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.
You have made one instructor very happy - it was great to hear that you were able to meet your personal goal for this class. One of my goals for this school year is to incorporate wikis and Google Earth into my global Alien Adventure project. I use the TPACK diagram and the TechQuest format whenever I'm thinking about adding some new technology tool to my classroom. It helps to focus my thinking on what's really important and how I can get the most bang for me buck. Or, how can I go cross-curriculum with the activity I'm using the tool for. If you would like to learn more about TPACK here is a great resource: http://www.tpack.org/tpck/index.php?title=Main_Page. This process has ties to MSU and the MAET program.
ReplyDeleteErik-- it was nice getting to know you a bit. Good luck with your goals for your classroom and the MAET program.
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