Looking Back at Our Future: A Reflection on Emerging Technologies for the Classroom

We are now at the end of our last course in the Integrating Technology into he Curriculum Masters program at Walden University. Finally! As our final project in our emerging technologies class, we were asked to create a lesson that uses an emerging technology, substantiate the use of this technology with our colleagues and administration, and then pursue funding through a grant proposal. This project is an excellent way to showcase all that we have learned in this course.

The initial step in this process was the identification of an emerging technology that we would like to use with our students. To do this we had to examine technologies and evaluate them for effectiveness with our students. Then we had to build a lesson that integrates this technology into the curriculum. I chose to create a lesson about the moon's phases and its effects on tides using Moodle and Edusim. It was really exciting to search for and find so many multimedia resources to add to the class Moodle for this lesson. I found games and videos and interactive websites. I think I most enjoyed exploring the learning package from Edusim "Night & Day – Earth & Moon." I am looking forward to seeing my students experience these resources, too.

The next step involved preparing a report to substantiate the use of this technology with our students. This was the most thought-provoking portion of this assignment, and the most challenging. It is easy to imagine the arguments against implementing new technologies that many of our colleagues and administrators might use. Thankfully, this course equipped us with information to combat these attitudes. We specified the ways that the assignment supports content as well as the needs of the 21^st Century student, and explained how these two goals are compatible. We explained the need for supporting both goals. Then we provided an argument for technology policy changes in our schools and districts. To do this effectively we had to draw upon the knowledge that we have gained throughout this program.

The last portion of this assignment had us writing a rationale for a grant proposal seeking funds for the technology we used in our lessons. Once again, we had to explain how the technology would effect our students' learning and explain how it would prepare them for living, working, and learning in the 21^st Century. We also had to explain how the technology would transform our students' learning by engaging the students and addressing their modality and ability needs. To do this we had to understand how 21^st Century students differ from past students and find ways that the technology meets those needs.

I think it is important that those of us finishing this program take on the role of technology leaders in our schools, if we haven't already. To do this, I will actively seek out emerging technologies to implement in my classroom. I will follow blogs of other technology leaders and frequent websites that stay ahead of the curve on Technology. Another way that I might keep abreast of what is new is by joining educator communities on Second Life and checking in to see what is happening.

To influence and lead the adoption of the technologies I discover as well as the implementation of technologies that support 21^st Century Learners, I will provide an example of their implementation in my classroom. After successful implementation in my classroom, I will seek out other teachers with an inclination toward technology and share it with them. By doing this, we will be able to demonstrate the potential of the technology on student learning. One teacher can influence a few, but a team of teachers can influence many! It is my hope that by influencing others in my school, we can help create an environment where students are ready to face the challenges of the technology-rich world they will inherit.

Glogster

Try Moodle!

Here is a glog I put together to show the benefits of using Moodle in the classroom. I hope you enjoy it!

http://mrsjeffers.edu.glogster.com/trymoodle/

Looking Back...

Once again, I am asked to reflect upon my latest course at Walden University, Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology.

One of the most beneficial projects of this course has been the group Ning. On it, we have shared resourses and strategies for Universal Design for Learing and Differentiated Instruction, many of which will be very helpful to me going forward. We have shared sites that will help us get to know our students, and when you have over 500 students with over 600 planneed for next year, any help in this area is greatly appreciated! If I can get to know my students, their interests, and their abilities, I will understand how to best serve them. Without this understanding, I am just fumbling around in the dark, so to speak.

There were other ideas presented that I will implement. We learned about computer helps such as sticky keys and text-to-speech software that can be useful for some of my students. We learned about the need for multiple means of represetation, action, and engagement. Honestly, this will be hard in the computer lab because of the time constraints that I face with my students, but I plan to do a much better job of giving my students the choices that will keep them engaged and help them master my content.

Another change that I wish to implement is incorporating more and better assessments into my teaching. Because I am not held responsible for grading my stduents' work, I tend to let this slide so that we can move on to the next project. We store our work in a folder on our computers that serves as a sort of digital portfolio, but I want to formalize this a bit. I want my students to start adding their own assessments of the work they have created. I want them to be able to see clearly what they have learned and accomplished in my room. It is important to me that my lab be fun, but the students must know that they are learning, too.

Though this course was definitely beneficial, I have to say that I have most looked forward to our next course in this program, Emerging Technologies. I was really encouraged when the course materials arrived in an envelope too thin to contain a book because "emerging" technologies could never be presented that way. By the time a book was published, they would no longer be "emerging," would they?

I imagine I will soon be letting you know about the emerging technologies I learn about. I hope they live up to my expectations!

Here is a VoiceThread that I did for my current Walden course.

http://voicethread.com/share/1039251/

Here is a Glog that I did for our Walden course. I hope you like it!

http://mrsjeffers.edu.glogster.com/learning-about-udl/

Reflections and New Prospects

I have gained a lot from my latest course at Walden. In this course, we learned about the GAME plan and were asked to use it as a tool to help us strengthen our confidence in at least two indicators in the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T). I chose the two that involved collaboration with students, peers, and community members and modeling cultural understanding and global awareness. I liked the way the GAME plan forced me to organize my plan of attack on my new learning. Instead of just haphazardly trying out new skills and activities, I first worked out how I planned to implement them and the means I would use to judge their and my effectiveness. I am not naturally so systematic in my approach to new things, and honestly, I expected it to be quite a chore, yet it was surprisingly refreshing. However, because we all teach in an imperfect world, I did run into some snafus in this process. I learned that this process has the potential to really help me focus my energies in obtaining the goals I set for myself, but that I must be flexible as well. To that end, I am still waiting to finish some of the plans I laid for myself.

I did pick up some wonderful new technologies that I plan on using with my students. For example, someone in our class mentioned Kerpoof.com, and I think this is going to be a wonderful way to introduce my students to social networking in a completely safe way while we work on our writing skills. Communication and collaboration is one NETS-S that I find difficult to cover due to the fact that so many wonderful sites are blocked by my district. The district administration, while being very pro-technology, has a very negative view of social networking, and I am excited to have a way around this problem.

As I think about the changes that all of this will bring to my teaching, I must remind you that my situation is different from most of my peers in my Walden course. I am a computer lab teacher, so each of my lessons revolves around technology. I am always looking for new technology lessons, but instead of looking for ways to incorporate technology into my content lessons, I am looking for ways to incorporate content into my technology lessons. The difference may be subtle, but it is different. This course has given me lots of ideas for incorporating content, such as through digital storytelling and problem based learning. I am excited to use these new skills with my students!

This course has also opened my eyes to another set of "students" in my school. I want to share my new knowledge with the teachers I work with. Over the last week, I have helped my principal get his first blog and podcast up and running, and he has decided that this would be good for me to share with our faculty. In our school, each grade level has a day each month where they spend time after school in professional development. I am going to be using some of this time to teach our teachers about podcasting first, and then I hope to share blogging and more with them. I was very excited that my principal saw the educational prospects these technologies hold for our students. It is my hope that as I become comfortable with other technologies that I will be able to share them as well. It is also my hope that many others in my school will share my enthusiasm with technology. I can't wait to get started!