This course has opened my eyes to the advancement of not only technology but the classroom as well. I have always set a goal in my mind to use the most technology and to create more student centered, engaging lessons. Reading about the effect that technology has on the students, in some ways surprised me. I did not realize the different uses of technology and ways that I have already prepared my students for the 21st century skills. From this course, I believe the most effective lesson taught to me focused on the skills needed to prepare my students for the 21st century. The content areas in the curriculum do not address independence, group collaboration and critical thinking. As stated in one of our resources, we should probe students and allow for students to give us the information. Most teachers feel if they are not fully educated on the topic, they will not be able to teach the material. Dr. Thornburg's colleague mentioned that we have to know more than what we mention in class, but allow the students to explore the topic as well. This strategy will bring about research and critical thinking which may challenge some knowledge of the teachers.
I have set goals to continue request new forms of technology that will help expose the students in my classroom to new technology. Due to the limited areas on the world web that we are able to access, I will also try to implement the usage of wikis, podcasts and blogs. Blogs have been one of my strongest desires to implement in the classroom but due to school rules, I am not permitted. Therefore, I will take the advice of my colleagues and begin using the blog as a resource for parents and students. From this step, I will post resources that will allow the students to use at home. I think this will open the door for more evidence that using the blogs will help improve the motivation and learning of my students.
My second goal for this upcoming year is to research my own ways of using technology in the classroom . By this, I mean learning the new technology and its uses in the classroom. I would like to master technology so that when the next technology comes out, I will be ready. I have overcome my fear of learning and advancing because I have seen so much progress since I attended elementary school. This course has helped me with a lot and to conduct a self-evaluation. I will continue to use my knowledge to advance and better the lives of my students, preparing them for the 21st century jobs.
