CEP 811 Final Reflections

CEP 811 was awesome!  It was definitely hard work for someone with my technological abilities but I managed to figure things out along the way and here I am at the end of the class, reflecting about what I've learned.  If you would have asked me eight weeks ago how to integrate technology into my classroom, my answer would be way different than it is now.  This course has taught me that simply using technology in a lesson does not necessarily make it effective.  The TPACK Webquest taught me that it takes a balance between technology, pedagogy, and content to make an effective lesson and hit the "sweet spot".  Some strategies I may use in order to incorporate technology into my classroom is to use it as a means of communication for students to interact with me, with each other, and with parents.  I could also have students use it to aid with research and with group projects (Google Docs!).  

The web-based technologies we used in this course have really made me more aware of what's out there.  Most of what we used is something my fourth grade students would be able to use as well.  My StAIR is a great resource that I plan to use with my students.  Google Docs is my new favorite online tool for many reasons.  I learned a lot from the group Webquest we did and I would like to try something similar with my students.  These are a few of many online tools that can truly enrich a lesson and the classroom as a whole.  Using the internet as a way for students to interact with each other and with the material is a new concept for me.  Blogs, RSS Feeds, Webpage creation, and StAIR are tools I would one day like to use with my class.


I have met my own personal goals for learning about technology integration.  This course has taught me numerous types of technology tools that I can use in my classroom and for personal use as well. Not only did I learn about them but how to use them as well.  In addition, I had the opportunity to create a Stand Alone Instructional Resource (StAIR).  This was a challenging project but I was very pleased with the results and I'm looking forward to using it in my classroom.  I am so  happy to have a better feel for Microsoft PowerPoint now.  What I wanted was to gain some ideas and tools to use in the classroom that involve technology and that is exactly what I got.

My new goal is to take some of the things that I have learned and created in this course and implement them in my classroom.  I'm looking forward to getting feedback from my students and seeing the results. I'm confident that they will learn from these new tools and enjoy using them as well.  In order to reach these goals, I will have to ease my way into it.  The first thing I will start with is a class blog.  I will do all the writing and eventually assign groups to write blogs.  I will create a class RSS feed page.  Each student will find one or two topics to use on our page.  Google Docs will be something I will use frequently.  I would also like to use my new knowledge and skills in my next online course.  My long term goals will be met as I gradually integrate these skills into my classroom and continue to take online technology classes.