Reflecting

During these past weeks I have learned a lot in regards to using technology in the classroom.  I have been able to reflect on how effectively I used it, and make adjustments to use it more effectively.  I saw the most growth in myself in the fact that I just became a bit more open to trying new things.  I kept an open mind and took in a lot of ideas that other students in my cohort shared and tried them out as well.  I learned that although I may not be a "digital native," the students that I will be teaching from now on, will be.  In order to keep them engaged and challenge them, I must keep pace with the technology that they are so accustomed to and incorporate it into their learning.  I will continue to explore and use technology as a way to engage students, assess learning and keep track of students data and a way to communicate with students and parents.

Encouraging technology integration.

I think that all teachers have an obligation to share strategies and tools that they use with other teachers around them.  After all, the core of a teachers Personal Learning Network should be the teachers you work with every day at your school.  Everyone else you communicate with through technology and social media just expands on that.  Although some schools may have someone who is in charge of bringing new technology to teachers, it will be far more effective if all teachers bring ideas to the table.  At my school, the building coach usually presents new technology to us.  That does not mean though that I cannot present new ideas to the teachers at my school.  I really don't know of any teachers at my school that have their own blog or website.  After learning how to do both, I think that this would be something great to present to the other teachers.  I also would like to modify the website that I created so that it is more of a resource for parents and students to use and is more interactive.  I think that the point is, whenever you as a teacher come across something that is new or helpful you should share it with those around you and you will all be contributing to a larger PLN.

Internet Concerns

Hello again.  As I continue on my technological journey, I am at the point where I am pondering what my true concerns are when it comes to using the Internet in my classroom.  I guess I have that worry that all teachers probably have that when students are researching or something along those lines, they will accidently come across something inappropriate.    I would hate to have to explain to a parent or principal how something like this happened.  I guess the best way to me to alleviate this problem is by being extremely specific as to what sites students can use.  When I put students on to use the Read About program, I feel confidant about that because I know that is exactly the site that students are using and nothing else.  The same thing goes for a math site like Sumdog or other educational sites.  The harder part comes when students are researching or looking up information on there own.  Depending on the topic of research, there are still sites that you can usually narrow it down to for students to find what they are looking for.  I prefer this than having students log on and just start to randomly search for things on google.....who knows what they will come across that way!?  This is something that I will continue to investigate and have discussions with colleagues about.  I am very interested in how other teachers handle this dilemma