Blog Reflection

Over the last 10 weeks, not only have I had the opportunity to learn new things but I have also been able to share experiences and advice about technology I have explored and used in the classroom. I was also able to take part in professional development and speak to other educators and administrators about technology in education. Class discussions, readings, and assignments have given me the ability to reflect on experiences and new future opportunities. I have a greater appreciation for the learning communities developed within schools. Collaborative learning teams have been proven to increase the success rate of students' academic scores (Southern New Hampshire University, n.d.). It has really opened the door of academic ideas.

Upon starting this class, I had been fortunate enough to work with a great technology integration specialist. His job is to directly support teachers with integrating technology into lessons that will enhance students' learning (Southern New Hampshire University, n.d.). He was able to present me with ways to cross integrate core subjects and create authentic assessments using technology programs like Prezi, and Glogster. Having some prior knowledge of technology programs like these and how they can be used in the classroom was extremely helpful when completing assignments and tasks. It gave me a good foundatation to start from and some insight to the route education is taking in technology.

This course helped me understand, at a deeper level, the impact a technology integration specialist has on teachers and students. I am now able to see more than the surface profile of their job and really understand how much they are involved in the integration of technology into our school system.

I have already started using many of the things learned to strengthen my own practices. This includes adding weekly technology to my lesson plans and giving the students more control in their learning. I have slowly started letting go of my "old ways" of teaching and have begun to latch onto the new academic way of the future - technology!

I strongly believe that we will always need to continue to learn and grow with technology. It is a fast growing force in the world. We use technology in nearly everything we do and it is required in most jobs fields. As technology grows and changes, we have to be willing to open ourselves to continually learning about and growing with that technology. The more things we can learn about the different technology programs, the more opportunities we can provide for our students. It benefits teacher collaboration efforts when all teachers are comfortable with technology integration (Southern New Hampshire University, n.d.). This creates higher levels of engagement, and overall... more learning! We must continue to perfect this in order for it to continually be successful.

A key component to the success of technology integration is professional development (PD) opportunities. Without PD, teachers cannot get the training they need to understand how to use and implement new technology in the classroom. This has to happen first to support that integration process (Southern New Hampshire University, n.d.). It defeats the purpose to spend money on technology if teachers do not know how to use it in the classroom or how to integrate it into lesson plans.

Overall, I feel this class has given me, not only new ideas for using technology in the classroom but also new career opportunities in education. I also have a better understanding of the value of PD sessions and the usefulness of a technology integration specialist.

References:

Southern New Hampshire University. (n.d.) Faculty Training. Retrieved from Southern New Hampshire University, EDU520 website.

Southern New Hampshire University. (n.d.) Teacher Collaboration Part 1. Retrieved from Southern New Hampshire University, EDU520 website.

Southern New Hampshire University. (n.d.) Teacher Collaboration Part 2. Retrieved from Southern New Hampshire University, EDU520 website.