EDLD 5352 Week 5 Reflection

James Little
EDLD 5352 Week 5 Reflection

As I entered this course I was really curious as to how much knowledge I truly had about technology. Honestly I did not have any set outcomes for this course. This course did open my eyes to many different topics that I didn’t really think about throughout my career as a teacher. As I read through and responded to the articles I truly began to understand the vastness and importance of technology in our schools. The way this course was laid out, it created an opportunity for me to learn about the “ins and outs” of technology and how much focus was placed on learning and the law. This course and the information provided in the course definitely will wake up those individuals who do not understand the power that technology has on our students’ learning.

I will be honest in stating that pretty much everything that I learned in this class is relevant to the work I do in school. As a classroom teacher I have noticed the importance of technology day-in and day-out. As a U.S. History teacher I like to have my students perform research on various topics and historical events. I have always understood the importance of challenging data, but this class really provided me with an eye-opening perspective to research. I am looking for new ways to use technology in my classroom. I have recently acquired a clicker system to engage my students in their learning. I am also looking at purchasing a game-buzzer device so that we can prepare for exams and other materials while having some fun. Data gathered from this course will help me in providing a more technology-style class compared to the old school-style of teaching.

Since I did not set up any set outcomes for this class, I truly did not fail achieve to meet any goals. I have learned the importance as a future administrator that I must allow our teachers, students, and other stakeholders to become successful by allowing them to maximize their use of technology in the classroom. As an administrator it is important that we lead by example and provide opportunities for our teachers to examine new ways to teach. I used to be the type of person who would just look at a survey, laugh, and just answer it to simply finish the survey. We must learn to embrace surveys and take them seriously. We tend to wonder why we don’t have the items we need to teach and simply blame it on a lack of funds. If we want to become digital natives, we must take every step possible to make sure we are building a technology-friendly environment at our schools.

You know with every complaint that I had over this course, learning more about technology was returned to me two-fold. This course did kick me in the butt a couple of times, but I appreciated the assignments and information that was provided to me. I felt that I did my best on every assignment and when I had a question, it was either answered by a peer or my course “helper.” The assignments provided an opportunity for me to become a critical thinker. Even though it may seem simple to read an article and pick out a quote, I had to take the time to make sure what I read and what I perceived to be addressed was accurate. These assignments were simple yet complex at the same time. It provided an opportunity for me to use different types of technology that I was either uncomfortable using or needed to learn more about a certain program.

I learned that I have much to learn about technology. There is so much information pertaining to laws that govern the use of technology that I realized that I need to study and research those laws. The terminology that I use compare to those who are digital natives varies greatly. I need to take the time to learn more about the different devices that are available. Honestly I think I have only sent out two text messages since I have had my cell phones. The technology that I have available is good, but I need to use it more and take a step and purchase more technology. I need to find a way to provide the students an opportunity to have some ownership in their learning. If I want my students to succeed, my teaching approach needs to change to allow the students to determine how they learn in my class. I have decent leadership skills. Since I have served in the military I understand about leading by example. When I become an administrator my staff will see me as a person who supports the staff and will encourage them to use technology whenever and wherever available.

I think blogs can help our 21st century learning. Blogging can provide our students an opportunity to interact with fellow students, teachers, and other stakeholders. It also provides them a 24 hour opportunity for shared-learning. As a teacher I am so concerned about the level of thinking of our students. Blogging will provide them the opportunity to become deeper thinkers. It will also provide many of our students a sense of confidence to participate in discussions. Many of them feel shy or insecure talking in front of a class. Therefore, blogging will allow them to discuss freely from a device where they are comfortable. Blogging provides our students the opportunity to discuss and provide feedback to our peers. They will also learn how to become aware of the data that is provided and they can determine the “strength” of the information and the truth behind the information provided to them.

There are some positive aspects as well as some negative aspects of blogging. I saw that addressed in the cyber-bullying articles. Many of our students are afraid to post their opinions about different topics. We see it in the classroom on a daily basis. Students call one another “stupid” because the information that they provide to the class may or may not be appropriate or even match the ideas or opinions of another individual. Also we must consider the facts behind the data that is provided. So much information on the internet can be misleading thus causing some discrepancies in our research. Another concern that I have is the people that have access to our blogs. There are predators that are out there simply wreak havoc on our children. I do understand the importance of technology in our learning and teaching, but we must also stress the importance of internet safety to protect our children. As an administrator, I would allow blogging, but I would remind our students and teachers of the responsibility that comes along with the use of the internet.

I feel that blogging can be very useful in communication with all stakeholders. We can create a blog to provide the stakeholders information pertaining to our campuses and district. If we wish to gain the respect and understanding from our stakeholders, they need to know that we are creating ways of communicating with them. Ideas can be shared can be posted on blogs and shared with our community. I have noticed through various blogs how people are sharing their ideas and opinions with one another. Now I know that not all information shared on a blog is positive, but we must allow that to occur if we want to achieve a certain level of success. There have been too many times that I have heard parents and other stakeholders say that they didn’t know about an event. Through blogging we are able to provide them information and receive feedback. We can also provide them links to class assignments and information that they and their children can use to learn more about our classes and/or subject matter.
Technology is important for our students today. If they haven’t already, they are starting to become digital natives. We can simply sit back and remain digital immigrants or we can become digital natives ourselves. Learning and growth is a relationship that needs to be addressed and embraced by teachers, students, and all stakeholders. In a school district, this relationship starts at the top with our administrators. Without support and enthusiasm from the top there is no growth.