Part III Reflection

Part three of Schrum & Levin's "Leading the Way" was very influential on me and the way I use technology in the classroom. As a teacher and leader in my program at DACC, I have discovered many changes that are needed in my program and implementation of technology. The stages of concern is something I have started to use to determine whether I am not only using the appropriate technology for supplementing my courses, but if I am using them in the most effective way. I have always considered myself an innovator, attending and participating in as man technology workshops as I could to keep up to date on new and exciting educational technology, but have come to see that I am also an early adopter of technology with easing into the use of some technology to ensure that I am well equipped with its integration into the lessons. I have also learned to evaluate students own availability of technology and their background of use in technology to ensure all students have access to the recourses for using technology, and I will be setting my students up for succeeding, and not failure not having access to the tools I have required them to use to conduct work necessary to succeed in my courses. After watching the video on students not having access to the internet, and the struggles they have to endure because of the lack of this ability, I am better informed to create lessons that will allow my students to excel whether they have access or not to things such as the internet. I feel better prepared to assess my lessons to make sure they effective, and enhance student learning when utilizing technology to enrich the students learning. Page 114 has a great rubric that helps to steer the educator in assessing their lesson to make sure they are implementing technology for lessons in the most effective way to enhance the lessons they are attempting to create.

I loved the idea of creating a student leader blog to allow parents, other educators and the community to see whats going on in the students learning. I started a blog for the community to respond to in regards to what the students need to know to enter the workforce after they graduate. I have had great responses to the blog, and the students have periodically encouraged me additional information to put on the blog to answer any questions they may have about the workforce and possible jobs after they graduate. I find it very important and effective to get the students involved in the blog, this gives them some ownership in their education and the creation of any future lessons for the class. Since the community has proved to be so supportive of the students and their education, they have been reinvigorated about what they are learning, and making connections with respondents tot he blog. I feel a deeper respect for the students having taken charge of their future, while enriching their learning by using technology to give them an edge in their future careers. I have also learned that I am not so good with netequitte, and that my students are not as well. I have posted the web site to have my students take the quizzes we took in this class to see first hand that there is more to learn when using technology to becoming competent.

In addition to all I have listed in regards to learning, I have inserted a privacy statement in my emails to ensure that people are aware that my mail and students emails are private and should not be shared unless given permission to do so. I learned a lot about the privacy act and what better practices to use in email. At DACC we have a student handbook that states all the university policies and proceeders, and I have never had the students go through this for their education and protection as students. Now I require all my classes go through the student handbook to make sure they are aware of ethical practices and their responsibility as a student. Students were amazed at some of the policies.

Leading 21st Century Schools is a great book, and should be a required read for all educators. With the increasing use of technology, we are required to better understand the technology we are using to ensure it is being used to the best of its ability and the educators. I have learned a lot because of this book and the classroom discussions.

Chapter 6 presentation

Blog assignment 1

Looking back at the first chapters of the book, It is clear that eduction is making a huge transition for the traditional classroom to the digital world. Web 2.0, the second generation of the internet and all the tools that come along with it will enhance learning in so many ways, and has begun through my own education and teaching. Discussions on blackboard have been a great example of cooperative learning and collaboration through distance education with the use of such technology.

Too often students in the traditional classroom are becoming more and more bored with the same thing, and have a difficult time bridging the lack of technology with their real world. For example, social networking has been the new way for students to reach out to those with a depth of knowledge in areas where teachers just are not equipped with that knowledge. Critical thinking is becoming in itself a search through commingling knowledge from the classroom with knowledge found through the internet. Technology is the enhanced classroom, and with more teachers utilizing these tools in their classroom, students will learn to think for themselves, while seeking out distant professionals with a wealth of knowledge. I use RSS to keep up to date on LEED Building and new innovative practices in the field of construction. I get to listen and even watch podcasts that show first hand the process of these new innovative techniques to share with my classroom.

I cannot wrap my head around the fact that over 87% of our students have online access to the internet, but websites become less and less accessible to our students in the classroom due to regulations set by the administration in public schools. This is a time for change and we need to show our students more trust when it comes to the use of internet access in the classroom. Teachers need to keep up to date on how students use 21st century internet tools so we can enhance the classroom environment, and reach students as they would in the new technological world they live in today. Relevance should be our first goal in education, and we are teachers that are being surpassed by the students in the classroom today because of the constantly changing technology. Understanding our students is key to their education and engagement. Without understanding who we are teaching, and teaching to the new generation, we will never reach our students. 97% of our students own a computer and 94% of those students own a cell phone. These students use these pieces of technology to learn on a daily basis in the real world they are constantly navigating, why not use these tools to teach them the subjects we are charged to teach them.

Sure, there are digital native teachers and digital immigrant teachers, but we as a community of teachers need to realize that we too need to teach each other the technology that is in the world so we are all on the same page and reach those students who are starving for a new type of education. It states in the book that talented teachers are the most important single component of good schools, and the proper use of the technology our students are using to educate each other is the exact technology we need to use in the classroom to educate and create relevance.

I am proud to say that I am always changing up my curriculum to teach, poll, and present new information to my students on a daily basis. I am one of those teachers that feels very comfortable with the use of technology in the classroom to enrich my students experience, and will continue to educate myself and partnering teachers the use of these technologies in the classroom.