Many of these points I made in my CEP 812 reflection, but some are worth repeating.
One of the areas I grew in the most during this course was my knowledge of web 2.0 technologies and more importantly, their applications in education. I never really thought about using a wiki before in my classroom, even though I knew about what a wiki was. Seeing it a new light has made me rethink about other technologies and their educational merits.
My perspective shifted this summer, realizing that it's more important to look at the end goal of a technology application rather than just the application of itself. As stated in CEP 810, finding a way to use technology to make a difference is so crucial. Much of what we explored in CEP 811 also fostered that thinking and perspective.
The STAIR assignment was also a great experience. I've never had to teach through a computer program before so learning how to do that was a new and growing endeavor. I learned that it takes careful planning and strategic thinking when creating a STAIR. One has to be familiar with several different styles of teaching in order to be effective.
I feel that I have accomplished my goal of becoming more versed in these technologies as well as finding ways of using them in my classroom.
A new goal for me to is to continue to add and maintain my new e-portfolio. I also want to, someday, explore ways of creating a culture of technology integration in my school. I know this will take time and a lot of teamwork as I have to get all of my colleagues on board, but I feel it's important and a worthwhile endeavor.
Overall, I'm glad to have taken the CEP courses and am feeling very ready to begin the rest of the MAET program.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
CEP 812 Final Reflection
Throughout this course I have learned a great deal about various new technologies. The techquest really pushed me to think about a way to implement newer music distribution technologies into my classroom. My goal for the future is to continue implementing it and finding ways to make the process easier and more effective.
Another are that I have grown a great deal in is my web design. Before the class I had some experience doing web design/building. From this class, and experiences in CEP 811, I have grown a great deal and become much more capable at designing and building websites. My goal for the future is to continue becoming more comfortable with it and to also learn more about web design. Overall I hope that I can become more technically advanced as well as sophisticated in this area.
One of the greatest lessons I learned from this class was about the ISTE national standards for technology. This helped me to give a backbone to my work in education as well as realize what's important. It's also helped me to develop and foster strategies for teaching education. Standards based teaching makes sense to me and feels like the most effective way of teaching. ISTE provided those standards.
All of the technologies we explored in relation to web 2.0 (blogs, wikis, etc) really made me look at what's feasible in my classrooms. With the large classes that I have, it can be difficult to manage. But by using web 2.0 technologies, I hope that in the future I will be able to spend less time on logistics, and more time on teaching.
Overall, I felt that I have met my goals. I have become more versed in new technologies and how they can be implemented in education. I have also explored many applicable technologies that can be used in my classes. Another great accomplishment this session was finally getting my e-portfolio together which has been a long-time goal of mine.
My new goal is to find ways of promoting these technologies in my school. Sometime down the road, once I'm finished with the school myself, I want to devote some time to working with teachers and empowering them to use this technology themselves. My hope is that by doing that, we can create a culture in our school that is 21st century. From this class, and the other CEP courses, I have learned the importance of asking if the technology is serving a goal and using technology to meet an educational need, rather then starting with the technology first.
In closing, the CEP courses have been a wonderful experience. I feel ready to head into new territory as I start the fall semester in the MAET program. My hope is to get as much out of my future classes as I've gotten out of this class.
Another are that I have grown a great deal in is my web design. Before the class I had some experience doing web design/building. From this class, and experiences in CEP 811, I have grown a great deal and become much more capable at designing and building websites. My goal for the future is to continue becoming more comfortable with it and to also learn more about web design. Overall I hope that I can become more technically advanced as well as sophisticated in this area.
One of the greatest lessons I learned from this class was about the ISTE national standards for technology. This helped me to give a backbone to my work in education as well as realize what's important. It's also helped me to develop and foster strategies for teaching education. Standards based teaching makes sense to me and feels like the most effective way of teaching. ISTE provided those standards.
All of the technologies we explored in relation to web 2.0 (blogs, wikis, etc) really made me look at what's feasible in my classrooms. With the large classes that I have, it can be difficult to manage. But by using web 2.0 technologies, I hope that in the future I will be able to spend less time on logistics, and more time on teaching.
Overall, I felt that I have met my goals. I have become more versed in new technologies and how they can be implemented in education. I have also explored many applicable technologies that can be used in my classes. Another great accomplishment this session was finally getting my e-portfolio together which has been a long-time goal of mine.
My new goal is to find ways of promoting these technologies in my school. Sometime down the road, once I'm finished with the school myself, I want to devote some time to working with teachers and empowering them to use this technology themselves. My hope is that by doing that, we can create a culture in our school that is 21st century. From this class, and the other CEP courses, I have learned the importance of asking if the technology is serving a goal and using technology to meet an educational need, rather then starting with the technology first.
