Reflective Blog
December 11, 2016
Reflective Blog
It is hard to believe it has been almost
four months since I started this course. My first thought was; “I am already
tech savvy; what can this course teach me”? Was I wrong or what. If this is the introduction to technology, I
cannot wait to see what I am going to learn in the next class. In this paper I
will discuss some of what I have learn, what took me out of my comfort zone and
the technology I will use as a teacher as well as in my personal life.
The digital blog took me out of my comfort
zone. I was not a big fan of social media to begin with. However, it did give
me an opportunely to express my thoughts on a variety of topics from the
textbook. One of my biggest problems with the blog is the use of images and
videos. Most of the time, I spent as much time looking for an image or video to
go with what I was writing about, as I did writing the blog. This became even
more relevant and I became more cautious after using a copy right protected
image. I did take it down; I did not want to get caught on this over site.
Lesson learned. However, I did enjoy
doing the Discussion Post and the feedback. The discussion post is a place
where research can be done and you can express your opinion and get feedback
from other students. This is also a great place to get ideas from other students
that you may be able to use in your classroom. Students sharing their
experiences is another thing I enjoyed about the discussion post.
Collaboration, team work on both
assignments was an experience. As for the Wiki, I can honestly say; at first I
had no idea what I was doing. Again, the professor has pulled me out of
my
comfort zone. It was at this point I recalled the professor telling the class,
that October 31 is the last day to drop the class. Since I am not one to quit, I hit it head on
with my fingers crossed. Even though,
this was a collective project, I felt that each student worked more
individually then together. I kept going back to the sample and thought I had
it all figured out; until it came to the resources. As I remember right, only one
team member stepped up and helped me realize my resources went on the resource
page not on the bottom of my paper. As I put my resource in, I realized no one had
put them in alphabetical order, so I did it. For me this was hard, the work was
not hard; understanding how to put it together was hard. The Collaborative
lesson plan, this is one assignment I will not soon forget. After a few bumps
in the road and one pot hole the lesson plan starting coming together. This was
my second lesson plan but my first using technology. Technology adds interest
to the subject and that is what students are looking for in the classroom. Talking
with a 5th grade teacher recently, I found out just how important
team work can be. I was told, because of state standards, at least once a month
all of the teachers in each grade get together. In this school there are five, 5th
grade classrooms. All five classes need to stay together; if one class falls
behind, the others will need to hold-up until that class catches up. We talked
in depth, on how teachers work together and help each other out. Teachers will
work in teams throughout their career and at some point must be able to give and
take constructive criticism.
I have never be taught how to
evaluate a website, until now. Learning how to evaluate a websites, is a tool I
have come to use all the time. Developing a rubric to evaluate a website has
opened me up to a whole new way of doing any type of search on the web. Now, when
I look something up on the internet, the first thing I look at is the URL
address. Once I pick a site, I do not
start reading the information until I find the author/publisher, author/publisher
credentials, date the site was created, when was it last updated, is there an e-mail
or an address where I can get in touch with the author or publisher and where
did the information come from. For me this assignment is priceless; and it will
be just as priceless to my students. They will know how to evaluate a website
before entering middle school.
Creating the WebQuest was something I
thoroughly enjoyed doing. I had the freedom to use my own ideas for the
subject, design and the learning outcome. I wanted my students to be creative
in their writing. I felt this could be done by the students pretending to travel
back in time and be a pilgrim in, 1620. I had fun doing the WebQuest and I will
definitely use this as a teacher.
I cannot close without saying something
about the e-Portfolio. This is another project I thoroughly enjoyed doing;
after I figured out what I was doing (thanks to the professor). Filling out the
page on “What I have accomplished” brought it all together. I sat back and looked at
this page and said to myself “You have come a long way in technology”. But this
would not have been possible without a good teacher who always had my back,
always answered my e-mails and took her time to make a video to show me how (I
am a visual learner).
I am more aware today than ever before that
technology is lagging behind in our schools as well as for some of our teachers. Technology
is a train that is not going to stop or even slow down and as future teachers
we will need to keep up. I am sure what I have learned in this class is just
the tip of the iceberg. I do feel, I have more confidence to move forward with new
technology. I cannot end this reflective paper without
thanking Professor Marie Coleman for all of her help. I appreciate your help more than you know. This semester has been a challenge
for me in more ways than one. While taking this class, I went through two back
surgeries; I was expecting one
but not two. The outcomes have been good. Although, at times it has been a
challenge; but I have make it through both, with your help.
God’s
speed,
Richard
"Associates Degree complete"
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