Final Reflection

In November we were asked to complete an application that discussed our personal theory of learning.  At that time I compared not being prepared for a lesson with hiring a contractor that refused to create a blue print for your kitchen.  Essentially I feel that we need to have clear and concise plans for what we want our kids to do before we even start teaching.  I wrote that a lesson “needs to be student-centered with a focus on the varied learning styles and a strong integration of technology.”  Today I still feel that same way. Through this course I was able to gain a better insight to what it truly means to be student-centered. 

First of all I feel that we should always have some component of creation in our lessons.  This allows those students that do not learn through lecture and worksheets to really be brought into the lessons.  Creation of an artifact creates a desire to succeed and accomplish more.  Secondly, I feel that lessons should be collaborative with other students and even other classes.  I feel that students learn more when they are actively engaged and learning about the curriculum through the eye of their peers.  It is also a wonderful way to build confidence in students.  When they are able to share and answer with a friend and see that they are right, there is more of a chance that they will volunteer that answer in class. 

When I look at my own teaching and integration of technology I always feel that I can add more.  However, I always thought that it would be too much work and that in the end I would lose the basic concept that I was trying to get across to the students. However, through this course I have learned that technology is a wonderful way to supplement all the information that I would like for them to understand.  Technology is a wonderful tool that can expand their knowledge and their desire to learn. 

When looking at all the technology that we have recently learned about, I feel that the two tools that would be most valuable to my students are video conferencing tools such as Skype and Epals along with various webquests and web sources.  These tools allow my students to interact with others without having to leave the classroom.  This gives them a greater range of opinions and ideas as well.  Through this course I have been able to learn more about technology and have gained a better understanding of the tools that are out there. 

Long-term Goals

•   To integrate more technology into my everyday lessons, at least two items a unit. 

• To create more of an emphasis on using technology with my students, continued use of epal and other internet based collaboration.