What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?
The first thing I learned was that there are many different learners so I have to reach out to all of them. Technology allows for me to do this by having virtual labs for the kinesthetic learner; and an article for the visual learner along with a voice read over for the auditory learner. All this can be done in one classroom with technology. Another item to remember is that our world is interactive and that is what technology should be about. With web 2.0 there are so many programs that allow for students to share what they have learned and to gather feedback from people all around the world. As teachers we have to make sure our students are using technology to gather or share information and to build their technology skills. If this is done then technology has been integrated effectively.
·How did integrating the Internet help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
The wheels in my brain have been turning since I started this class. There is so much out there that I want to integrate into my classroom but have been nervous about what it would do to my computer. I now am constantly on youtube looking at tutorial videos to help me discover how to use the many programs offered by the internet. I now feel more confident to bring these ideas into my classroom because of this. I also realized there are a lot of free tools offered by the internet, most of them by google. Trying things now is ok because it is free. With just these two areas, I feel I am brining so much more into the classroom and I am becoming more comfortable with what I do technologically. In an ironic way I use the internet to gain more insight into the tools that the internet offers by watching videos, reading articles and trying the free stuff.
Which of the assignments that you turned in do you feel really exemplifies good teaching with technology and why?
The RSS page is an assignment that exemplifies good teaching with technology. It helped me to gather information that I look for each day in a matter of minutes. Because I can quickly find information, I can spend more time on building up my lessons. It also brought new information to me. A few of the pages I found, kept me updated on new discoveries in science which I then could share with my students. This would have been a missed opportunity had I not had the RSS page. The RSS page to me is a great resource tool because it brought to me what I was looking for without me have to constantly take the time to search. My feeling is that if technology can limit the amount of time it takes to do something with the same efficiency then we have a tool that can make us a better teacher.
How have you met your goals established in your Personal Growth Plan?
I have not yet met my goals because I have not made my classroom more technologically engaging. However, I now have the building blocks that I need to start making it more interactive. In fact, I have even invested in the new droid phone because I knew it was run through google and I wanted a phone that could easily be accessible with google docs. Becoming more knowledgeable about how to use the numerous applications and where to find them will help me to understand which one is is best for my students.
Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
My goal now is to take what I have learned and integrate it into my classroom by the end of the year. I feel with the free time I will have, I will be able to use the different tools to develop lessons and projects that are more interactive for students. Parents and people around the world will be able to look into my classroom without every stepping into it. My first plan is to develop a better use of my blog so that students are commenting on it on a weekly basis. I also want to setup a website to post videos, assignments, and projects that students are working on. The website will incorporate the students so that it is not mr. loznak’s website but mr. loznak’s classes’ website. The steps that I plan using to reach these goals are to take a few hours a week to look at how I am going to improve on these sites. I also will continue to look for tutorials online and I will email my professors for possible ideas or resources. If any possible classes open up in my area then I will enroll in them. I want to master these two areas first, and then I plan on selecting other items to bring into the classroom.
