Integrating Technology - Reflection

When I began this course I did so with great anticipation and apprehension. The anticipation was due to the fact that we were finally getting into some technology applications. The apprehension was due to the very same. Blogs, wikis and podcasts were not familiar territory for me. I had blogged a few times before and am a frequent user of Facebook, but felt a little intimidated about posting for my peers.

I will say that the experience of using these web 2.0 skills has been very rewarding. It has opened up a new perspective for me as to how these “digital natives” learn new skills. I started watching them more closely as I implemented some collaborative chats into my lessons. I noticed their eagerness to help one another with their new found skills and most of them were eager to contribute to the discussion, even if it was just a few brief words. This has definitely made me shift my focus to student centered learning. I want to see what other capabilities the technology that I already have access to in my lab I can utilize to further this goal.

I would like to continue exploring blogs, wikis and podcasts as part of my curriculum and also share some of the ideas with my colleagues through after-school Professional Development training. We already have a blogging workshop set to take place in the next few weeks. I feel that the more teachers on my staff that get comfortable using Web 2.0 technologies, the more we will be able to set up collaborative projects across the curriculum and grade levels. This is one of the goals that I would like to have come to fruition in the next couple of years. As my current students progress with the technology and move on to the middle grade computer lab, they will be able to help my future classes adapt to this technology more easily.

I feel that if I can get the students accustomed to working on projects using the chat room or blog set-up that the administration will see the benefits and lift some of the current restrictions. The older students are being given access to the system-wide e-mail service “First Class” and I think that by preparing the younger students for that  forum in the safety of “in house” chat that they will have the know how to use these communication skills effectively.