EDLD_5364_Reflection

=EDLD 5364 Course Reflection= 1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned? I envisioned a course where we learn to apply different technologies in a school environment. Training teachers, motivating students, addressing different types of learners and incorporating different technologies were topics I thought we would cover. I was pleasantly surprised by the resources on the CAST site and the ability to create lessons and books. I also enjoyed the information in both of the textbooks. I found them easy to read and the information to be helpful. I feel that I am ready to be a leader, but the challenge is going to be motivating and encouraging other teachers to incorporate the technology tools into their curriculum. The other challenge will be getting the school district to open up some of these resources through their firewall for teachers to use. Overall, I was pleased with the information that was presented in the class and working collaboratively with a group showed what challenges groups face and the rewards of putting together a quality product and solving the problem. 2. To the extent that you achived the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not? As a technology teacher I am often approached by other teachers for advise on using different types of technology and by students to help them with projects that teachers have assigned. One of the important aspects of incorporating technology is providing professional development to teachers to allow them to understand what they are asking their students to do and the challenges their student will face. I do not believe that a teacher should assign a project that incorporates video without giving students accessibility to video recorders and editors. Teaching teachers resources that students can easily use and allows students to collaborate is a very important part of being a school leader. Currently I do not get the opportunity to lead professional development sessions as part of my job description, but with the proper knowledge and learning tools it will be easier to show administrators the importance of teaching these tools. 3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them? Even though we discussed diverse learners, we didn’t really get into ways of accommodating or modifying project for these learners. The examples showed how technology motivates learners, but what resources really are available for hearing impaired students or visually impaired students. What are some suggestions of providing roles for students in group situations that have varied abilities? These are some of the things I wish we could have covered more in depth. I also would like to know more about group roles and assisting student with setting these roles and following through with each member being a productive part of the team. I really connected well with the reading this week that involved encouraging students to be accountable for their effort. This is something I would have liked to have incorporated in my group project and covered in more detail. Overall, I think we covered a great deal of information in this course and I learned a lot about how collaborative learning and technology enhance each other. 4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? I was successful in completing the course assignments. I did not always complete them by the initial due dates and had to use the grace period a few weeks, but I did complete the assignments. I struggled with the final work protocol on the discussion boards because I did not always get my readings done in time to post early. Therefore I was not able to add a final word post since I received little feedback. Internet issues in week 4 made it difficult to consistently keep up with my team and it seemed like when we got an idea for a technology component someone had completed it before I got a chance. I was able to complete the UDL Lesson Plan that week which ended up being a large part of keeping us organized. I do feel that I fell short a bit on that week in working with my group. I think the biggest challenge for this course was the group collaboration and the time of the year. Wrapping up a school year and the holidays made it hard to find the time to work on the course. 5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes? I think the main things that I learned is that throughout the experience of obtaining my Masters through Lamar I am getting reinforcement of the types of skills my students should have to be successful in the future. I am also learning how to relate better to the technologies that they are using and that will motivate them. I am good at technology and although I have been taught a different approach to technology, much more software based and less Web 2.0 based, many of the skills I have work with the technology my students are using. In reality the way the new technology works is easier than the technology I grew up on and therefore is easier for me to pick up. The “old school teacher” who have been in education more than 15 years can also gain from this perspective. They seem to think that this “newfangled” technology these students are using is too hard for them to figure out. When in reality much of it is easier than what they used to do. I also think the techniques from the textbooks can assist teachers in finding easy ways to incorporate new skills in their curriculum and allow technology to do some of the tasks for them and make their job easier. So where I have a positive attitude about using technology with my students, I need to infect other teachers in my school with my passion.