When I signed up for this class, I was somewhat nervous about the amount of technology understanding I was expected to have prior to taking this course. It is the level of comfort that was the key for me. In order to be able to teach effectively with technology, I needed to overcome that level of discomfort. This course worked well for me in that aspect. In the first couple of weeks, I spent a lot of time learning, watching, organizing, figuring things out, and setting things up. After that, it was very easy to follow and use. Today, I feel somewhat comfortable with technology usage and think I am able to try new tools without too much anxiety.
The students of today, however, do not have this issue at all. Most of them are born with, or have had a very early start, with technology usage. Teaching with integrating technology is more of a challenge in the beginning. It is the getting started that is difficult. After that, it can be a huge time saver and can allow us to present information to students in a variety of ways.
The Internet definitely plays a very big role in technology usage. Many of the tools and gadgets that can be used in teaching and education are offered through the internet. Since we are working in a collaborative world, the internet allows us to work cooperatively in so many ways. Google docs, web blogs, virtual learning are examples of tools that require the Internet. They can be extremely useful in the field of education. With internet usage, we are able to do so much more in a shorter period of time without having to compromise with the quality of the end product. Cloud computing is another educational tool that can prove to be very useful and cost effective, and it would definitely require the use of the internet.
All of the assignments in this class required us to use technology. For me creating the blog, using Google docs, creating a twitter account, creating the Google reader, and most of the other assignments were all new experiences with technology. I was learning almost from the first assignment till the last. I think the SIG Presentations really exemplifies good teaching. Students were able to work collaboratively from different parts of the world to create a project. Then, there was an opportunity for us to actually present it to the entire class. This was all done using technology. Wow!
I think I have met most of my goals that were established in my Personal Growth Plan. I have learned about many technology tools that can be used in my teaching, I have developed a comfort level with them by actually using them in most of the assignments for the course, and I have started to apply them in my teaching. I have already incorporated some teaching ideas that I learned through my SIG project into my smart board lessons. I am also planning to start a blog right away for my classes. Taking this course has been truly a very positive learning experience for me.
My goals now are to become more familiar with what I have learned in this course. I am also planning to take the 811 course in the near future. Probably, by the end of this year.
