Final Refection of 6711

Before I entered this course, I thought that using a projector and a PowerPoint to introduce new material meant that I was utilizing technology. I was very mistaken and am extremely glad that I got the chance to take this course. There are many courses that you take that sometimes do not give you real life applications to use inside of your classroom. I feel that out of all of the courses that I have taken in the past, this course by far has taught me the most and has given me the most real life applications to use in my classroom.

My personal theory of learning has not changed from the beginning of this course. What has changed from the start of this course is the way that I am going to create meaningful learning experiences in my classroom. Creating hands- on experiences makes sure that a child is engaged within their learning and then the information will have a better chance to be embedded into their minds. Just like the cognitivist perspective towards learning, information is stored and then used when needed. Incorporating virtual field trips and VoiceThread’s throughout various learning experiences will enable the students to create new meaningful experiences and then look back to help remind themselves of what they learned. As I stated before, my theory of learning has not changed, just the way I will approach teaching the material.

I have already started to use VoiceThread inside of my classroom. It was a fun introduction to it on my own personal email address. I still have to get permission from my student’s parents to get them an email address. We are going to use this as a way to get student’s opinions about topics and allow them to create their own VoiceThread’s pertaining to their Greek Gods and Goddesses. They are very excited to use this new technology and I am too. Using this technology will get them excited and drive them to do their best work. Another tool that I want to use is a classroom blog. I have tried this in the past, but after taking this course I think that my skills have become more advanced and I feel that my students will be able to successfully blog. This will enhance their communication skills and give every student a chance to speak their mind. I would also like to use / implement virtual field trips. We are currently studying Ancient Greece and Egypt. To get them more involved and interested in their topics, a virtual field trip will enable them to visit places they never ever would get a chance to.

A long term goal that I have is to become an expert on having a blog within my classroom. There are many benefits to having a classroom blog, if done properly. I want to be able to have open communication on a daily basis with my class and create an open forum for the students as well as the parents. I have signed up for a blogging professional development from my district and currently am taking a course in website design.

Another long term goal that I want to use within my classroom is going on virtual learning field trips. Finding meaningful learning experiences would help the students grasp information via the internet. Using this tool, especially in social studies, would help greatly. Not many of these students will or would get a chance to visit places around the world. It is a great way to get them involved and see things that they would never ever have a chance to.

During this course, I was introduced to Google Docs. I want to learn how to use this tool to help myself and others within my school. I do not have a grasp on how to use it properly and am currently attempting to figure out how to use this effectively.

Technology is a very intriguing and a very exciting part of education.

Voice Thread

I tried this new amazing technology called a voice thread. This is my first time ever trying to create a voice thread. I hope that it works!

voicethread.com/share/896569/

Cooperative Learning = Social Learning

Cooperative learning is critical for a student to obtain knowledge for themselves allowing them to construct their own ideas / thoughts about a particular topic. It enables them to bounce ideas off of each other giving each other confidence and the willingness to learn. Using cooperative learning groups also promotes social interaction between the students and allows them to become friends inside and outside of school.

The internet has opened amazing and endless possibilities for educators that allow students the ability to cooperate. Students can create projects together outside of school while being at their own houses. Things on the web such as blogs, wikis, and voice threads, makes it possible so that students can interact and share their own personal feelings / thoughts with each other with out the notion of being wrong. I think the internet allows a student to speak their mind and express their true feelings.

One thing that stuck out to me that I never thought about before I read this section in the book is the Web - Enabled Multiplayer Simulation Games section. I didn’t make the connection between the students getting online to play a game and the social interaction that one has while doing such a thing. I have tried this before and it is strange to be able to talk to somebody from a different county while playing a game with them. It is a great tool that can be utilized inside of the classroom if done properly.

It is amazing now a days all the other tools at students finger tips that allows them to interact with each other such as, twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and Podcasts; just to name a few. I am trying to use Podcasting in my classroom after the last course I took but it is so hard to be able to fit it in with the rest of the stuff that is needed to get done on a daily basis. I am currently half way done with teaching my class how to Podcast and trying to get a Podcast done with them. I hope that it works!