Reflection on Course 6715

The fact that I'm discussing how I might influence the use of technology at my school is in itself evidence of the ways in which my view and knowledge of technology has changed. I not only will continue to use technology in my classrooms, but I will also search for new and better tools to offer my students. I think the best way to influence others at my school is simply through integrating technology into my teaching and sharing the results with my colleagues. I will also ask for help and advice from those who are already using technology.
I have already spoken with the technology consultant for our school and we have made tentative plans to meet this summer so that I can have at least a blog and maybe a Moodle site ready for the start of school next year. I hope to be able to purchase more electronic lab equipment for use with a computer graphing program and a classroom camera to record labs.
I will encounter the most resistance in my efforts to change district policies regarding use of students' hand held electronic devices which most administrators see only from the perspective of student misuse. One way to approach that issue would be to try to get grant money for the purchase of netbooks or iPods for one of my classes and try it on a trial basis, working out the rules, consequences, etc with a committee of students, parents and teachers.

Reflection Course 6714

The awareness and use of technology in my instruction has been one of my weakest areas. It is the reason I chose this specialization in my pursuit of my Master’s degree.
Not only do I now understand what types of technology are available, I
also know of the research supporting its use and the importance of
incorporating it into my teaching and into my students’ learning. I will continue to update my knowledge
through workshops and personal research so that I gain more confidence and
skill in seamlessly adding technology to my list of methods to reach and teach
all students.

Next year I will have all of my students on a classroom blog and/or wiki and they will have to post answers to questions, updates on projects and homework comments. I plan to start using the remote "clicker" system this year for pre-assessment and for review. I am interested in trying to purchase flip cameras, especially for use in my physics class so students can record their lab investigations and their presentations of the results. I have a collection of good resources from my classmates which I will be able to use in planning for next year.