My Final Thoughts and Reflection

When I began this course I believed I was on the cutting edge of innovation in the classroom, all I can say is: boy was I wrong. What I found through my reflection was I was on the right track to integrating technology but I was nowhere near reaching the full potential of what new technological ideas will allow me to achieve. Technology has reshaped our society and the lives of the students we strive to teach. Any educator will tell you, students today are connected all of the time through their technology and in many ways better at using these tools than the adults teaching them. One interesting observation I found through my studies was, in many cases this same technology widely available outside of school is largely absent or misused for instructional purposes. This class has helped me to identify the strong need for teachers to change their methods quickly or risk losing an entire generation of students who will not have the skills necessary for life outside of school.

Through this course I have rediscovered the need to utilize new classroom instructional methods using available technology. Available technology can be used to build on student’s knowledge if a teacher changes their methods from the traditional teacher centered instruction to a format where the teacher is the facilitator of student learning. Teachers today need to utilize the Internet in the classroom and teach how to locate information and evaluate the information they have found, skills that are perhaps more important than writing a research paper (Miners & Pascopella, 2007). I have learned that I need to implement technology in ways that fully engage students into the lesson and help utilize and build on their skills and ideas to guide their learning and maximize their potential for success. I cannot simply be happy with the results I get from my previously used lessons but rather I need to try new instructional methods and ideas using technology that is already present in the classroom and bringing in technology that is not. Through work and student teacher collaboration we can create an environment where everyone can learn information and skills useful while seeking to eliminate antiquated material and methods.

One of the biggest ways this course helped me was to provide the opportunity to use new technology in a guided environment, an environment similar to that which I hope to create for my own students. Without this class I may have never tried these tools or tried them with little success, this would have further limited my opportunities for professional growth. I always wanted to learn how to use technology to convey a message to a larger audience and teach in way that uses discussion and creativity to formulate knowledge. The use of blogs, wikis and podcasts has given me new tools to achieve my goals and provided a whole new realm to take my instruction. Using these methods, I can now reach my students at home and utilize tools they are already using in their personal time allowing for greater opportunities to help later in life. Personally, I have also found that I really like using these tools and will continue to use them both in my classroom and in my own outside life. Currently I seek out education blogs and continuously contribute to the discussions to provide and glean information from other professionals. Due to this class am now one of the millions if people that can provide information for others to see and have a solid place to start when creating my own lessons.

I have also found that this class has provided new ways to integrate technology into my classroom in a realistic authentic way. Previously most of my technology had taken the form of work processing, PowerPoint and movies. I was only scratching the surface of what is available for students to use, and mainly repackaging old information in new ways (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). I have discovered that teachers must use technology in new ways to expand communication across larger areas, to teach information literacy and promote collaboration to work on larger real world issues. Often school is seen as having little relevance to students lives with the real learning taking place after school (Prensky, 2008). I wish through my instruction to make my material more relevant and worthwhile for all students. Through reflection I have found that I still have much to learn to successfully integrate my new knowledge in my classroom but I am now on the right path.

This course has brought to light the wide difference between students and educators, specifically that between digital natives and digital immigrants. Through the strict definition I am considered to be a “millennial student” and a digital native, one who uses technology over another available source and a person who was born after 1980 (Cramer, 2007). However, I feel as through I am still well behind my students regarding their use of technology in the classroom and sometimes find myself struggling to use the technology I wish my students to learn. This course has helped me to identify the large differences and has provided ideas to bridge this gap between teacher and student allowing for every student to have the same opportunity to learn and utilize technology at school. I am still behind my students in regard to their technological skills yet I know through hard work and practice I can change my instruction to more closely match the students I teach.

This course has also strengthened my longtime idea that the teacher makes the greatest impact in the classroom. Even if new pedagogy is not being supported by other teachers or the administration, teachers are able to bring new ideas into the classroom for the benefit of all students. Whereas the state and district determine what I need to teach, my methods of instruction are entirely my own. With this in mind I can change how I teach to incorporate more student centered activities that rely on collaboration, critical thinking, internet research and other twenty-first century skills that have been shown as necessary for survival in the workplace (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). Simple changes by even a single teacher can truly make a difference in a student’s life.

Through my reflection, I have found I can continue to expand my knowledge and become more technology literate in many ways. The first way is by experimenting and learning new technology. Now that I have created a blog and a wiki I plan to find new ways to utilize them in the classroom and may even create a website next. In order to successfully teach my students I need to first learn how to use the technology myself. Through our reading we have learned that “teachers must be content creators as well” building websites, blogs, and wikis (Richardson, 2009, p.136). The more we use technology the better we are able to teach the material to our students. However, we do not need to master the technology but rather learn the best methods to implement it and how to best provide opportunities in class (Prensky, 2008). Our job as teachers is to provide the opportunities for students to practice the material and learn from each other in a secure environment.

Also, I can find out how my students like to learn and change my lessons to accommodate their needs and likes. Teachers must “understand where kids are going in their future and help them to get there” (Prensky, 2008). This is as simple as talking to my students, getting to know them as individuals and then teaching to their characteristics. It is my job to connect my students to the world and first I need to get to know them. Students can provide ideas and thoughts I may have never considered and their knowledge should be utilized when a roadblock is reached in the material. This can also help me to personalize classroom learning eliminating “one size fits all” instruction and making the material and presentation more interesting (Trilling, 2005). Classrooms can be a two way learning environment with the teacher learning as much from the students as they are learning from the teacher.

