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What were your "Aha!" moments this semester? Try to tie together what you've learned and where you go from here. Also, think back to the philosophy you developed at the start of the semester. In what ways has it guided you in the development of your projects? How will it continue to do so and how has it changed or remained the same?
Aha moments in education are always great, but taking time to reflect on them is critical in order to move something from an Aha moment to a true change in how you teach. For me this course provided some Aha moments that changed my thinking about how I teach and also provided some wonderful practical insights that I might not had had without the little “push” that this course did. One concept that this class helped me to understand about myself as a teacher is the idea of the Net Generation. The article, “Is it age or IT” helped me to understand how my perspective is vastly different from my students perspective when it comes to technology and education. Since I am a “digital immigrant” and my students are “digital natives” I must work extra hard to speak their language, to provide learning situations that will reach them in the manner they are use to. I also realize that I have much to learn from them. I loved the idea in one article that discussed including students in technology training. How could I have not thought of this before? What do I do at home when I can’t get something to work on my I phone, Computer, TV etc… I call for my thirteen year old son to come help. He does and it usually gets figured out. The same could be true for my students. They will help me speak their technology language and I think my efforts in this area will show my students that I desire to engage them in learning that meets their needs. Another practical moment for me was learning to work with Jing, Camtasia and Screencast. I LOVE these tools and I am so excited about using them in my classroom next year. So often I feel overwhelmed with a new technology introduced during the school year that I set it aside because of lack of time. I am so glad I figured out how to do use these presentation tools.
As I re-read my educational technology philosophy that I developed I stated that:
Sometimes I feel like teachers have their feet in two worlds: the old way which is pen and paper and textbooks and the new world of web 2.0 tools, internet access to major amounts of instantaneous information and other technologies as well. Change is difficult, but I believe I am teaching at an exciting time in the history of how we teach our children.
I still agree with this statement, but now I feel that I am getting my feet more and more in the world of technology. Change is difficult, but this course, along with other courses, continues to show me how critical it is for us to integrate technology. The projects I created for this class were out of a motivation to move towards a deeper understanding of the world my students are experiencing. Ultimately, I desire this because at the core of my teaching philosophy I want my students to be lifelong learners and problem solvers. Because I value and respect students, I should always be willing to look at my methods and approaches for teaching and ask:
Am I teaching this way because it works for me or because it is what’s best for them?
That question is what I will be taking forward from this class.
