Final Reflections on ED 5670-T1 Literacy and Technology Course (MSMC)

I foresee my job as a teacher as giving children the experiences, information and skills they need at their developmental age so that they may fully experience what they are capable of doing in the world. Part of that endeavor will involve making school a meaningful place. Children deserve to spend their days doing things they are interested in and having fun as they learn. My goal is to make my classroom a place that students look forward to coming to each morning because they perceive it as a place that is fun, rewarding, positive and interesting.  I want to make my students believe in themselves as learners and discover their innate passion for learning about the world and what they are capable of doing and discovering in it. My personal goal is to learn the technical and theoretical aspects of my job well enough to think and operate at a mastery level so that I can most aptly provide appropriate, student-centered activities that match students’ developmental levels. Eventually, my hope is to spend a majority of my energy and focus on providing high-quality, research-based instruction that is highly tailored to the interests and needs of all of my students.

I hope to use technology as one of the key tools for bringing my classroom to life for my students and having it embody authentic aspects of kids’ own lives.  As such, technology should help make my classroom a place that students enjoy spending time in and look forward to coming to each morning.  One exciting realization I have had with regards to using technology in my classroom is the fact that it can serve as a means for students to collaborate with me to collectively learn about new advances in technology tools. That is one way that students can feel like they are part of a community where everyone respects what each person has to offer so far as experiences, know-how and skills.  This will communicate that I as the teacher respect them as individuals and am willing to learn from them.

One piece of information that I greatly value from taking ED 5670-T1 is the LoTi paradigm for technology implementation in classrooms. This will be a helpful tool for me as I seek to create a technology-based classroom and curriculum for my students.  It provides descriptive details about what the highest levels of technology implementation look like. I can use this as a model for when I plan my future classroom instruction.  I will also take with me the new paradigm of a 21^st century learner so that I will better understand how my students like to learn and what technology tools they find relevant in their lives.  I found the video “Learning to Change-Changing to Learn” inspiring and insightful and will likely keep referencing that video to keep the vision of the 21^st century learner alive and front-and-center in my mind as a future educator.  I will also continue to think about the theory of constructivism and how it can inform my instructional planning so that I can provide the kinds of student-centered and meaningful learning experiences I want to provide for my students.  I believe this course was a constructivist model of teaching in that as students we were able to seek out materials and engage in learning activities independently.  The professor served as our guide with providing requisite information and assignments that she knew would enable us to achieve the course’s learning outcomes. In this regard, this was my favorite class to take in my entire master’s program. I genuinely enjoyed being responsible for my own learning and be able to independently engage in activities and complete course readings and assignments. I LOVED the freedom to construct my own understanding of course principles and concepts and to create my own meanings.  One of my chief struggles with previous graduate school classes was the requirement to sit in a classroom and be lectured on course information.  In nearly every case, I would have preferred being able to independently complete course assignments and reading and meet with the professor solely for him/her to share personal anecdotes that could supplement and enrich my understanding and insight into effective teaching.  When teachers instead talked about what I had read in the book it seemed like it was wasteful redundancy as far as my time investment.  In this regard, our professor gave us all the opportunity to experience firsthand what a constructivist model of teaching and learning is. And boy am I hooked!

I now have a broad understanding of many of the Web 2.0 tools that would be integral in a technology-based classroom.  I can create websites, wikis, blog pages, twitter accounts, digital posters and newsletters and visual art all using various Web 2.0 tools and websites.  This understanding is something I can transfer to my students and use as a tool to better understand what is relevant in the lives of my future learners. 

I will also bring to my future classroom my experiences working collaboratively with classmates using various Web 2.0 tools during this course.  In the group I worked in, we served as excellent assets to each other as we helped to clarify logistics of the course, course concepts and assignments for each other. We also pooled together our individual strengths and talents to complete group assignments. From these assignments we learned from what each of us brought to the table and used each other as resources to compliment our own areas of confusion and/or weaknesses.  We also forged strong bonds with each other and got to know each other better. All of these experiences were worthwhile, constructive and beneficial. I look forward to providing these kinds of experiences for my students.

All in all, this course has provided me with information that will help me to create the kind of classroom experience I wish to create for my students.  I have benefited from new information that will help me reach my goal. I have also been enriched and inspired by much of what was provided during the class. It is an exciting time to be an educator with so many student-centered theories helping you to create meaningful and authentic learning experiences that help children see the possibilities for enjoying being alive in this world.  


Here is the link to my website and wiki page where you will find more information from this technology course.