This course has helped me develop
my own technology skills as a professional teacher because I’ve learned that
students are digital natives based on their experience with technology and not
necessarily their age. To accommodate these digital natives, a professional
teacher must be prepared to handle students that will question information that
is on the edges of what the teacher knows.
I’ve deepened my knowledge of the
teaching and learning process because this course reinforced the necessity to
provide a variety of learning opportunities for the modern student. Not all
students will grasp technology at the same pace or even at all. Therefore, an alternate
means of teaching and learning must be in your arsenal.
As a result of this course I have
changed my perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered because
of the importance of allowing the student to take control of their own
learning. My role as a teacher or facilitator is to guide the students and help
them evaluate, synthesize, and utilize information. I plan to continue to
expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the
aim of increasing student achievement by continuing to conduct research,
literature reviews, and write grants. Doing these type of actions will allow me
to not only integrate technology into the school systems but also provide a
means to pay for it.
My two long-term goals (within two years) for
transforming my classroom environment are to use portable technologies at the
elementary level and develop a methodology that provides the right mix of
traditional and 21st century teaching and learning. I will
accomplish this by using the data from my current research project along with
the information gained from my literature reviews to determine the best
methodologies. Finally, none of my answers changed from my week 1 checklist.
