Refelction on Integrating Technology in the Classroom

I am in the process of wrapping up my tenth and final class of a masters program, Integrating Technology in the Classroom from Walden University. The class, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, has exposed me to new and exciting Web 2.o technology tools to allow me to further transform my classroom.

The pre-engineering class I teach opens its self to incorporating technology and I thought I was doing a good job of it. This class, however, has made me aware of how much more I can do. As more students are loosing interest in school, we need to reach those students and get them excited about learning while in school. One way to do this is to incorporate 21 century skills and Web 2.0 technology. It is time we incorporate more of the technology they use: blogs, wikis, podcasts, screencasting, and video. By incorporating these technologies, students become more responsible for their learning. They ask more questions and become more connected. They reassess what and how they want to share information as it is delivered to a much larger audience. They also learn important social networking skills and tools that are needed in the workforce. In addition, teachers are now able to facilitate the learning rather than delivering it.

These technologies are not just for students. Teachers and administrators benefit from them as well. For example, professional blogs are an excellent way to stay connected to other professionals. They allow for a global social environment that recently did not exist. Wikis allow for community curriculum development, community lesson planning, and any other collaborative endeavor.

As a result of this class, there are two goals I plan to accomplish to further transform my classroom. One is to incorporate student made learning videos to facilitate students-centered learning as it applies to the software packages used in my classroom. The second goal is to gain access to more web sites in the classroom. There are a plethora of sites and videos that are too good not to use in the classroom. Due to filters and firewalls most are blocked. This obstacle will be difficult to overcome as administration is currently not interested in changing the way things are. I hope with on going communication and education with administration and the school board I will be able to have a password to unblock the restrictions if not have the firewall security changed or eliminated at certain levels.

The hopes of progress and change are exciting.

Technology at School and at Home

Experience with technology is different for each student. Some students have vast exposure and experience with technology while others have very little. Listen to the podcast below to see what types of experience three six grade students in NW Indiana have with technology at home and at school.

Podcast: The Use of Technology with 3 Six Grade Students