a quick way to get feedback from your students.  I made a poll using one of the six key issues from Chapter 1, Teaching Methods.


Chapter 3: Developing Lessons with Technology

Chapter 3 highlights advantages of using technology in lesson planning, classroom activities, and assessment.  The three parts of lesson development: academic content, teaching goals and methods, and assessment and evaluation are discussed at length and how to incorporate technology into them.  The internet has an abundance of resources for academic planning and evaluation.

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. 1st Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.