Teaching+with+Technology+-+Final+Assessment

 1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
 * Course Reflection Prompts **

I was very excited to see the title of this course “Teaching with Technology”. This is my first year being a campus technology specialist and the more ideas that I can share with my teachers the better. I do not have as many teachers coming to my computer lab as I would like, so I envisioned sharing technology activities with them that would entice them to take their students to my lab. I have come up with some more ideas for the teachers to use in my lab, but as far as sharing them and getting them to come, that is a slower process than I would have hoped, but not the fault of this course. The lesson activities that my group came up with will be a great help to my teachers next year, but they have just recently taught that unit. I got what I wanted from the course, but as far as the actual implementation in my job, it will eventually happen, just not as quickly as I would have liked.

2. To the extent that you achived the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

I have gained a lot of knowledge on how to integrate technology into the classroom, and being that I am the campus technology specialist at my school, it is definitely relevant to my work. This class will help me work with teachers and instruct them on ways that they can use technology to help them teach a unit. After creating the UDL activities, I feel especially knowledgeable on ways to help teachers create projects that will enhance the students’ education, while meeting their learning needs. I also feel more comfortable instructing teachers on how they can use their classroom blogs to improve, and expand upon, their instruction. Perhaps, even more importantly, I feel better equipped to convince teachers the importance of having their students learn with technology. The most difficult thing I face as a campus technology specialist is teachers’ resistance to using technology in their instruction, and this class has prepared me to be able to argue the importance that students gain the skills necessary to work and succeed in today’s technologically advanced job market.

 3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

The outcome that I did not achieve yet is helping my teachers integrate technology into their lessons. Time has been the biggest factor in preventing this from happening. The UDL activities that my group created for this class will be helpful for next year, but is too late coming for my teachers, since they have recently completed the unit over weather. I would like to assist them in creating other technology lessons, but have had a limited amount of time to help them this time of year. Between Christmas fast approaching and the completion of this class, I have been swamped. I am not going to let this stop me though. I will have time over the break and in January to come up with other technology rich activities for teachers to do with their students. I look forward to assisting them in this, and watching the students excel with the motivation that technology brings to them.

4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

I was successful in completing all the course assignments. Some of the assignments were a bit time consuming, especially in week three, but they were also the most beneficial assignments in the class. I felt that these assignments really put what we were reading about into practice. The UDL book builder was neat, and as soon as I finished mine, I sent it out to all the science teachers along with information on how they can make their own. I enjoyed it so much that I also sent it to the technology coordinator to share with other campuses. The single most time consuming assignment was the UDL lesson plan. This was also very helpful in thinking about how to create a project that reaches the needs of all the learners, as well as creating a deeper understanding of the material. I believe the reason that I did not have trouble completing the assignments is because I found them engaging and very useful to me in my position.

5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

I really enjoyed the class, Teaching with Technology. It made me aware of how much else is out there in the way of integrating technology into the classroom, and was a bit humbling realizing how much else I need to learn about and try in the classroom. I appreciate that the use of technology is such an important skill for these students to learn and master, but at the same time, I feel that as the campus technology specialist I have not done enough to help the teachers integrate it into their lessons. In the past, I have felt that they should come to me when they need help, but now I realize it is my job to go to them and assist them in the making of technology rich lessons. They may not realize all that is available to them, or how they can use it to aid students in learning. Since taking this course, there will be a change in how I perform my job.

