Personal Learning Reflection
Sonja Brooks
CEP 810 - Summer 2010
What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?
When integrating technology into the classroom the teacher must keep in mind utilizing appropriate
teaching strategies. Incorporating active learning, student discovery, reinforcing skills and providing feedback. Online activities are a great way to incorporate cooperative learning either in the classroom or even extended to other schools through internet capabilities.
How did integrating the Internet help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
I had never experienced a blog, voice thread, or PowerPoint narration before this course.. I am currently working on a project with my first grade students in writing that uses this technology. It is a writing lesson where we are writing about small moments in our lives. Each child chose a small moment. They worked very hard last week on writing a story with a beginning, middle, and end. This coming week they will be editing and collaborating with partners as they do so. The following week we will be inviting parent helpers to come in ad aid us in creating a classroom blog where their stories will be posted. The students will then have the opportunity to turn their story into a movie. The images will be scanned from illustrations they have made for their stories. Voice thread or PowerPoint narration will be used to add the sound of the child reading their own story.
Which of the educational application assignments that you turned in do you feel really exemplifies good teaching with technology and why?
I believe the word file and the excel file I turned in really exemplifies good teaching with technology. The word file is a very user friendly document that will help me communicate important information with parents. The excel file is a great tool for tracking DRA scores and providing data on each student.
How have you met your goals established in your personal goal statement?
I had set three main goals for myself in this course. The first of these goals is to use technology in positive ways to deliver instruction, to use technology to give students practice on concepts being taught, and to use technology to aide instruction, not just to use it. I believe that I have learned a lot about strategies to use when considering technology. Reaching my students with the curriculum content successfully is my first and foremost goal. Technology can be a tool to help me attain that goal. The articles we read and the tips I received from the course are very helpful in making my technological considerations for my students. Now that I am more familiar with applications that are available to me, this will be an easier goal to attain. I have a deeper understanding of what is capable to accomplish through technology and how to use it even with our youngest learners.
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 new goal is to start applying the concepts I have learned within the classroom. The writing project is my first attempt. I am very excited to see how it turns out. Last week I learned that computer lab as a special is being cut from our first graders day next year. It will be up to me to make sure they are exposed to technology and start learning how to use it... and using it to learn!
When integrating technology into the classroom the teacher must keep in mind utilizing appropriate
teaching strategies. Incorporating active learning, student discovery, reinforcing skills and providing feedback. Online activities are a great way to incorporate cooperative learning either in the classroom or even extended to other schools through internet capabilities.
How did integrating the Internet help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
I had never experienced a blog, voice thread, or PowerPoint narration before this course.. I am currently working on a project with my first grade students in writing that uses this technology. It is a writing lesson where we are writing about small moments in our lives. Each child chose a small moment. They worked very hard last week on writing a story with a beginning, middle, and end. This coming week they will be editing and collaborating with partners as they do so. The following week we will be inviting parent helpers to come in ad aid us in creating a classroom blog where their stories will be posted. The students will then have the opportunity to turn their story into a movie. The images will be scanned from illustrations they have made for their stories. Voice thread or PowerPoint narration will be used to add the sound of the child reading their own story.
Which of the educational application assignments that you turned in do you feel really exemplifies good teaching with technology and why?
I believe the word file and the excel file I turned in really exemplifies good teaching with technology. The word file is a very user friendly document that will help me communicate important information with parents. The excel file is a great tool for tracking DRA scores and providing data on each student.
How have you met your goals established in your personal goal statement?
I had set three main goals for myself in this course. The first of these goals is to use technology in positive ways to deliver instruction, to use technology to give students practice on concepts being taught, and to use technology to aide instruction, not just to use it. I believe that I have learned a lot about strategies to use when considering technology. Reaching my students with the curriculum content successfully is my first and foremost goal. Technology can be a tool to help me attain that goal. The articles we read and the tips I received from the course are very helpful in making my technological considerations for my students. Now that I am more familiar with applications that are available to me, this will be an easier goal to attain. I have a deeper understanding of what is capable to accomplish through technology and how to use it even with our youngest learners.
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 new goal is to start applying the concepts I have learned within the classroom. The writing project is my first attempt. I am very excited to see how it turns out. Last week I learned that computer lab as a special is being cut from our first graders day next year. It will be up to me to make sure they are exposed to technology and start learning how to use it... and using it to learn!
