This course has helped me to develop technology skills as a professional teacher in a multitude of ways. One of the most effective activities of this course was to allow me to walk a mile in my students' shoes in terms of learning new technologies and collaborating with others through technology. It is no small feat to coordinate efforts with others remotely and navigate new technologies in order to use them effectively for an assigned purpose. I can now empathize with my students and have learned that the most effective way to teach my students new technology is to immerse myself in it. If I engage in these activities along side my students, I will be better able to pinpoint where they will need me most in terms of instruction. Additionally, this course afforded me the opportunity to work not only with new technologies (Podcasts) that I never delved into before but also allowed me to see how I may have not been using other technologies (Blogs, Wikis, etc.) to their fullest and most effective potential. My approach to the proper use of technology has been transformed as a result of this course.
My knowledge of the teaching and learning process in today's digital age has deepened significantly. 21st century learners are going to require more authentic learning experiences than simply sitting back in desks passively acquiring information. Teachers today should be crafting lessons that allow students to truly own their learning and expose them to the true nature of tomorrow's work world: collaborative critical thinking and creation. A teacher's role, therefore, is to open up the classroom walls in order to include a real, live audience apart from the teacher and to allow students to practice these vital 21st century skills. Since students are constantly exposed to quick-moving messages and information, students should be immersed in the act of reflection in order to critically analyze the information the have come to know and understand. Finally, students will conduct themselves ethically and morally when using technology if this skill has been and continues to be a focal point of instructional practice.
A teacher-centered approach to instruction is no longer an option in my classroom as a result of this course. My primary goal will now be to challenge students to take ownership of their learning experiences. Mini-lessons will be my goal for each lesson with the majority of the classroom time being devoted to students engaged in an activity that challenges them to use 21st century skills. Each lesson that involves the use of technology should be focused on answering an essential question that is unanswerable from a direct search of the internet. My classroom can remain learner-centered by providing collaborative lessons that also allow the learner to have a wider audience than just the teacher. The learners in my classroom should also be the audience for other learners. Students must understand that in the future their work will be judged my a wide audience of their peers. In a learner-centered classroom, the teacher is not passively sitting by and allowing mayhem to ensue, but wears many hats including: facilitator, connector, modeler, and a guide to interpreting.
The two long-term goals that I have created involve better use of digital technologies. First, I would like to provide more opportunities for research and creation using technology in my classroom. Since only one computer exists and the computer lab is often booked months in advance, my class could truly benefit from the use of cell phones. However, I must create a plausible cell phone use policy in my classroom and develop systems for proper use during lessons. The use of cell phones as a gateway to digital learning will allow my classroom to exist in real-time; students will be capable of finding an answer to their question as soon as it springs up or respond to one another in real-time by posting or commenting on their blogs. I must, of course, continue to educate myself on ways to infuse technology effectively and can do so by consulting the many professional websites dedicated to such endeavors. My second goal is to continue to craft lessons that allow students to display their mastery of knowledge in different ways by creating digital content. In the past, I have often felt as an English teacher that I had no choice but to assign essays in order to assess learning. I know realize that essay-writing is not an authentic experience that will be a 21st century reality. I now realize digital writing is a very different, yet valid form of writing that requires me to teach a different set of skills.
I will continue to consult the various blogs that now exist in my RSS feed to help me in my quest as well as the professional websites I have been introduced to such as Partnership for 21st Century Skills. I certainly find myself better equipped to incorporate technology in my classroom and know that my students will benefit greatly from the knowledge I have gained in this course.
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