Week 5 reflection

This class was definitely not what I expected. I wrongly assumed that this course would discuss how to effectively lead teachers through lesson planning, professional development activities, and leading teachers through instructional activities. Boy, was I wrong! When I realized the class was about technology I was totally intimidated. The most technology I used in my classroom was smart boards, mp3 players and computer with special software. What did I know about blogging..... nothing! As I started to understand what the class was about I found myself thinking about what I could utilize in my classroom constantly. I would literally wake up in the morning thinking about how to use a wiki or a blog in conjunction with certain lesson plans and TEKS. I also started to look for classes I could take in and out of my district to help me develop my technology skills. I was able to develop my own web page and take a class on pod casting in the classroom. I am certainly not an expert after this class, but I definitely developed some skill and got creative juices flowing in regards to technology. I was also able to talk to some of my peers and colleagues in the technology departments and understand their point of view and how their skill set can be utilized. I learned that if I have an idea that is feasible, the tech department loves a challenge and will rise to any occasion. How cool is that?

I believe that I learned more in this class, and have been more challenged by the content than in any of my previous classes. I definitely was challenged by the reading and all of the discussion board postings. I didn't know if I would make it through the course after that first week. The creating of the blog was interesting and outside my comfort zone. I was pretty frustrated when I had to convert my PowerPoint and post it. I had to read the directions, then read them again, then get frustrated, then achieve my goal. It would have been much easier to simply press the "submit" button like I had been able to previously! Everything I learned in the course is completely relevant to my job. My area of expertise is in special education and my students respond particularly well to any kind of technology to which they are exposed. The aspect of technology in an assignment is less intimidating to them than a pen and paper assignment. Blogging, creating websites, and having a class wiki (posting their own definitions for vocabulary) are of extreme interest to all of my students, and to me!

I do not feel that there were any outcomes that I desired to achieve that I didn't accomplish. This is because, honestly, I did not know what to expect from this course. I was able to successfully accomplish all of my assignments (written portion) on time (except the final assignment) because I worked hard. I found I had to pace myself with all of the readings and try to respond to my peers in the early part of the week, so I could accomplish the lengthy assignments, including interviews on time. This became very challenging the final two weeks because of responsibilities at work. Everyone knows how busy it is trying to work those final weeks before the holiday break! Yikes! I did become discouraged at times with the discussion board. Often I would post and there would only be a few other posts to respond to at the time. This made it difficult for me to post the required numbers of posts every week. However, I also realized that others were struggling with the same problem. However, the discussion board was also a place to learn that many other teachers believe the same things that I do about technology - including the challenges and the excitement it will bring to the classroom. I also learned from these discussions that I am extremely lucky to work for the district I work for because we have so much available to us. We also have a great tech department that rises to the occasion.

I learned so much from this course, but most of all I learned that I need to challenge myself in the area of integrating technology into my classroom, and encouraging my colleagues to do the same. I think that one of the biggest things I learned is not to be intimidated by blogging, or really by any piece of technology. There is always some place or someone to help me acquire the information and knowledge that I need. I just need to look, ask, and work hard. Also, I was reminded by how much my students can teach me. If I struggle with technology, they struggle with math or maybe writing, so we can share information and work as a team to build our knowledge base. That is so cool! My attitude about technology in the classroom is positive and I embrace the concepts presented in this class. I love the blogging, the wiki, the discussion boards, the ideas about filtering. With the knowledge I have acquired I can ask intelligent questions, help with policy changes, and help my peers integrate technology into our school at a much faster, efficient pace. I do know that you can't lead others where you haven't been or where you aren't willing to go. So, that is my attitude - to go where I need to to achieve the technological gains that our students need.

The educational value in blogging is the expression of ideas that is allowed. Blogging inspires creativity, independence and time for thought. It stimulates the mind, in a way that a pen and paper can't, just by the nature of the idea that thousands of people can read what you write. That is independence and power in students that feel powerless in their education. Some of the concerns that blogging may cause is inappropriate postings. This can be fully addressed by clear expectations being taught in the classroom. It also is addressed by proper monitoring of the blog by adults. The key to all of this is clear, concise policy that is enforced properly. The bottom line is that the opportunity that blogging will give our students is worth the effort on our part. Happy blogging!