Reflection

      I have always felt confident in my technology skills as a professional.  This course has helped me to further develop my own technology skills as a professional teacher in many ways.  First, I learned how to use web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, and podcasting.  Web 2.0 tools are concepts I had heard about but had never known how to use them, create them, or knew their purpose.  Now, I can take these tools into the classroom and introduce them to my students to better prepare them for the 21st-century workplace.  Employers are using many of these web 2.0 tools today.  Additionally, I can teach other staff members how to use these tools in their classroom.  The aforementioned examples are just a few ways that this course has helped me to develop my technology skills professionally.

      I have deepened my knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning process in various ways.  This course has helped me to see that students need to be more actively engaged in their learning.  This means that I need to be more of a facilitator and guide the students learning instead of lecturing the students.  In addition, students have access to a wide variety of technology at home and at school.  Students should, therefore, be using the technology to prepare them for the future jobs that have yet to be created.  With this understanding of the unknown future employment opportunities, I need to ensure that my students are prepared.  Likewise, students need to have real-world problems to solve creatively to help prepare them for those jobs.  Furthermore, students need to have the basic skills of keyboarding, searching for valid information on the Internet, and be able to determine the validity of that information.  Using this knowledge and information to guide my teaching will better prepare my students for the future.

      My thinking has changed from being teacher-centered to being learner-centered.  When I plan my lessons now, I try to think of ways that the students can be engaged more in small group discussions.  I have even looked into creating some centers where the students can explore concepts on an independent level or in small groups.  Another way that my teaching focus has changed is by trying to incorporate more technology rich experiences.  The students used to go to the computer for taking exams on the computer and for a few minutes once a week they worked on a math or reading program.  I would now like for them to work in small groups researching information about something that is important to them.  I would also like to have the students work a blog throughout the year.

      There are many ways to continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement.  Researching new technology and how it is used in the classroom is one way I can continue to grow.  Another way is to reach out to other technology specialists in my district for ideas to use in the classroom.  Additionally, I can take coursework at my local college.  Most importantly, just by using the available technology will help to ensure that I do not lose the technology skills that I have recently gained.

      Numerous long-term goals come to mind immediately for transforming my classroom environment.  One goal I would like to reach within two years would be to take a technology survey of my students each year to see what the students know and have access to.  With this information I would like to have the students share what they know about technology with the other students in the classroom.  Another goal I would like to meet within two years is to successfully teach my students basic computer skills.  Concepts such as how to turn on and off the computer, where the keys are on the keyboard, and searching the Internet for information are examples of some of the basic computer skills I would like to teach my students.  

      Meeting these goals will take some time and planning.  I plan on teaching the students how to turn on and off the computers by assigning a student that job in the classroom.  For one week, it will be that student’s job to make sure the computers are ready for the day.  Then that person will teach the next person for the following week.  Each of the 5 computers in my classroom has a typing tutorial on them.  I will send groups of students to the computer to practice keyboarding skills each day.  Finally, I will guide the students through some lessons on locating valid information on the Internet while doing animal reports. 

      In regards to the checklist that was done at the onset of this class, many of my answers have changed.  In the “Practices to Support 21st Century Skills” section, many of my answers changed from “rarely” to “sometimes,” with a few going to the “often.”  For example, “Providing students with opportunities for sharing and presenting information in multiple ways, with a choice of medium (text, multi-media, graphics, etc.), my answer changed from “rarely” to “often.”  In the “Developing Technology skills for the school and workplace environments” section, my answers changed in “Promote the development of leadership and technology skills in my students and colleagues” from “sometimes” to “often.”

Podcast

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/10741

Partnership of 21st-Century Skills

Evaluating 21^st-Century Skills

 

            I am both excited and aggravated by the Partnership for 21^st-Century Skills website.  I am excited that such an organization exists.  There needs to be advocacy for 21^st-century learners.  The students of today need skills and technology to prepare them for the 21^st-century and beyond workplace.  Technology literacy for all learners needs to be the goal for the Unites States.  Other countries are preparing their citizens with the skills they need now.  It is a shame that only fifteen states are on board with this organization and trying to do something to prepare their students for the future with appropriate skills.  Many of the current jobs are outsourced because we are not preparing our students for these jobs.  However, I love that the Partnership organization is trying to work collaboratively with educators, business, and government and community leaders to better prepare our students for the future workplace.

            I was surprised to see so many companies and organizations associated with the Partnership for 21^st-Century Skills.  Many of them are big name companies that we all know: Apple, NEA, Dell, and Verizon to name a few.  I was elated to see that the Partnership is also pushing for professional development.  Teachers need to have professional development to aid in preparation of our learners.  It was also great to see that there was a readiness guide and information about how to get involved.

So far, I have not found anything that I disagree with.

            If this Partnership could get the whole nation involved, it would be interesting to see if all graduates would be a commodity that would be desired by employers inside and outside of the U.S.  Not only will our students be prepared for the future, many of them will be able to pull themselves out of poverty.  Our nation’s poverty rate could potentially decrease dramatically.  Students in every classroom will be prepared to meet a 21^st-century workplace and have a sense of confidence knowing that they have the appropriate skills.

Week 2 Application

In my third grade classroom, I think I would use a blog initially for informational purposes and then later on to showcase student work.  My students have very little keyboarding skills since we lost our computer lab three years ago due to budget cuts.  I would like to start with the students first seeing the site and what it can do for our classroom and community.  Students and parents will see information about what is going on in the classroom.  Concepts we are learning for the month, what tests will be coming up, lunch menus, birthdays, etc. will be posted for all to see.  Then I would then like to build upon that by having students submit at least one assignment a trimester (hopefully more depending on their keyboarding skills).  Hopefully this will encourage the students to improve upon their keyboarding skills and practice at home.  I would also like to add onto this site links to things we are learning about or PowerPoint presentations about lessons being taught in the classroom.  Students and parents will be able to get help with things that students are having trouble with.  Additionally, I could possibly post the homework on here for students to get, in case they forget their homework.  I think a blog is a good tool because it can help make connections with the parents and what is going on in the classroom.  Parents will be aware of what is going on and be able to support their child at home when the child asks questions about an assignment.

Searching for Classroom Technology

At the end of the 2010-11 school year, my SMARTboard was finally installed in my classroom.  The program is being installed on my school's laptop this summer.  So, the search begins for programs to use with my SMARTboard.  I am so excited to begin to bring my classroom into the 21-century by utilizing technology to help meet the needs of the diverse learners in my classroom.