Final Blog

One overarching take away that I have learned through take this course is that technology is continually getting better and better. When I entered this course I had a small amount of technology tools I had experience with and now I see that there are endless opportunities to incorporate technology into my classroom. Typically I shied away from technology tools because of thoughts that I would not be able to effectively use the tools in the classroom or not have the time to sit down and create them. Thankfully with this course under my belt I can see that not all technology has to be created. Teachers share their work with other teachers and many of these technologies can be used and fit in my classroom. Also I can create lessons and tools for my students in a timely manner. The second major take away I took from this class was the SAMR model. This allows teachers to replace a typical assignment and make students think deeper and experience how technology can assist their education. Another take away from this course was the simplicity of many technology tools. When I started working on some of the assignments I feared that the tools would be difficult to use and that it would take me a long time to accomplish them. What I found was that most of these tools (with the exception of some) were extremely user friendly. As a teacher I spend a lot of time planning lessons that carter to each of my students. This means that any tool I use needs to be efficient and not extremely time consuming. Most of the tools we used in this course were just that. Google Docs was another big take away from this class as well. I love the idea of students working on the same document at the same time on separate computers. This tool was extremely similar to Microsoft word which most students have experience with. Collaboration is key and this tool takes collaboration to a whole new level.

My favorite assignment we accomplished in this course was the Podcast. Though it was extremely simple and easy to create I had the most fun creating it. I think it has a lot to do with the story I told. I can see where this could be used in a classroom in many different ways. Students could create and tell their stories through personal podcast, or I could use my podcasts to teach my students. The good thing about a podcast is even the shy students can accomplish it. Not many people like to create a video for the simple fact they have to be on camera. The podcast allows students to simply record themselves. I do realize some students do not like to hear themselves but I believe when students are given a well thought out assignment that is both educational and fun they will take it and run away with it. Teachers will get back wonderful assignments.

My SAMR assignment was a great way to teach students who struggle with writing how they should approach writing a history paper. Essentially my SAMR project broke down the basic essay writing process and made students collaborate and research individually and together. This improved the student’s ability to write, communicate, and use technology. I plan to use my SAMR model in my classroom and create others similar to it. Our first assignment was to create a poster that introduced ourselves. It was extremely simple and gave each student and the professor an idea of first what were looked like and our aspirations. I love this and it will be used in my classroom. I think it is important for teachers to know and understand our student’s goals and aspirations. Now I realize some students do not know what they want to do or have no goals. I do believe teachers can inspire however. The poster assignment can allow the teacher to understand student backgrounds and helps teachers get to know the students. I plan to use this assignment in the first week of classes so that I can begin to assess and plan to best accommodate my students. Typically people love to tell about themselves as well so most students will enjoy this assignment.