Reflection on the Course

I have enjoyed the class this semester. It has taught me of many new programs, as well as different and creative ways to use them in the classroom. It also shown me how dependent a our society is on technology, with how it is used so much and in so many different ways.

Moving forward, I want to bridge the gap in the digital divide between what students use personally and what mediums teachers use to educate with in the classroom. I feel that this will incorporate more students' minds into the material, and hopefully will help them learn new ways in which they perceive how technology can be used.

Yellow Group Post #2

I think there is a definite disconnect between the technologies used in the classroom and ones used personally by students. Other than in my previous blog, about how one teacher used a video game to teach students about the Normandy Invasion in WWII, I have not had a single teacher who attempted to bridge this divide.

I think the divide is so present simply because most teachers cannot think of a way to incorporate it into their curriculum. Other than Math Blaster, which is designed for children under 10, how else would a teacher incorporate video games into a high school geometry lesson? There is only so much you can do with a medium, and then there is also the problems which may arise by multiple students using it (different computer types, glitches, crashes, ect).

Personally, I think it comes down to the lesson being taught and the teacher's own creativity, which, hopefully, will both be available to me when I enter the classroom to brighten young minds.

Technology in my Life (Yellow Group Blog #1)

While most of my childhood was spent using technology in the form of video games, high school made me use the computer for everything from writing papers, to building websites, or creating PowerPoint slides. Perhaps the most interesting way I saw both of these worlds combined was in my senior year of high school for a history class.

Usually, when the World War II period is reached, most teachers put on the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan or part of Pearl Harbor (which really has only one good part: the only action scene and not the two hours of Ben Affleck talking). This teacher, however, took the class down to the computer labs where we played a First Person Shooter game named Call of Duty.

The game was authentic with everything from the clothing of the soldiers, to the guns we fired with our character, and the maps we played on (which were modelled after the actual towns where battles took place over in Europe). The students were organized into teams, and we were to use the actual tactics the soldiers back then utilized to defeat the other team.

While some may argue the merits of this lesson, our class was able to take to it quickly. It was combining something I enjoyed thoroughly as a child with a subject usually confined to a dull lecture. Its something I have never forgotten, as it transcends the usual walls of what teachers and students consider to be schoolwork and learning.

Technology in the Classroom

Whenever Technology in the classroom comes up, it had varying results for me. Sometime I have had teachers utilize it in wonderful way, with interactive presentations featuring various movie clips, funny pictures, or interesting information. I have also sat through a forty-page PowerPoint slideshow which was crammed to the max with definitions and phrases the teacher simply repeated verbatim.

In a past ISTC class, we met online twice a week. There, the students and professor posted back and forth on BlackBoard, as well as fulfilling other obligations via the web. It was more or less successful, with the only crutch being the constraints of BlackBoard and its tendency to hiccup or crash. By the end of the course, we compiled all our work up to that point in an online porfolio, which was posted on the tiger.towson page.

I enjoyed using different mediums for the class, such as SharePoint and Excel for homeworks and projects. I thought it was a great way for all the different ways of accomplishing a task on the web to be shown to people who may have not used them before, and it also challenged us as students to think about how we may utilize these mediums while teaching.

Entertainment

Tv
Radio
Wii
Movies (Redbox)
Music

Technology Today- PTE

Today we have technologies like the Internet, television, movies, computers, and video games. This technologies allow for people to enjoy themselves and get distracted from problems in their lives such as those caused by the economic recession. These types of technologies are affordable to most people allowing for a large amount of people to take advantage of them.

Entertainment Today

Country Music
Television
IPod
Wii
Xbox
Guitar Hero
Facebook
Twitter
Computers
Cell Phones
Computer Games
More Country Music
Concerts
Nature
Coutry Music Concerts
Movies
TigerFest
Alcohol

Technologies "lift Americans"

Technologies today such as the television and internet can lift our American spirits. For the internet, you can keep in great contact with friends. It is nice to be in touch with people you can't visit or dont see day to day. For the television, new sitcoms have been very popular because of the increased drama and excitement.

