Reflective Post


Overall my experiences being enrolled in Intro to Teaching Technology For Educators has helped me gain a better understanding of how to use technology within the classroom. In the beginning I was a little nervous to take the course because this was my first online class. As stated in the syllabus this course includes a hands-on experience with educational media and emerging technologies. 


The course textbook "Transforming Learning with New Technologies" was a great resource throughout the semester. It was a great guide to help with assignments and discussions such as  Digital Blog Posts and  the four discussions assignments Introductory biography, Educational Best Practices/ Resources, Assistive/Adaptive Technology for Students & Technology Tools for ELL Students, and Legal & Ethical Issues. 

Each assignment assigned in the course helped me reach a learning outcome. By partaking in the Collaborative Lesson Plan, Website Review, Discussion Posts, and the Web quest assignments I developed Communication (COM) skills. I communicated in an effective way using standard English almost everyday with my Professor and other classmates in the course. I was required to respond to two classmates on discussion posts to create further discussion on topics, This helped me get to know my classmates and view their opinions and beliefs. The second learning outcome met was Critical Thinking (CT) by completing the Teacher Webpage , Wiki , Collaborative Lesson Plan and Website Rubric I got to demonstrate skills necessary for analysis, synthesis and evaluation. For example while completing the Website Rubric I had to evaluate and critique an educational/ children's academic website. Technology/Information Management (TIM), Global Socio-cultural Responsibility (GSR), and Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning (QR) are also three objectives that were met during the course. Some assignments that helped reach theses objectives include  the Web quest, Discussion Board: Legal and Ethical Issues, Assistive/Adaptive Technology for Students, and Technology Assisting ELL Students.

One assignment I liked in particular was the Digital Blog Posts. Prior to this course I had never made a blog post before. I thought it was super cool that I got to pick three technology concepts that I wanted further my education on. I got to use research skills and information fluency by using internet resources to gather and use information and other data to help assist in my posts. I learned a lot of great resources I can use in my future classroom such as Skype and Smart boards. This also gave me a hands on experience using software, hardware and web-based applications for future use in the classroom with my students.



After completing Intro To Tech I have learned a lot. I now have a better understanding of  what technology use in classroom is and all the potential it has. I can only imagine how much more technology is going to develop over time. The only suggestion I have about the course is maybe a little more feedback on what is expected of the students. Being enrolled in a six week online class can often be intimidating and difficult so it is super important to give lots of examples and details of what is expected. I really loved the fact that Ms. Coleman was very responsive and helpful. For this being a six week course it went by very smooth and was very informative. I'm glad I got the opportunity to learn and take so much away from this online course experience. Above is a short video that I found interesting because it is showing what Technology in the classrooms could potentially look like in the near future. 


References
Nemroff, D. (2014, January 28). Technology in Education: A Future Classroom [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ73ZsBkcus
 Pearson. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.pearsonhighered.com/product/Maloy-Transforming-Learning-with-New-Technologies-2nd-Edition/9780133155716.html
 Pearson. (2014). Maloy, Verock, Edwards & Woolf, Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Retrieved from https://www.pearsonhighered.com/product/Maloy-Transforming-Learning-with-New-Technologies-2nd-Edition/9780133155716.html
Skype | Free calls to friends and family. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.skype.com/en/
SMART Board® 800 - SMART Technologies. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/smart-board-800




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