After taking this class I have gained a great insight into the skills needed in the outside work environment allowing me to teach twenty-first century skills, including social skills and new forms of literacy to my classes. Working in retail has provided me with ample opportunity to see the skills needed for success in the work environment yet I was still weak in implementing these skills into my instruction. This class has clearly identified what skills my students need and has provided examples of how these skills can be added to a curriculum. Rather than changing everything we have been doing in class, this course has suggested that we still need a solid basis of traditionally taught material with an addition of twenty first century skills built into teaching the material (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). I can still use the same overall outlines for instruction but allow ample opportunities for discussion, teamwork and real world assignments that serve to provide an engaging and exciting classroom.

However, as with any good teacher I have identified some areas I would like to improve as I grow as a professional. To better myself as a teacher, I have established two main technology goals and a personal goal to word towards a place where technology is integrated fully and appropriately into my class to meet instructional goals.

The first goal that I have established for myself is to accommodate more technology in meaningful ways into my classroom. Through this course I have found that many teachers have technology available to them but may not know how to use it or have the support to use it. Also, those that bring “technology” into the classroom often use new methods to do the same old things, such as PowerPoint to present material and word processing to format their research. These methods are little different from the poster and the typewriter respectively. As Dr. Chris Dede identifies, teachers need to evaluate what will help change pedagogy and what serves only to automate instruction (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). I will seek to change my lessons to accommodate more use of WEB 2.0., allowing for students to creatively publish their findings and learn from others. Blogs and wikis help to expand the walls of the classroom and make learning more conversational rather than lecture (Richardson, 2006, p.27). This is widely different from lessons that simply present the material then test what the students have retained. I plan to use technology in my classroom to begin a student centered curriculum where everyone can provide input in regards to classroom material and instruction.

My second goal has a wider range and may take time to achieve; I will attempt to sway my colleagues and administration to bring more twenty-first century skills into the classroom. Many teachers may be hesitant initially as bringing new skills into a classroom means more work and a revision of the classroom curriculum. Though talking with other educators seems to initially deviate from a specific classroom goal, I believe by gaining more support in the school environment I can create a stronger atmosphere for my students to learn. One of the best ways I can do this is through success in my own classroom and using my instruction as a model for others to follow. If technology and twenty-first century skills are taught in my classroom and feedback gained from the students and their parents is positive I have a strong chance of swaying their opinion in my favor (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). Once I have the support of the school I have a much better chance of fully integrating technology into my curriculum. Ultimately, the students still need to be successful on the Regents Exam at the end to the year as this serves to gauge their learning and determines if they pass the class, how I teach them is up to me.

Once I have established context and taught my students using technology in new ways, I can then present my new ideas and skills at a department and school wide meeting to let others experience what I have found. This professional development may help gain the support of my colleagues by showing how easily these new ideas can be brought into the classroom environment and help present the new role of the teacher (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). I feel if I am able to gain the support of my school I have a better chance of fully implementing new methods into my classroom in a meaningful way instead of working individually for change.

A third goal, though not part of my two year plan is that of cell phones. I wish to experiment with cell phones in the classroom and see what areas I am able to implement these tools into my instruction. The majority of students in school today have access to a cell phone, and bring them to class daily. I feel that rather than continuing the fight of eliminating this technology, my time can be better spent finding a constructive use to something that is often disruptive and considered detrimental in class (Prensky, 2008). This is a personal goal, though I feel the benefits may be well worth the time that is spent changing my classroom.

My final thoughts are in regard to implementing new skills and activities into my classroom. The use of technology is necessary for the survival of students in today’s workforce. This will take time and effort of the part of the teacher to change instruction and pedagogy to match the students in the classroom. However, implementing technology will not be without challenges both from educators and the administration. I believe I will receive pushback from my administration and other educators who teach in a traditional fashion and do not wish to change (Richardson, 2006, p.137). I know that I will have a battle ahead of me but realistically I believe my results from using technology will speak volumes about the possibilities available to teach students. I actually look forward to talking with these individuals and attempting to change their opinion and their instruction to more closely match their students.

All in all, I found this course to be very helpful in preparing me as an educator to teach my students in the future. I understand fully now how schools in many cases do not fulfill the needs of students and how we as teachers can make a great difference through small changes in our methods and pedagogy. It is my job as a teacher leader to help expand the use of technology to further the knowledge and expand the skills of my students. Technology has provided a great opportunity for a massive amount of information to be brought directly into the classroom; we only need to take advantage of what is available and thus bring our students back into the “light” and make instruction relevant to their lives.


References

Cramer, S. (2007). Update your classroom with learning objects and twenty-first
century skills. Clearing House, 80(3), 126-132. Teacher Reference
Center Database.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). [DVD]. Understanding the Impact
of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, “Evolution of Technology and
Pedagogy.” Baltimore, MD.

Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration,
43 (10), 26-34.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills.
Washington DC: Retrieved from
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/downloads/P21_Report.pdf

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6).
Retrieved from Academic Search Premier, February 15, 2010.

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for
classrooms. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Trilling, B. (2005). Towards learning societies and the global challenges for learning
with ICT. TechForum. Retrieved from
http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/events/techforum/ny05/Toward_Learning_Societies.pdf

Podcast for Digital Abilities and Learning

This blog is to introduce a podcast that I created in regards to technology usage in the classroom. In order to gauge my students digital abilities and learning styles I created a questionnaire that was given to each of my students in the classroom and then interviewed five students in more detail. I used my results to formulate a podcast explaining the technological profile of my classroom and my students. A link to my podcast can be found here: http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/3743/episodes/16675

Enjoy my results and thoughts and I look forward to your comments.

Randy