Overall thoughts on instructional technology

Well, by this point we have turned in our electronic portfolios, and we need to finish out the course with our last blog entry. I can honestly say that I have personally made serious strides in my technology journey. I think the biggest thing that I've learned is that classroom technology isn't as hard as I thought it would be. It turns out that all you need is a little effort and a few tutorials to figure out just about any tech available. I think that before this class, everything seemed to be so pretty and neat that I had assumed that you had to be an expert to create such things. Until a few weeks ago, I thought my buddy was really tech savvy because he could use Google Docs. Well, now I know that I could have figured this stuff out if I had put forth some effort. This class has instilled in me a sense of confidence with computers that I did not have before. Even at the school I work at, I've been using the smart board and a few of the web sites that I found using this class to work with the kids. They love it, and ask to do it all of the time.
One of my worries about becoming a teacher was that I wouldn't have enough ideas to keep the kids interested. This course has shown me a whole new way to approach things. I'm not saying that I'll be using technology in every thing I do, but it does give me another teaching tool to use. In my efforts to become an educator who can reach as many students as possible, this class has given me a wider range to work with, and I am grateful. It is my hope that I will continue on this avenue of exploration on my own, so that I can continue to grow. New resources are being made available all of the time, and as I've said before, it is my responsibility as an educator to keep up with those resources to the best of my ability. I hope that others have found this class to be as insightful as I have and have grown in the same regard.

Blog 3: 21st Century Skills

21st century skills consists of communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. These skill sets are highly sought after by today's employers. Therefore it is our duty as educators to help our students develop these skills. Technology is also a large part of today's work environment, and information accumulates at incredible speeds. It seems that technology will continue to become more and more part of our daily lives. As a teacher it is our responsibility to incorporate this into our students lives as much as possible.
It seems that combining 21st century skills and technology can easily go hand in hand. Many of the projects that we have worked on in our 505 class allow for this to happen. The interactive posters on Glogster for example depend on creativity. An individual must be able to create a visually stimulating board in order to keep their audience interested. Blogging is an excellent way for students to work on their communication skills. It allows them to develop ideas through conversations with their peers and instructors who can provide insightful feedback. Useful websites such as Cacoo allow for collaboration to happen on a grand scale. Students will need to work together to develop effective projects. Other sites such as Kidspiration help children with their critical thinking, by allowing them to put their information in a format that they can see and use.
I am glad that I took this course early in my journey towards a teaching license. As I continue taking classes, each time I learn new teaching methods and techniques in a variety of subjects, I will be able to formulate different ways that I can use technology to capitalize on the information. Before this class I was unaware of all of the resources that I had at my disposal. I feel that my classes would have been hindered by my lack on technological insight. I hope that those taking this course will carry with them, what they have learned. If an educator in training doesn't realize it now, they will soon realize that you need all of the help and resources you can get.

Impressed

   As we continue learning about new technology resources I get a little excited thinking about all of the things that I will be able to have my students do. I think the idea that I'm most interested in is how these sources will allow my students and their families to have access to relevant information from my classroom. If they are at home and need a little more information for their homework they will be able access a website I have created. So although they may not have an immediate line of contact to me, they will still have access to the information that they may need.
  The google docs feature will also be very useful when it comes to keeping grades organized, and being able to see visuals on a chart about students progress or lack of. It will also allow me to see which projects were not successful, and will allow me to reflect on how I taught the lesson. The collecting data aspect of google spreadsheets is amazing. Its an excellent way to make paperless testing, and to keep everything organized. It could also be used just to gather basic information about my students. Perhaps if I need to make a list of where everyone is from or what their favorite food is. There will be so many ways to use these features that I think it offers an endless amount of choices.
   I think that one of the biggest factors will be what you can't see. By that I mean the amount of time it could save me when trying to analyze data. If I have 20 or more students, time is going to be a valuable commodity. Anything I can do that will save me time while not cutting corners would be extremely useful. What we have covered in this course so far has been really interesting, and I'm looking forward to seeing what other resources we will work on.

I could get used to this

   This is another first for me. Before this assignment I figured there would never be a reason for me to write one. However I can see how this could help bring a classroom closer together, as well as expand a students exposure to outside sources. One thing just about everyone can agree on is that the internet makes people bolder than they are in person. In the required reading for this assignment, the articles spoke of how blogs can give everyone an equal voice as well as create real time dialogue. Blogs offer people a voice that they might not have shared with anyone directly. It seems that a lot of people find it easier to speak their mind to a computer screen than they can to another person. While writing in a blog a person can forget their insecurities for a few moments and not worry about how they are dressed or if they are making weird facial expressions while expressing themselves. It gives a person time to articulate what they would like to say. This goes for the reader as well, because they can only focus on what the blogger has written. The reader is given time to respond with their own formulated thoughts, and now a dialogue has been created.
   My only concern with Blogging is that it seems like the word 'blog' has been around for a few years now. This makes me wonder if blogging is still relevant to young students. Is blogging now the MySpace of yesterday? Technology moves at such an incredible rate that anything over a year usually becomes irrelevant. If I try to introduce this to my students will they respond with, 'ah maw gawd. Who blogs anymore?" I suppose that for a teacher such as myself who will be working with young elementary children this might not be a big issue because it could very well be new to them. However it could be something I would consider if I were teaching middle or high school.
   If you are able to get your students interested in blogging, I can see how it could become a powerful tool. I feel that students would learn a lot about each other, and perhaps break down some preconceived barriers they may have put up. Another interesting concept is how blogging could easily be connected to the Glogs and Portals that we have designed. A student could easily link them together with a similar theme to share their thoughts and creations.