This course has exposed me to a lot of technology. It helped me improve on technologies I was previously exposed to and introduced me to new technologies. I have learned when and where it is appropriate to use these technologies. I now see how important technology is in the classroom. As a student now, I liked using technology in class. I am sure my future students will also enjoy this. Knowing how to use popular and effective technology is what I will take away from this course. Also, I am walking away from this course knowing technology does not always work out as planned. So I know I need to set extra time aside when planning technology oriented plans and to always have a back up lesson. Moving forward, I would like to spend more time on making websites and become more familiar with SharePoint. By the end of the semester I think this will happen.

Reflection (Morrisa)

This course has really taught me how to be patient with technology and also realize that technology has its flaws and it's not at all perfect! I learned a lot about how technology is being incoroparted into the classroom more so now, than ever before. I still have the same views about technology because of my experience with technology in the course. But it has given me the opportunity to know what is out here for students to use if I choose to use it. The principles and standards I understand better since the start of the course and I've learned how to apply those in my classroom. The hardest assignment I think in the course is the final project. I remember how to do it in class but there is so much to it by the time I get home I forget. It really deals with the learning theories page with all the links that go with it. After this course I would like to continue to learn about different technologies to use, but easy ones that will work with me and not stop working! lol I really enjoyed myself in this class and it was very much so my best class this semester!

Reflection

After reflecting on what I learned this semester, I realized that the most important thing I will be taking away from this course is a more open view towards technology. I became aware of various technologies and learned different ways to integrate them into the classroom. The most enjoyable part of the class was when we learned how to use Moviemaker. It was something that was really interesting and something that I might use in the future. The Inspiration Web software is something that I might use in the classroom. I realized how much I wasn’t up to date on the current technologies. I now place a greater importance on keeping up with the current technologies because the students are already using them and they can be beneficial in the classroom. The most open eye opening thing for me was that I realized that I really need to use technology so that I can reach all the different types of learners. What I would really like to learn more about going forward is how we can make sure everybody has equal access to the same technologies. I know that many students have an advantage over me in school because I cannot afford the same technologies that they use in the comfort of their own home. I live an hour away from school, so I can’t always drive up to the computer lab to take advantage of these technologies. I feel like I’m part of the digital divide and I want to learn how to keep students such as myself from becoming disadvantaged. - John Wagner

Reflection

This class was beneficial to me in more than one way. I became up to date on many new and various technologies, while at the same time learning how to integrate them into classroom settings. It opened my mind up to realizing the out of the box ways that technologies can be used. I enjoyed learning about moviemaker the most because it something that can always be useful. It is a fun way to bring life to a project that would otherwise be boring. However, I do wish that some more time was spent on website making and our online portfolios because I think that making a website could be another way to do a project, and that there is so much more that can be done with it that we haven’t learned. If I were to go on with this class I would like to receive information on more specialized technologies that would be helpful for students with learning disabilities in my content area.

Reflection

I think that this course really helped me to learn more about different technologies. It also helped me to know how beneficial it can be to incorporate technology in the classroom. I can more effectively tell the difference between technology that is beneficial in the classroom and technology that may not be appropriate. Learning how to evaluate different software will help greatly when I become a teacher. Software like the inspiration web and digital stories with be a good thing to use in the classroom.
I think it will be important to stay on top of current technology. It is important for teachers to be comfortable using different technologies because students today grow up with technology. I would like to learn about even more ways to use technology in the classroom.

Reflection

I enjoyed taking this class this semester and I am glad it is a requirement. I feel like I have learned a lot and even though I already knew how to use some of the programs like, Inspiration, it was a good review. More time should have been spent on website making and learning how to build your online portfolio. I enjoyed the projects we had to do, especially the digital storytelling project. It is a good way to make your project and your story more personal. I feel I have found a new appreciation for technology and find it more beneficial for inside and outside the classroom. I was also able to see that there are disadvantages for using certain technologies inside the classroom.

Reflection

Entering this class, I had no idea the amount of information that I was about to learn. In ISTC 201, it was more of a recap of the technology that I had been used to. But this class introduced me to a large amount of new technologies. Concept webs, blogging, wiki's, etc. opened my eyes to a whole new world. I really realized that all class, even Special Ed. settings could use assistive technology to help kids' learning process. I also feel a lot more updated all together with the computer.
If I were to go forward with this class, I would like the teacher to work especially with my content area. I would like tips for when I become a Special Ed. teacher. And also learn activities specialized for my age group. I wonder if infants/toddlers would benefit from anything technological. I believe that would be interesting for me.

