Reflection+EDLD+5364

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 first started this course, I had envisioned that we would be given scenarios on how technology could enhance students learning and that we would have to implement these into lessons and create other ways that technology could help students in the classroom. I really feel that the whole scenario we have been working on through this course is exactly what I thought it would be. Each week, adding something more to the project, working with the Google Docs and site, and updating the wiki, really allowed us different mediums to enhance our learning with technology. We had not used our wiki’s in a while,so working with those again helped bring my knowledge of them back. I had never used google docs or sites, so that was nice to work with and learn more about. I truly believe my visions of this course and what I expected really was met and I am excited to share the things I have learned with collegues and students. 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? Absolutely, the outcomes are relevant to the work I do. I am an Instructional Technologist for an elementary campus. Our job is to implement technology into teachers everday lessons. I help them in the lab, I make sure they are meeting all the TEKS, I make sure they have lessons for all students involved and at different levels. This course was just an extension of what I do daily. The lesson we did for this class is going to all my ITS at other campuses so we can use it next year. It is also going to other teachers and they too can manipulate it according to their needs. This scenario was very interesting and very challenging. It is hard to find lessons for that broad of a combination of students, but this is what occurs in classes everyday. I think some teachers have a hard time coming up with lessons that will cover such a broad spectrum of students. Most of the time the teachers are scared to implement technology into their lessons for a lesson like this because they don’t know how to work all student levels in or they don’t know enough about the technology. One of the biggest obstacles is there is not enough training or time for the teachers to actually be able to implement technology into their lessons like this and that has to change. 3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them? I do not feel like I contributed to the group as much as I would have liked. I was limited through this class. I was sick for the majority of it. I worked a lot with my group, but I feel some of it could have been done by me rather than the others in the group because this is what I do no a daily basis. I feel my “teacher” group members put more things together because I was sick. I thank them for doing it, but I wish I could have contributed more. I don’t feel like I didn’t do anything, just wanted to do more and could not due to being sick. Nothing in the class was not achieved, I feel like I was able to achieve all of the requirements. I really enjoyed this class and wish all of our classes were more like this. I was glad to use technology so much throughout the class, rather than just read or hear about it. 4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? Absolutely. I thought the course assignments were failry easy. The scenario was time consuming, still is, we are not done yet; but I feel all the assignments were done in a good amount of time. I do not feel like I spent a lot of time on any one thing, other than the big project. The scenario is where we needed to spend our time. Our time was well spent there and we were able to work on the assignments on the Google docs and site. I did not feel there was anything that truly prevented me from getting anything done, other than being sick. It’s been a long time since I have been sick this long. My daughter was also sick most of this class, so it was not fun for me sometimes. I feel some of my assignments suffered a little because I was sick. I know I could have done a better job if I was not sick. 5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes? I learned that I love my job. I have taught in the classroom for 6 years now. I have always enjoyed being in the classroom with students and teaching them everything I can about technology. I always had a problem that bothered me…I always thought, I am making a difference in one classroom and maybe 100 students. How can I make a difference in more lives and enhance the students love for technology? Well, I found it. I wanted to be an Instructional Technologist and wanted to be able to help as many teachers as I could implement technology into their lessons. Well, that is what I do now. I emplement technology into over 40 teachers lessons and help them out on a daily basis. My lessons go through as many as 750 students everyday. My teachers love the integration of technology in their lessons, they love they are given lessons they can use, and they are so welcoming of me being in their classrooms helping them out. I really love what I am doing, I love enhancing other people’s technology skills, and my attitude shines in their rooms and gets them excited about using technology in their lessons. Some of my teachers are still scared to use technology in their classrooms, but for the most part, they are all welcoming when I make suggestions. They just want to know they have the support and that I will be there to help them if they get in a bind. It definitely builds their confidence when they can complete a lesson, the students use technology, and everyone involved learns a lot about the subject and technology. I am finally doing what I think I am suppose to be doing.