Course Reflection: This has been my third ITD course to take. I’ve enjoyed getting to see the similarity of all the courses while integrating new skills as well. This course taught me to dive deep into the understanding of why technology is important to use in a classroom setting. ITD 645 taught me to take into perspective the safety and regulations of technology in a classroom. As a teacher in the twenty first century, technology is a big part of my world. This class has pushed me to continue exploring the different technology tools, while also taking into consideration the safety of my students in the social web. Technology brings a lot of greatness into a classroom, but it must be used carefully. Teachers and instructors could benefit a lot from this class due to the advancements it teaches in the technology tools of today. The main thing I took from this class, is the amount of technology there is for people with different types of disabilities. I was able to learn that there are special keyboards, screens, and even audio tools that help people with vision disabilities to people who may be autistic. Although I have not had any students with major disabilities, it was nice to see that there are tools I can use in my classroom to help make their learning transition in the class smoother. Illustrate your strong and weak points My strong points were in the design process of creating PowerPoints and even the different types of websites for the class. I’ve always enjoyed playing around with the different patterns and tools to create an aesthetically pleasing project. It also helps that I have taken classes through my master’s program and one in Undergrad that trained me in the art of web design. I’m not a master at it by all means, but it is something I have grown comfortable with and enjoy. As to my weak point, I’d have to say that working on papers and communicating my thoughts in writing has been the hardest. Writing has always been difficult as English is my second language, but I do enjoy the challenges. I have been made to practice different types of writing skills which have helped strengthen my abilities. I believe that a without challenges we would never be able to grow and succeed. I like to strive for greatness and pushing myself in uncomfortable projects such as the lesson plan we did is helping me grow into a stronger and better teacher. ISTE Standards Learner - Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning. Project 1 consisted of a website we had to create to keep weekly blogs of all the projects done for the class. That was the first learning curve thrown our way. At first it all seemed simple, but the truth is that I began to run into some problems with the website creation. I researched YouTube videos to find answers but even then, the videos were outdated or did not concentrate on the topic I needed guidance in. This is where my group came into the picture. We began contacting each other with questions starting on week one. Group projects can be overwhelming at times but having a group to grow in our technology journey was a big help when it came to independent work. Another way I was able to improve my learning was by relying on our book and learning from all of the chapters. Each chapter went in depth with what one could do to incorporate technology in a classroom setting. Leader - Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student empowerment and success and to improve teaching and learning. Projects 1 and 2 are the projects where my group and I advocated for the importance of technology in a classroom. We created a grant where we explained the needs of each technology tool we needed. It gave us the opportunity to be leaders and support a cause that could benefit many students in the long run. Project two later concentrated in the creation of the lesson plans where William and I worked to incorporate the best practices for students in the class. As leaders we all made sure to provide the best for our students success. Citizen - Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibility to participate in the digital world. The internet is a place where one can find fascinating educational tools but can also bump into negativity of the world. Students today are surrounded by different social media platforms. In one of our book chapters, we learned the importance of internet safety. A way to help ourselves and our students become good samaritans of the internet is by emphasizing internet safety in the classroom. Teachers or instructors should be aware of the types of websites students will be utilizing in the classroom. Teachers should also emphasize the importance of proper collaboration on projects that include sharing documents such as google docs., Slides, forms, and many more. ITD 645 made great points to install positivity of collaboration in our students at a young age rather than waiting until they are older. In our day and time of technology it is more important to begin internet safety policy to hopefully eliminate inappropriate use of technology tools in the future. Collaborator - Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems. I have been very lucky to always end up with wonderful group members that are dedicated to strive for greatness. My group in this class consisted of three wonderful members that came from all different working backgrounds. I believe that it was because of our job backgrounds that we were all able to accomplish so much as a group. We communicated through text and zoom the most. Meanwhile, all of our projects were shared through google docs, slides, forms, and drive for easy access when it came to collaborating in big projects. I have always enjoyed group projects because I am able to take others’ ideas and utilize them in my own classroom. Also, having a set group of people to collaborate with can help with solve problems in projects we may not understand. My overall experience with collaboration in this class was great and I look forward to continue collaborating with my group outside of class when it comes to technology tools we can all benefit from. Designer - Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability. Designing lesson plans and projects can be fun but making sure that all are engaging and learner-driven can sometimes be a challenge. When creating an instructional design course or just a plain lesson plan, the instructor or teacher must make sure to follow a process, such as utilizing Bloom’s taxonomy, to create measurable objectives for students to complete at the end of lessons. Teachers or instructors must then utilize those plans to create and accommodate different types of learners to make learning engaging. Tools such as Edpuzzle (project 8) were design to include an in-classroom experience with audio and visuals for students. It was one of my favorite tools to use as an educator that brought in a digital environment that accommodated all types of learners to enjoy and understand. Facilitator - Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students. Project 10 allowed us to become facilitators of learning experiences. The purpose of the project was to create quizzes that would check for understanding at the end of a unit. The technology supported interactive learning which led to success from the student’s engagement. Not only was I able to facilitate interactive quizzes, I facilitated video recordings, Google Slides, and podcast to help students understand the meanings of arrays, rows, columns, and addition equations. Analyst - Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals. This class reminded me of the importance of following an objective. With well establish objectives, one sets themselves for greatness with establishing goals for future lessons. Objects are the key that helps operate the data of student growth. Another way this class helped me understand how to support student growth, was by creating a rubric in one of our projects. The rubric helped as guidelines for students to complete a project with the appropriate learning goals. I personally love a checklist and a rubric is a checklist with more depth that will drive success. How I would use these technologies Coming from an elementary teacher background who just experienced a pandemic, I can say that most of the tools learned in this class have already been use in my classroom. I utilized surveys to collect student data from parents in the beginning of the year. I used recordings to assign homework or center actives that needed to be done at home or during independent work in class. I used Google Slides to create fun interactive lessons that caught my students’ eyes. The one tool I have never used in my classroom has been Edpuzzle. This is a new tool I plan to use as a listening center this coming up school year. I love the way you can connect video recordings of yourself or of others while checking for understanding of a story. Overall, all technology tools are and will find a way in my classroom in the near future.
3 Comments
William Washington
7/25/2021 08:47:26 am
Paulette,
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Teresa Washington
7/25/2021 10:59:17 am
Paulette,
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Steven Winters
7/25/2021 04:06:26 pm
Paulette, it was a pleasure working with you this semester. I enjoyed your insights from the traditional teaching environment. I agree with you 100% on learning how to deliver digital educational content more securely. Before this class, I did not give it a ton of thought. However, know it is in the front of my mind when designing online educational tools. I also agree with your strengths; you are very creative and it shows in your designs of PowerPoints and images.
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AuthorPaulette Vargas |