I have learned several things in this class. I have learned that technology can be very useful in the classroom, especially with my students. I have learned that I can use photostories to create social stories for my students. I have also learned creative ways to use blogs and wikis to allow my students to practice certain skills. I have learned that there are a lot of reasons why teachers may not use technology in their classrooms, and that it does take some time and effort to use technology effectively within the classroom. I came to this class with a very realistic view of how things are in the world, but this class challenged us to not look at the way things are, but the way they should be. Teachers should try to go above and beyond for their students to make a difference in their lives. Everything is not cut and dry, and sometimes teachers need to get outside of their comfort zones to teach students effectively.

What I have learned

In this class, I have learned about numerous ways to use technology in order to make learning more fun and enagaging for students. Some of these ways include the use of wikis, photostories, podcasts, and Inspiration. I especially enjoyed learning about technology uses that allow for student teamwork and collaboration. I have also learned about the importance of using technology, not just for technology's sake, but to enhance and facilitate deeper learning. I enjoyed the class we had on project-based learning and the excitement and opportunities that it can provide for students. I have learned some new ways to incorporate technology that I had not thought of before. I also learned how to utilize new types of technology and applications that I had not been exposed to previous to this class. I plan to incorporate several things that we learned in this class into my future classroom cirriculum.

EDMD 7210

In this class I have learned a lot about different types of technologies that can be used in the classroom. I also feel like I gained more confidence in working with the technology that was newer for me. As a teacher, I see the benefit and importance of using technology in the classroom. I plan on using the things that I have learned in this class in my own classroom to help benefit my students. In this class I also gained a newer perspective on different types of technology and also more creative ways to use them in the classroom.

What I've learned this Semester

Throughout the semester I have learned not only how to use new tools of technology, but the positives and negatives of using technology in the classroom. The tool that I will take the most from is the photostory. I plan to use the photo story when I have my own classroom. Photostory allows you to select pictures of an event or person and put music in the background. This can be a very effective opening activity to a lesson that can introduce a new topic in an interesting way. The podcast is a very unique tool that can be used in the classroom. Most students have an IPod and posting study guide podcasts allows students to "study on the go." The articles we read every week for discussions gave me an insight on what research what saying about using technology in the classroom. We also read articles that gave me insight on ways to effectively incorporate technology in the classroom.

I have a learned a lot from this course. All the technologies that we learned, such as how to create a photostory, how to create a wiki and how to use twitter, were all new to me. I also learned why some teachers are reluctant to implement new technologies into their classrooms. The most important thing that I learned is that technology should be used as a tool to help supplement lesson plans and that teaching strategies can be adjusted to include technology. I think most of the technologies that we studied in class will benefit my future students.

Week 14 Reflection-Katie

The material presented in this class has been a mixture between review and new items. I think the most helpful skill I will take away from the class is how to operate programs such as audacity and photostory and how to use a wiki. It can be difficult to break down technology for young children sometimes but I think by becoming familiar with the programs I will be able to do so now for my class. Learning how to use a wiki will be helpful later on when creating a website for my classroom to share with coworkers or parents at home. Also knowing that websites like that are out there is a great search tool for new ideas for my own lessons. The most important thing I will take away is that technology is changing quickly and we need to keep up in order to better educate our students and prepare them for a technology rich future.

I feel like I have learned alot in this class--before I took this class, I only thought of technology as the Internet (google and email) and word-processing software. Now, I know that there is so much more out there that I can access and actually use. Technology has always been inimidating to me because I never really had to use it, but in this class, I have had the opportunity to actually try out using different programs and see that they aren't as complicated as I thought. In fact, some of the programs seem like they would be really interesting to students, as well as easy to use. Applications like PhotoStory and podcasts seem like they would be a great avenue for students to express their ideas, rather than having them submit a more traditional paper and pencil assignment. The most important thing I think that I have learned is how huge a resource the Internet really is... There is so much information out there, but I haven't ever sat down and thought about how I could use it to my advantage in the classroom. The APTPlus, for example--they have great information on so many topics that is waiting to be used.

What I have learned in this class?

From this class I have learned the importance of using technology and how to incorporate it into my classroom. I also have become aware of the hindrances that I will face while trying to complete this task. This class has provided me with the knowledge of many different forms of technology such as: photostory, wikis, blogs, podcast, etc. I am excited to take what I have learned and incorporate it into my classroom instruction one day!

What I have learned in this class!

I have learned many new technologies to use in my classroom. I have never used photo story or a wiki before and I think both will be very helpful in my classroom. I have also learned more about certain technologies. I have used blogs and discussion boards before as well as windows movie maker and audacity, but I learned new ways to use this technology and gear it toward my classroom such as review for tests or discussions with other classrooms. I feel this class has taught me a great deal about how the internet works and ways to create websites I never knew before. The class has also given me a different perspective on spreading technology to other schools and around the world. This class has been very practical for me in learning new skills, but I also feel that the class has given me greater confidence in using technology in the classroom. I look forward to implementing the different things I have learned in my class.

