What have you learned?
For the past several years I have been out of the classroom working as a technology integrator. For this course, I specifically decided to focus my efforts on creating work the catered to the grade 2 language classroom. Doing so has helped to remind me of the challenges that can be faced with educators when looking to integrate technology in the classroom. Not only do they need to ensure that the tools they are using are appropriate but also serve to meet the needs of diverse learners while ensuring they are addressing the curricular needs of their courses.
How the course work demonstrates mastery of the AECT Standards.
The course work that I completed for EDTECH 541 embodies all the elements of the AECT standards in a variety of ways. For example, when creating lessons specifically for grade two, I had to ensure that the resources were age appropriate and the user terms permitted younger users, thus demonstrating my ethics. I also consulted with the grade two teachers at my school to ensure that the resources lessons were appropriate for their classroom, thus demonstrating collaboration. As well the lessons that were created had to be focused on standards that are taught within the classroom thus requiring research into the curriculum standards at my school for that grade level.
How has theory guided development of the projects and assignments you created?
When creating projects for this course educational theory is always on my mind. Many of the projects that I created were designed with in inquiry or constructivist framework in mind where the students are the one constructing the knowledge from the experiences guided by the teacher. As well, I was always mindful of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, and the SAMR model. The transdiciplinary unit that was created reflects the creation level of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy (Bloom's Digital Taxonomy) and the Redefinition stage of the SAMR model.
How have you grown professionally?
Thus when I first began the course I had no idea what to expect. However, one of the biggest learnings from me was being able to focus on integrating technology effectively into a core subject to help improve students student outcomes, instead of simply focusing on tools that students can use to create a project. This focus has given me more confidence when I speak with teachers about integrating technology into the curriculum that may not be tied with a Unit of Inquiry.
What will you do differently as a result of this course?
Aside from being more confident when speaking with teachers, I know that there is still more learning for me to do in the role of a technology integrator. Specifically, I am currently looking at different coaching models that I can use within my profession to enhance the work that I am doing.
How your own teaching practice or thoughts about teaching have been impacted by what you have learned or accomplished in this course?
At the start of the course we were asked to come up with a vision statement for our view on technology use within the classroom. Mine is reprinted here:
The use of technology within the classroom should always strive to enable people to do their work better and in a more efficient way. While at times direct instruction is needed to ensure people understand steps and processes, the use of technology should strive to enable students to communicate, inquire, create, and share within the classroom and beyond thereby enabling people to grow into effective members of the global community in which they belong.This course has reinforced this idea for me as I worked on the projects. For all of the projects that I created, I strove to provide ideas that not only for engaging activities but also methods that can help reduce the amount of work on the teachers, improve students results, and ultimately, in the transdisciplinary unity, create pieces of work where the students are inquiring, creating, communicating, and sharing their work with others beyond the classroom.
Part Two: Assess Your Performance
During EDTECH 541 we were asked to keep a Learning Log where we were asked to reflect on the work being done in the class. As part of our work we are asked to reflect on our achievements and rate how we did.
Content 70/70:
The posts that I made for this course all related to the subjects being discussed in class with continual referrals to my own experiences or to the experiences of others. I took information from the text and a variety of other sources to create focused pieces of writing rich in detail.
Readings and Resources 20/20:
For all of my posts I did my best to ensure that I included references from different sources included the text. All of the resources used were cited using APA.
Timeliness 18/20:
While many of my posts were made early enough for others to respond. A few were late in the module due to work commitments and professional development activities.
Responses to other students 25/30:
The majority of my responses were detailed and reflected my thoughts on their posts. I complimented where needed and challenged in a professional manner to encourage further thought on a topic.
Overall: 133/140
Overall I'm proud of the work that I completed for my learning log in this course.
References:
Bloom's Digital Taxonomy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy
Schrock's, Kathy. Resources to support the SAMR model. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html
