Final Reflection

1. What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?

The first idea that I am taking away from this class is the universal design for learning.  It put into perspective all the different learners I have and the thought it takes to reach each one of them.  I now look at my lessons and try to figure out how to implement different strategies so I can reach more types of learners.  Instructional design principles has taught me how to setup my lessons.  The one area that I keep using is, starting with the problem or the need.  By beginning this way, I can better relate the lesson to my students.  I used try create a lesson and then try to figure out how I was going to relate it to a real world situation.  Now, I create lessons and use relevance with ease.  Evaluating web-based technologies is also something that I am concentrating on now because I know that putting a computer in front of students is not always interactive or effective.  I feel that not only has my knowledge on how to use technology gotten better but so have my everyday lesson planning. 

1. How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?

I really enjoyed looking at these because I think that many times people who write curriculum think that because students used some type of electronic, it is incorporating technology.  After looking at the web quest, I can see just how interactive a website can be and how that translates into students learning.  It also helped me to explore new things on my own and caused me to try to create lessons that I would have never thought of.  I also am sharing of these ideas with my colleagues so they can see what good use of technology is and how easy it is to develop your own interactive lessons. 

1. How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?

I surpassed my own expectations.  If you were to tell me that I would be creating a PowerPoint presentation explaining how to find the epicenter and it was interactive, I would have not believed it.  I found my self frustrated with my students the other day because they did not know how use a certain technology.  It hit me that I was becoming so fluent with technology that I was surpassing my students, something that I could have not said a year ago.  Both the PowerPoint presentation and the web-design were the two assignments that surprised me and my ability to really be ahead of the competition.  Even though I have completed these two assignments, I know that there is so much more to learn about these and will try to become an expert during the summer. 

1. 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 is to become better at PowerPoint and web-design so that I can have more interactive lessons in my classroom.  I plan on sitting down this summer when I have a little more free time, and just read and experiment with all the different possibilities each one has to offer.  I understand that I have only broken the surface and there is still much more I can learn.  As I do this, I want to start creating lessons that I can use for the following year.  This way I will have the materials ready to go for the new school year because otherwise it will not get done.