In closing, the CEP courses have been a wonderful experience. I feel ready to head into new territory as I start the fall semester in the MAET program. My hope is to get as much out of my future classes as I've gotten out of this class.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Online Teaching and Learning
Online technologies offer a plethora of opportunities for supplementing traditional classrooms. One technology that I am extremely interested in using are online discussions.
I plan to use online discussions in tandem with vodcasts. An important standard and step in the performance process in music, is evaluation of one's own performances. Due to time, this is often difficult to do. By using a discussion board I hope to foster deeper levels of discussion and thoughtful reflection.
One strategy that I would use with my students is modeling. I always do my own reflection after the students performances. Most of the time I don't have time to share it with them, but with the discussion board, it'll be available for them to see. This will provide them both an exemplar about how to reflect and also provide an opening for students to respond to.
There are a couple of technologies that would be hard to use with my students. Mostly because my classes are very large. This year I have a class that is 130+ students and another that is 85 students. Things such as webquests, research projects, and simulations would be nearly impossible and ultimately not viable.
On the flip side though, learning management technologies, such as blackboard, work wonderfully. This is also another technology I am investigating in as our school has recently picked it up. I found out last week that blackboard also has several other features such as blogs, message boards, and wikis. :)
I plan to use online discussions in tandem with vodcasts. An important standard and step in the performance process in music, is evaluation of one's own performances. Due to time, this is often difficult to do. By using a discussion board I hope to foster deeper levels of discussion and thoughtful reflection.
One strategy that I would use with my students is modeling. I always do my own reflection after the students performances. Most of the time I don't have time to share it with them, but with the discussion board, it'll be available for them to see. This will provide them both an exemplar about how to reflect and also provide an opening for students to respond to.
There are a couple of technologies that would be hard to use with my students. Mostly because my classes are very large. This year I have a class that is 130+ students and another that is 85 students. Things such as webquests, research projects, and simulations would be nearly impossible and ultimately not viable.
On the flip side though, learning management technologies, such as blackboard, work wonderfully. This is also another technology I am investigating in as our school has recently picked it up. I found out last week that blackboard also has several other features such as blogs, message boards, and wikis. :)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Project Evaluation Blog Entry
How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here?
After implementing the project in a trial run/stage, I've learned a couple of things. One is that while most students listen to music a lot, they don't do it at a very deep level. In the future, one thing I'll change is the preparation I do with the students before integrating the technology. Many talks about deeper listening are going to be very important for the success of this project.
Another thing I'd change is the medium I use to keep accountability. Instead of using a google form, I am thinking of using a message board. After the trial implementation, I realized that the responses that were coming in, were very one sided. My hopes is by using a message board, students can bounce ideas of each other and gain a different perspective.
What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?
Whenever using a web based technology, I've learned that the way you communicate the links to students is important. For example, for my project, I didn't have a domain. So when I shared it, I had to copy and paste it into word and print it (w/ instructions). Many students expressed that would have rather received an email.
How we transmit instruction regarding the technology is just as important, if not more so, than what kind of content we integrate into the technology. It's like trying to cook in the woods - you have to figure out how to start the fire or else deciding what you're going to cook on it becomes moot. Same with technology - you have to teach empower students with the technology before the content can be delivered.
In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?
I really want to do this project more in the future. I am a believer that listening is so important in music education, well in all education. I think I won't do it as often as I originally thought. I also am going to be very wary of how much music I put on each play lists. I think I might even put at most 2 pieces per a list in order to help students focus on what's important.
After implementing the project in a trial run/stage, I've learned a couple of things. One is that while most students listen to music a lot, they don't do it at a very deep level. In the future, one thing I'll change is the preparation I do with the students before integrating the technology. Many talks about deeper listening are going to be very important for the success of this project.
Another thing I'd change is the medium I use to keep accountability. Instead of using a google form, I am thinking of using a message board. After the trial implementation, I realized that the responses that were coming in, were very one sided. My hopes is by using a message board, students can bounce ideas of each other and gain a different perspective.
What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?
Whenever using a web based technology, I've learned that the way you communicate the links to students is important. For example, for my project, I didn't have a domain. So when I shared it, I had to copy and paste it into word and print it (w/ instructions). Many students expressed that would have rather received an email.
How we transmit instruction regarding the technology is just as important, if not more so, than what kind of content we integrate into the technology. It's like trying to cook in the woods - you have to figure out how to start the fire or else deciding what you're going to cook on it becomes moot. Same with technology - you have to teach empower students with the technology before the content can be delivered.
In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?
I really want to do this project more in the future. I am a believer that listening is so important in music education, well in all education. I think I won't do it as often as I originally thought. I also am going to be very wary of how much music I put on each play lists. I think I might even put at most 2 pieces per a list in order to help students focus on what's important.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
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