Reflection

The most valuable knowledge I have gleaned from this course has been the practical skills and knowledge associated with applications such as Audacity and Photostory, both of which I have already implemented in my classroom to expand on existing technologies. While I enjoyed the class discussions and debates over technology use, I believe that there is no longer a question of "Should we use technology?" The debate should be over appropriate uses and specific program strengths. Training in 21st century technologies and Web 2.0 applications is as essential to student success in modern era as skills in math and writing. Thus, I believe it was the practical, hands on knowledge gained in programs that were immediately useful that I would consider the greatest assets to my education.

What I have learned

The most significant knowledge that I am taking away from this class is how to implement technology into my lessons in small, interesting ways without overwhelming myself. As many of our assigned readings pointed out, many teachers who struggle with the notion of using technology in their lessons have preconceived notions that technology isn't worthwhile or that it takes too much time.

In this class, I have found that technology can be simple and efficient, too. For example, I really enjoyed learning more about how to use Photo Story for educational purposes. I went to a workshop on this topic last year, but we just uploaded personal photos and added captions. I didn't see all of the educational possibilities until this class. Also, I enjoyed the brief introductions to new technology resources that Dr. Hur presented at the beginning of each class. Teaching us how to access our favorite sources, like subscribing to podcasts or bookmarking our favorite news sites, was beneficial on an educational level as well as a personal level. I liked the use of videos and online articles as class starters. I believe that by using technology to appeal to students' interests and by offering it in simple, digestable chunks that I can encourage them to find how it suits their needs and wants. This method also keeps me stress-free in that I am engaging my students in something useful that is also easy to create and present.

What I've Learned This Semester

While the theoretical discussions about how and why we should use technology in our classrooms have been informative and enlightening, I think what I'll honestly take away from this class is my newfound ability to work with programs to create useful classroom tools. Now, I can create a photostory or a podcast to display new information rather than drone on in endless lecture mode (and I'm a prodigious lecturer, so that's saying something).

Since technology is so much a part of the world that surrounds us, we have to make sure we, as teachers, are using technology to enhance and enrich the lives and learning of our students. If we remain stubborn Luddites, we miss out on reaching some of our students, possibly dooming them to be forever left behind the rest of the digital world. We have to use technology, and we have to teach them how to use it, too.

What I have learned in this class

In this class I have learned how to incorporate different types of technology into my classroom. I have learned how to use different types of technology such as: photostory, wikis, blogs, podcast, and windows movie maker. I know when I use these things in my lesson it will enhance my student's learning. We live in a society where almost every aspect of our lives is engulfed in some type of technology. I want to prepare my students for the world we live in and for them to be able to be productive citizens. As an elementary school teacher I know I set the foundation for learning in my students and I want them to carry on with them a love for learning and that includes the use of technology. I think this class has been beneficial in teaching me how to better teach my students about technology. I think my favorite part of this class was learning how to use photostory. I think that elementary school students are very visual and this is a great opportunity for them to learn and create something visual. I have learned that even though at times we may be intimidated by technology that we should never back down from being life-long learners. We need to push ourselves to participate in on-going professional development to keep ourselves current and up-to-date on the latest and greatest technologies.

What I have learned...

It has been kind of neat to hear ideas that others have in regards to using technology in their content areas. I have learned some new things (such as photostories and how to create podcasts); however, I have struggled with how to effectively use these technologies in my class. To me, most of the things we discussed are not necessarily appropriate for my students. If I were to teach in a different, more inclusive setting with students who are functioning at higher levels, I could see more of these technologies being useful. I really like the idea of using podcasts as a way to pre-teach or introduce content as well as for a brief review. I think photostories are a great way for a student to complete a presentation, especially for students who may have anxiety speaking in front of classes. I would have liked to learn more about assistive technology, but I know that is not something that applies to the wide range of disciplines in the course.

I have definitely learned about new technologies that I never really had a good understanding about what they were before. I always knew that I could incorporate different technologies into my classroom, but this class has given me new ideas about how to implement them in a better, more educational way.

What Mark Hosemann has learned in this class

I have learned that technology has applications beyond the traditional aspects of Microsoft Word & PowerPoint. For students that have multiple ways of learning, such as audio, visual, and tactile, there are many different ways of presenting the information in order to reach a larger percentage of the student body. This will help us achieve the requirements placed on us by No Child Left Behind. I also learned that maybe we as older teachers who have been "seasoned" by the system are initially resistant to the changes needed to address future styles and methods of learning. I hope that in the future, I will be able to be more open to changes in the ideas of what makes a school viable for the education of the student of tomorrow. I liked the new software to which I was exposed and plan to start incorporating them into my existing lesson plans as well as those I make in the future. In all, I think I learned best that with technology in the classroom there is always a way to "think outside the box".

Week 13 Discussion

Compare the two articles. If America’s schools really are becoming obsolete in conjunction with the future of the country (Revolutionary Wealth article), how do the students’ visions of technology (Visions Article) in schools compare to the need of a changing school system? Is incorporating technology into this classroom the only way to use technology in schools?

Do you think the boredom of students in the school systems today is relevant to the fact that schools are becoming obsolete?