Reflection

I really liked learning how to make digital stories and I think it will be beneficial in the classroom and outside of the classroom. I also think students will have fun making them. It would be a good project to do in the beginning of the year for students to introduce themselves. I would still like to learn more about website building. I feel that we did not spend enough time learning how to make our online portfolios which relates to the websites that some teachers are required to have with the school system.

Reflection

I am very happy that I had to take this class because, I actually have learned a lot. I feel that I have a new found of appreciation for using technology in the classroom and feel more comfortable with it. Now I know that there is technology and software out there that is benefitual for students, in the their learning process. Also I can somewhat imagine me as a teacher, implenting some of the technologies we talked about such as, the inspiration web; which I really like. I even got to thinking about the teaching methods I would use in my classroom. I was also able to see the disadvantages of using technology in the classroom more clearly and how I as a future teacher could address theses problems within my own classroom or school. I have concluded that the constructivist approach is the best approach to teaching all students. So I m glad I took this class and I value all of the information I was taught.

Reflection

When this semester first started, I did not expect to learn things that I already did not know. However, that of course was not the case. Without the information I learned in this course, there would be many things I would not know that would limit my potential effectiveness as a future teacher. Being a student, I always knew that technology is not always used effectively. However, this class really gave me a lot of the tools I need to use technology in the classroom in an effective manner that will help me accomodate different types of learners and help those students that need assistance with technology. Without gaining the information I learned in this class, there is a great chance I would not have used technology in a beneficial way or even the possibly I would have used very litle technology at all since I would not know how to use it to benefit all of the different types of students.
Since I know there is so much more to learn about educational technology, I will use what I learned in this class as a basis to continue my education in learning about the capabilities and benefits of using technology. I think that it is very important to continue learning this information because the generation I will be teaching is growing up in a very technology oriented society. To teach students most effectively, I will be sure to use technology as a way to reach my students. Since this is what they are growing up with and are becoming increasingly informed about, I must continue to explore more and more ways to teach with technology in my classroom.

Reflection

When we began this semester, I thought that I knew a lot about technology and its integration in the classroom.  More specifically, I thought I knew a lot about the failure of technology in the classroom.  Like most of the other students in the classroom, I had seen a lot of PowerPoint presentations that bored me to tears, but seemed to be what teachers thought was "educational technology."  Throughout the course, I've learned to expand my definition of educational technology.  I probably never would have thought to incorporate a classroom blog or a classroom web-page in my future classroom if I had not experienced how efficient they were in this class.  Also, I have begun to look at educational technology differently.  While I always knew that Assistive Technology could help students with disabilities, I never thought that incorporating different assistive technologies, like UDL technologies, could help typical students.

As the semester is coming to a close, I hope to continue to learn more about technologies that can support the different learning styles of my students.  In addition, I hope to learn more about the current and emerging technologies that may be particularly helpful in the classroom.  Finally, I hope that I will learn about the technologies that my students are using and be able to either incorporate them in the classroom, or be able to make comparisons between educational technologies and everyday technologies to highlight the application of educational technology features in the real world.

Final Blog

Like most students my experiences with technology in school haven't been the best. I have had teachers who have tried to use technology in the classroom without really knowing what they were doing. It is very frustrating as a student to have teachers who are inexperienced with the technology they are attempting to use. Through this course we have learned a lot about using technology in the classroom. I have learned about how to use it (technology), when it is appropriate to use, and about different technologies I can use in the classroom. By taking this course I hope not to be one of those inexperienced teachers I talked about. I will try my best to remember what I have learned in this class and apply it to my lesson plans when I become a teacher. In my opinion, one of the best things I have learned through this course is about the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). I think that using technology in the classroom is a great was to engage all types of learners. When I begin to teach one of my main goals will be to use technology effectively in the classroom, so that the curriculum that I am teaching appeals to all types of learners. I would like to keep learning about technology while I move further towards my teaching career. I would like to keep learning about different and new types of instructional technology. I think that it is very important for teachers, especially new teachers, to be educated in using technology in the classroom. This is because todays' students are known as the 'technology generation', by knowing how to use technology in the classroom we will be able to appeal to this young generation.
Kathlyn K.