EDUC+5364+-+Week+5+-+Final+Assessment

Respond in the expandable boxes below. Remember to copy and paste your responses to your wiki. 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? When I started this course, I didn’t have any clear outcomes in mind as I didn’t know what the course was all about. I wish we had been required to write what our expected outcomes were, so that I could now look back at them and address whether or not I achieved them. Without a starting point it is hard to reflect now on what I had envisioned. I did want to learn more practical methods for using technology in my classroom. As Solomon and Schrum (2007) said “The changing nature of information and the new ways our students understand and make sense of the world signal that we need new strategies and new tools for teaching and learning” (//Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.// Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education,1). No longer can education sit and think that technology is going away. So with that all in mind, my outcomes for this course would be to be better prepared to teach in this changing world. I achieved these outcomes as I read and watched video clips about some of the ways that lesson planning has or needs to change. UDL methods meet the changing needs of our students. As we worked on the group project we examined the things that need to be included in a series of lessons for a very diverse student population. We also considered how we will assess the work. I learned how to more effectively use a Google doc or a wiki site to promote, encourage, and present learning. If I had to list any weakness in the course I would say it was the over use of reflection, or more specifically, non-focused reflection. Every week we had to do three to four comments on the discussion board, a wiki reflection on the week, a discussion or reflection on our group Google doc and even some on our Google site. By week four I found it hard to think of original things to say, as we kept coming back to the same work. Now this week we are reflecting about 8 times. I believe that reflection and discussion are valuable because it forces you to think about what you are learning and what you do, but it can also distract, when the purpose becomes less focused. I believe the course’s outcomes aligned with what I ultimately envisioned. “…the world has changed; our students have changed, and traditional schools are no longer up to the task of educating young people for the future” (1). As a result of the course, I am a little more prepared to taking on the task of using technology when educating our young people, and working with teachers so that they are more comfortable with the technology. 2. To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not? As a result of the course, I am a little more prepared to taking on the task of using technology when educating our young people, and working with teachers so that they are more comfortable with the technology. I don’t know if I’ll ever have all the answers, because technology is evolving so quickly. This is very relevant to the work that I do. As a teacher I can apply the skills I have learned. Already I am working on setting up an assignment that is a spin off of what we did in our UDL plans. My students are going to use Google documents, wikis, and Photostory to create their own autobiographical piece. As a teacher that helps other teachers with technology, I have gained confidence to assist others. As well, I have been more reflective of how I can help bring others on board. I will be working with a group of teachers to teach them how to use a new software the district has purchased. With regards to students, I have done a lot of reflecting on how to make my limited resources work, so that I don’t use the lack of equipment as an excuse for not doing anything. The UDL planning has implications for my very diverse class population. I have seen how technology has transformed not only my teaching, but also the learning that is going on in the class. “Technology enhances the goal-setting process by providing organizational and communication tools that make it easier to clarify the learning objectives. Technology also give teachers access to resources that can help them identify and refine standards and objectives” (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 18). So are the outcomes I have achieved relevant; they definitely are. 3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them? As I didn’t have a clear set of outcomes in mind when I started the course, it is hard to answer this question. If one of the outcomes had been working with more than blogs and wikis then I did not achieve that. It seems that the program has chosen blogs and wikis to be the two main technologies that we will use. I think I would like to have explored more. I chose to learn Inspiration, as it was a program I had not used, and I am excited about the possibilities that are in this software. I think that the reason I didn’t achieve learning more was a combination of time constraints and the fact that the course really left it up to us to learn on our own. I understand the group project, but wonder if that amount of time commitment could have been spent on developing more smaller lessons. 4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? I was successful in completing the course assignments. Although I went through my husband being hospitalized with heart issues, and I getting pneumonia, I think it is amazing that I got everything done. I think part of what helped was that I had really good group members, and I didn’t have to worry about them not doing their part. Everyone was very professional and helped each other if there were questions. I had worked with Robyn Jacobs before, so when I approached Robyn I knew that she is a conscientious person, and does good work. Again, I would have to say that the time constraints may have prevented me from doing more. I am pleased with the lesson unit plan that our team did, and I am pleased with my portion. If I had had more time I may have added even more. 5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes? What did I learn about myself, my technology and leadership skills, and my attitudes? I learned that I have learned a lot over the last year of course work. As I went back to the Solomon and Schrum book I reread information that had been so new a year ago, and were now things that I understand. I reinforced that I am a conscientious team member and am willing to work hard to make sure I don’t let my team mates down. I also learned that I have let the lack of resources in my school frustrate me, but not activate me. I may grumble about not having the technology in my room, but I have not been proactive enough in pushing to get what I want/need. This became more clear to me as I listened to the Edutopia video clips in week 5. These forward thinking people did not let things stand in their way, but rather they made things happen. This is something that I must do. I recognize that our district and school may not be providing what I want or think is important, and that my frustration isn’t with myself, but with my desire to provide the best possible instruction and learning opportunities for my students. As a technology leader I need to rise above my issues and find out what is available and what I can do to make the school more technology centered. Maybe if others come on board, administration will be more committed to make technology a priority. I know that I have good leadership skills, and I think that with the technology skills that I am learning I will make a good Technology Leader in my school / district. I am excited to do this. Already I have taken a step to lead the staff in a training session on some new software that our district has purchased. As well, I am finding that I am helping more and more teachers when they need assistance. Another, more subtle thing I am doing is just talking to the staff about the exciting things that I am learning. I want them to feel my excitement, and maybe consider working with me on something. Our school has spent time this year talking about differentiated instruction, and many things we have learned in this course have addressed this. “A teacher who incorporates technology greatly expands the pool of resources, means of instructional presentation and support, and modes of product creation available to students, and is thus better equipped to meet varying student needs” (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 217).
 * Course Reflection Prompts **