Final Blog Reflection

My aha moment was realizing I am not, so much, on the cutting edge as I thought. Everyone deems me as this tech savvy guru. Every resource presented to me during this class was something new that I had not experienced. Which begs the question...what else is out there that I don't know about!

I will never allow people to give me that title again because this field is so vast and there is so much out there to explore. Because I have moved from the classroom to administration I am now equipped to be able to help my teachers be successful when they are trying to come up with creative ways to make learning fun in the classroom. I am such a huge fan of blogging now that I am trying to figure out how I can integrate this into our professional development.

With the closing of this class I have to say that I am thankful that we have been introduced to new and exciting ways to integrate technology.

Reflection #7

As a former eighth grade social studies teacher we neglect to teach government until we get to the landmark case Marbury vs. Madison. In my classroom I believed that you could cover your TEKS so much faster by teaching government all year in addition to chronological history. By having students research landmark cases they get the opportunity to see how court precedents affect their own lives. Forget the sequence, it doesn't have to be present when teaching government.

PowerPoint is such a powerful tool because students learn how to use these skills across disciplines. My expectations for the outcome of this lesson is that students will learn about the important landmark cases, search for valuable information online, listen to actual court opinions and view primary documents, to enhance their understanding of how valuable our judicial branch really is.

I view instruction to be an environment that invites curiosity and creativity for students. All the tools that we have learned have given me a broader perspective of how to help teachers to implement more creative tools in the classroom

Blog Reflection #6

Our world is changing rapidly. Corporations are moving towards 4 day weeks to save on operating costs, more and more employees are electing to work from home via VPN, the list goes on and on. While we are becoming a society that heavily relies on electronic communication we are moving further away from social interaction.

Although, I believe, that this way of communication and learning is not going to go away and our students will become completely bored with how we are delivering instruction if we do not change how we present it to them.

I think the biggest prevention is our desire as humans to have contact. Personal interaction is still very important in our society and many do not want lose that.

If I could change anything I would change the way our students have access to communication. I would allow smart phones and Ipods to be used on campus and come up with innovative ways to assess the knowledge of my students.

Blog Reflection #5

My purpose for this week's wiki was to see if I could develop a workspace for my leadership team. Although due to privacy issues I wouldn't actually be able to invite them to the workspace. However, my goal was to develop a structure to support it. I think this could work and would prove itself to be very useful especially when I need them to review or prepare for upcoming changes. I can have them do all of the legwork from their desktop such as reading articles, submitting drafts, all under the same subject line. This is a more organized digital approach than email.

I think that wiki's foster the spirit of collaboration. It brings people together under one common idea or theme. Possibly one disadvantage could be that you may have those who choose not to participate. In an educational administrative setting that can be an issue. How would you use a lack of collaboration to hold them accountable? If as an administrator, I am going to reduce the need for face to face to meetings then wiki's would be a great way to keep everyone in the loop.

I think that digital natives will find wiki's to be more useful and engaging because they live in a day and age where actual verbal conversations are limited through texting and social networking sites. I think as educators we have to help them find a balance so that they do not lose their social skills.

Blog Reflection #4

The learning tenent that I chose this week was how Assessment For Learning should be regarded as a key professional skill for teachers.

I feel that teachers are trained to used technology as a supplement to instruction rather than an assessment for learning. It is evident in my research article that this is predominately how teachers are currently using technology however their desire for more training is also evident. How do we address this? I believe that it starts with professional development design. If we have established the argument that our children are changing, then we can't continue to train our teachers the same. This is absurd.

The creation of a portfolio will help me not only to learn what is out there to utilize within the classroom, but will also help me to have a collection of artifacts for bookmarks as I enhance my proficiency.

Blog Reflection #3

My findings during this MAPping activity yielded some positive results. However, I also took the time to view some additional websites that were listed in the choices and noticed that there were some pieces missing that make a site authoritative. Luckily, early in my technology ts training in undergraduate I took a course that was designed specifically for utilizing the web as a resource. This class really helped with being very analytical with my choices.

I chose the All About Explorers website. This site is an awesome website for social studies teachers and students. This website has more than on author with substantial backgrounds in history and education. A student using this website for a project about European explorers would find this site very useful.

Most students who are utilizing the web K-12 do not always have access to this information. An article such as the one that we read regarding indicators on how to determine whether a site is valid is very helpful. As an English teacher I would require my students to keep a copy in their notebooks and have it readily available when we are doing web research. If students do not learn how to use the web appropriately in the lower grades we will be doing them such a disservice when they enter higher education. Soon, learning will become more digitized and students must be able to identify the validity of information for the purpose of their educational progress.

Deli.cio.us is absolutely the best thing since sliced bread! I am going to create a separate account my teachers to follow next year for professional development. This is such a great way to continue the important conversations without demanding time from teachers.

Reflective Blog #2

Educational Technology is a field that, simply put, seeks to educate all learners on how to utilize technology for the purposes of teaching and learning thus preparing them for the digital age where they can apply these skills in their everyday life. I believe that the word "students" includes every type of learner no matter what age, ethnicity, or background. All learners, means K-100. In order to do this we must recognize the different types of learners there are: those that are born with cell phones in their hand and those who have had to adapt to this rapid changing society. We must change the way we are delivering instruction in order to meet the needs of these learners.

Both videos that were posted are distinct reminders of how behind we are in every way in the areas of educational technology. Some districts more than others are on the cutting edge the "cusp" if you will. However we are so behind it's pathetic. Case and point, only three years ago I worked in Fort Worth ISD, we were still turning our grades in on floppy disks! Yes I said it! Floppy disks! And how long have flash drives been available in the stores for less than ten dollars? I believe that this is why more and more charter schools are popping up with online centers for high school students to complete their diplomas...their bored out of their minds! They have been exposed to so much external stimuli that high school to many of them is a waste of time, they would rather get it over with! How do we address this issue! We cannot continue to ignore what our students are saying about us. Until this issue becomes the driver for decisions of instruction we will never catch up to this ever changing generation.

Reflective Blog #1

I see education as a place where people of any background, gender and ethnicity become unified. The desire for one to learn is an innate element of human nature. Since the beginning of time there has been in some form or fashion a way to share information for the common purpose of expanding one’s outlook and view of the world around them. Education serves its purpose by providing limitless opportunities if one has the desire to learn.

Learners should be viewed as individuals instead of groups or subgroups. Students should have opportunities to discover who they are and who they want to be. The role of the teacher is to cultivate this curiosity so that students continue to ask these questions for the rest of their lives.

As an educator it is my obligation to develop a student to be a lifelong learner, by creating a classroom environment that is student centered and collaborative to provoke thought and curiosity. This environment will allow students cultivate their learning and extend their knowledge in a meaningful way.

Articulating this philosphy really helps me to get in tune with my fundamental beliefs. The stuff that drives you at the core of your being what I like to call your "shundi". Your "shundi" is that stuff that drives you to do what you do and to make the decisions you make. When you have done something that goes against your "shundi" you get a strange feeling, something that doesn't sit right. This was a great reminder of the stuff that I'm made of and the reason why I am an educator. This is how I feel when I pass out a worksheet or abandon my beliefs even for one class period.

Stephen Downes' article of Educational Blogging is still very real and current today. I don't believe that we have utilized the full potential that blogging has to offer, I think we are getting very close with many bloggers who are committed to this field.

The sixth area in Creating a Culture for Teaching an Learning stood out the most to me. Collegiality is what is needed in order to move education to the next level. Teachers need forums and opportunities to share their knowledge and experiences. We must recognize teachers for the professionals that they are and provide them with more engaging ways to develop their craft.