New Mind Set: Reflection

• In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?

This course has allowed me to experiment with new technologies available in Web 2.0 that I was either unaware of or did not know how to use. I find myself thinking about which lessons I can implement a blog, a wiki, or a podcast. The course gave me cross-disciplinary examples that I was able to share with the staff in my building. I was also able to reflect on my shortcomings and recognize ways that I can further develop my technology skills.

• In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?

I have deepened my knowledge of teaching by realizing that the traditional way of lecture and text is not going to work as sufficiently as other methodologies. Todays students learn in a faster-paced environment. The read/write web should be utilized as much as possible for acquiring information and teachers must be accountable for teaching students how to differentiate between reliable and unreliable sources. I have learned that the majority of my students are Digital Natives. The more I can tap into this new information and integrate technology into my classroom the better prepared my students will be for the work environment and culture that awaits them!

• In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?

I have only been teaching for seven years. When I went through college the learner-centered theories were just being introduced. Therefore, I keep my lectures to a minimum. I find out what the students already know and move on from there. I know that I can maintain their attention in a lecture for about 10 minutes so I keep my lessons short. Because I teach Career and Tech. Ed. the majority of my classes utilize project-based learning.

• In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?

I can continue to follow the various websites I have found that are dedicated to technology education. I have set up an iGoogle page with RSS feeds for the sites I find valuable. I found when I integrated a podcast as a final project for one of my classes that nearly all of my students were excited and wanted to start right away. I sat down in an informal manner with quite a few students to reflect and see how we could do it better the next time. One of my students had a great idea and when I praised his thinking you could see the sense of pride. I value the information and knowledge that my students come into the classroom with and I enjoy letting them teach me new things!

• Set two long-term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?/

1. My first goal is to have Audacity placed on each student computer in my room and to get quality headsets for each student. Obstacles: I have to get permission to add any programs onto the computers first from my department head, then the principal and finally the technology installer at the district level (a.k.a. a ton of jumping hoops). The other issue is finding the money for the headsets. I have a large budget but I think I may ask for grant money from the PTSA at our school.

2. My second goal is to convince my principal and the district administrators to allow me to create a class wiki for my Business Law class. Obstacles: The culture of no in my school. One administrator in particular is unfamiliar with most new technology therefore the unknown is frightening. Instead of trusting in the staff to make knowledgeable decisions she just says no. I am going to not let this discourage me. I am going to keep going back to her and asking again and again. I will show her the readings and data that I have accessed through my Master's classes to document how this will increase student achievement.

• Refer to the checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course?

When I referred back to the checklist from Week 1 many of my answers were that I integrated technology in the classroom often. One area I did improve on was -Promote the development of leadership and technology skills in my students and colleagues. I initially answered rarely in this area. Over the length of this course I have forwarded on useful websites, spoke with colleagues about lessons I saw in the videos that I thought they could apply/use, and I have shared the ways I have been able to integrate new technologies in my classroom. I feel I am moving further along the continuum but I can continue to improve.