This course is entitled "Introduction to Educational Technology" but ironically, it is my final course at TAMU-C. I've had many other educational technology courses throughout this process, so this class didn't end up being an introduction exactly; however, I did have the opportunity to look at this concept in new ways and I was introduced to some new "toys" to experiment further with. Something that was different about this course was how practical it was and how we created projects that we can actually continue to use and build upon. I loved how the course wasn't just ABOUT technology...it WAS technology. I think this is how we have to approach it in our classrooms. Students have to demonstrate their learning with technology because someday in their jobs and careers and futures, they will have demonstrate their work productivity with technology.
One of my "Aha" moments came with the creation of the e-portfolio. At first, I wasn't so keen on this idea because I had never seen an example of one. I still would like to see more examples of great portfolios, but the important thing is that as I compiled my work into my portfolio, I began to realize what a powerful tool it could be in our classrooms and schools. I would really love to see this concept grow and develop in our schools as an evaluation and accountability tool for students that is much more authentic than our current grading system. Parents could also access these portfolios and see what their kids are doing....teachers could look back on work from previous years to track growth. The possibilities are huge! I really liked learning about this idea and will definitely be revisiting it and expanding upon it in the future.
This class opened my eyes to some of the cool things that are out there that are free and user-friendly, yet can have such a big impact on the way we "do" education. So many people are afraid of technology, but I think if they all had the opportunity to participate in a hands-on course such as this, they would realize it is not as difficult as they might think...I think they would leave empowered and interested in exploring more!
Thanks for such a positive experience with educational technology! This was definitely one of the most fun courses and a positive one to exit my time at TAMU-C on! :-)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Blog Reflection #7
I knew Google had a lot to offer but I never really spent time going through all the different applications before and it is amazing what all is available to us for FREE! Very cool stuff with so much potential. Something fun I added on to my personal blog was the Google Analytics application which tracks the traffic to your blog so you can see how many hits your site has had and from what locations and all kinds of interesting information!
I recently discovered the "Career Cruising" database offered by my district, so I have been wanting to incorporate that into a lesson for my students. I also wanted to incorporate collaboration and technology so what better tool to use than Google Docs? I think it is important for them to learn to use applications like Google Docs because they will likely be using technology like that in their future careers, whatever those might be! Technology like this gives group work and peer collaboration a whole new meaning and all new possibilities.
I definitely plan to use this lesson with my library classes in the near future. I expect for students to not only start to develop a deeper understanding of the careers they are interested in, but I expect they will be more aware of the online databases available to them. I also expect they will be more familiar with a technology that will be a of great assistance to them as they collaborate with peers and possibly even co-workers in the future.
I'm viewing instruction differently now in that when I think of an objective I want students to learn, I think beyond the foundational objective and think of what 21st century skill do I also want them to learn and how can I "marry" those goals? It is so important that we not only teach our students the core curriculum but that we teach it in ways that also gives them technology literacy and ability as well.
I recently discovered the "Career Cruising" database offered by my district, so I have been wanting to incorporate that into a lesson for my students. I also wanted to incorporate collaboration and technology so what better tool to use than Google Docs? I think it is important for them to learn to use applications like Google Docs because they will likely be using technology like that in their future careers, whatever those might be! Technology like this gives group work and peer collaboration a whole new meaning and all new possibilities.
I definitely plan to use this lesson with my library classes in the near future. I expect for students to not only start to develop a deeper understanding of the careers they are interested in, but I expect they will be more aware of the online databases available to them. I also expect they will be more familiar with a technology that will be a of great assistance to them as they collaborate with peers and possibly even co-workers in the future.
I'm viewing instruction differently now in that when I think of an objective I want students to learn, I think beyond the foundational objective and think of what 21st century skill do I also want them to learn and how can I "marry" those goals? It is so important that we not only teach our students the core curriculum but that we teach it in ways that also gives them technology literacy and ability as well.
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