Reflection Post

This course has helped me to develop my technology skills as a teacher.  I no longer look to the computer as a source of drill and practice for skills that I have already taught.  Computers and technology can be used to teach the skills to the students independently.  I previously used math websites to drill facts.  I will be looking for new games that teach skills to the students as they play.

My knowledge of the teaching and learning process has been deepened.  I look at teaching as facilitating learning instead of giving the students information.  While I teach reading this year, I look forward to using blogs and wikis for students to respond to each other’s questions.  They can learn more from each other than they can from me.  This will incorporate 21^st century skills into their daily work.

I am constantly working towards having a student-centered classroom where I guide the class through the curriculum instead of lecture.  My math class has been a student-centered environment, but I struggle to make my reading class the same.  I look forward to posing questions and allowing the class time to answer them and collaborate with each other and perhaps students in other classrooms all over the world.

I plan to expand my learning with the goal to increase student achievement by working collaboratively with my peers.  There are great resources available in my county and many technologically savvy teachers who are willing to share their resources.

My first goal for the upcoming school-year is to incorporate voice thread into my classroom.  The school system has approved its use.  I need to take more professional development on how to implement it without frustrating the students.  My second goal for the next two years is to create a classroom wiki for the novels that we read.  The students will have a chance to develop the wiki.  I would like to use this year to describe the characters and their traits.  In the coming years, we can use these pages to identify their motives and the reason that things happen in the plot line.

During the first week of the class, I thought that I used multiple and varied opportunities for using technology tools and resources to support the learning.  However, I realize that I really do not use technology in varied ways.  I use technology after I teach the skill instead of using it to teach the actual skill.  This is a weakness of mine and I look forward to making it a strength.