Coming into this course, I wanted to learn how I could
integrate technology more deeply into my teaching. I have always been
interested in the correlation between student understanding and the methods in
which we teach. Using technology to create more engaging and informative classrooms
was my goal from the start. Overall, I believe that my experiences in this
class (and CEP 800) have helped me to move towards this objective.
At the start of this course I wanted to learn more about the
TPACK model and how it could be integrated into my curriculum. I also wanted to
be pushed to use technologies in new and interesting ways. At the end of the
course, I feel like I achieved both of these goals. My understanding of the TPACK
model has improved, and I am better able to reflect on my own teaching because
of it. I gained invaluable experience in planning, implementing, and reflecting
on an implementation of a technology through the WPP project.
In reflecting on the last two months of classes, there are
few major goals that I want to focus on. Many of the lessons and activities that
I participated within in CEP 812 have made me think about my future teaching.
My specific goals are listed below:
Skills that I’d like
to Gain:
·
Positive
Affect- When planning any activity that involves technology I often try and
think about the logistics of how it will be performed. I try to be meticulous
and plan for a multitude of outcomes. What I often forgot to do, however, is
create a positive aesthetic in my creation. This blog is a good example of this
practice. I put time and effort into creating functional pieces, but fail to
great pieces that “look” good. As I learned in CEP 800, positive aesthetics
create positive affects. Things that look good tend to be internalized by
students in a better fashion. As I move forward and understand more about the
technology, I will be able to put more time and effort into the look and feel
of the technologies that I use. They need to be functional AND look good.
·
Understanding
of Technologies Impact on Cognitive Functioning- In CEP 800, we learned
about the effect of, effect with, and effect through technology. These concepts
truly intrigue me. When using technology it is easy to see that it can create a
positive learning environment. For me, I would love to learn more about why
this environment is created. I want to be able to answer the question, “How
does this particular technology impact learning of a student?” Are the students
performing better because of the technology, or are they transforming their thought
processes because of the technology? I love this type of analysis and am
intrigued with the differing theories about how we learn best. This understanding
will help me be a better teacher and mentor to others within my school.
·
Professional
Learning- Schools often put a huge focus on professional development. I find
that many teachers are looking for quick technology additions for their
lessons. The technology is used, but does not offer anything besides a positive
aesthetic. By itself, this might not be horrible, but the technology could be
used for so much more. I would love to learn how to prepare and create learning
experiences (instead of just PD) that helps teachers transform their teaching.
Effective uses of technology cannot be done piece by piece. There must be a wholesale
ideological shift in order for teachers to improve their teaching.
How I Will Become a
Better Teacher:
Throughout the next year (and beyond) I plan on meeting the
goals that I have listed above. In order to do so, I will continue to read
educational research and will attempt to expand my PLN. I will continue to
reflect on my own teaching and will try not to become discouraged when things
do not work out perfectly.
·
Technology can be frustrating, but I continue to
make these troubling times a learning experience. Just as I practice in my
classroom, every opportunity that presents a struggle is a teachable moment.
·
Over the years my PLN has expanded immensely. I
find that I am exposed to wonderful teaching ideas and ideologies through
Twitter and Facebook. While I don’t use these services as much as I want, I
plan on implementing them more throughout the year and beyond. I also am
attempting to make use of the personal connections within my own school and
community.
·
I love reading about student understanding. Without
knowing how students interpret information teaching is less effective. I plan
on continuing my understanding by reading a large variety of texts on the
topic.
Specific Goals for
the Next Year:
While the previously mentioned goals are fairly general, I
do have a few specific goals for the next year. Over this time I plan on completing
the MAET program. I have three specific goals for this time period.
·
Through the MAET program, I plan on focusing on
the ways in which technology leads to student understanding. With each implementation
of technology, I plan on analyzing how students may internalize the content because
of the technology used. I will attempt to create learning environments that use
technology to transform student thought about my content.
·
The WPP project showed me how effective the use
of clickers can be in the classroom. My teaching typically includes a fair
amount of formative assessment. The clickers, however, took this to a whole new
level. They provided me with instant feedback that I could use to inform my
teaching. Over the next year I plan to use these more extensively in a wider
variety of classes. I will be focusing on creating predefined questions as well
as using the instant question option. My WPP project showed a correlation
between those that use clickers in this manner and student success on my assessment.
I hope to ingrain these devices more deeply within my teaching.
·
Over the next year, I plan on taking a bigger
leadership role within my school. Over the past two years, I have taught a few
PD’s on a specific technology, but I have never done so in a way that focuses
on professional learning (instead of PD). I plan on pushing myself to help my
fellow teachers create classrooms that use technology at their core (instead of
just as an addition). I find that when I teach a topic I become better versed
in its intricacies. I learn from my students and my teaching improves. By
pushing myself to complete more PD opportunities I will become a better
teacher.
The next year is going to fun and interesting. I love the
opportunity to work within the MAET program and I believe that I am a better
teacher because of it!
I thought that I’d share some of my favorite resources that
I’ve learned about (and used more frequently) because of this course! They’ve
truly helped make me a better teacher!
Resources for teachers:
Classroom Tools:
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