EDLD+5364+Teaching+With+Technology+Final+Assessment

With a title of Teaching with Technology I expected to find out about different technologies that would prove useful in the classroom. I also envisioned learning about ways to have a larger impact on student achievement by using Web 2.0 tools. The course outcomes aligned with the goals that I envisioned and offered many insights into strategies, best practices, tools, and implications for teaching with technology. I was able to achieve the outcomes that I expected by completing the assignments and the group project. Not only did I hear of tools that I had heard of previously, but I also heard of new tools that I found extremely useful. The Universal Design for Learning was completely new to me. I met the course outcomes simply by visiting the CAST site and building my unit and book example. I have already shared the book builder site with other colleagues and look forward to using it in lessons I help to design in the future. I am also interested in finding a way to use the site for students to use. I envision students actually using the book builder site to design a book on their knowledge of a subject in a fun way and using it to teach a student in a lower grade level. The students themselves would be Teaching with Technology.
 * 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?**

As an instructional technology facilitator, each of the outcomes are relevant to my work. I am involved in curriculum writing for Science as one of my responsibilities. We are tasked with deciding on the most appropriate technology tools to solve problems or incorporate into lessons. We have designed student-centered learning experiences with technology that are embedded within the content. As we work with the Science content facilitators we constantly use Web 2.0 tools to collaborate. We have a wiki in which we post schedules and drafts of lessons that we are in the process of designing. As we design more lessons for the additional science kits that we are deploying we have to evaluate the effectiveness of past lessons. This reflection allows us to ensure that our lessons are meeting the needs of all learners. Our most important goals is to make sure that we are improving learning for the students. As we identify learning theories and their implications for teaching with technology, we need to make sure that we choose what is right for the students and what technology is best for the problem at hand. Meeting the course learning and performance outcomes is definitely relevant to my position and has an impact on all of those that I work with from teachers to students. The only course outcome that I did not achieve was the performance outcome of participating in the optional Web conference. There could have been a number of factors that prevented me from participating in the Web conference. The biggest factor that led to my lack of participation was the fact that they were optional. Some weeks I started my assignments later in the week and therefore wouldn’t find out or remember the upcoming Web conference. Other times I had family events to take care of like t-ball practice during the week, family emergencies(death in the family), or other conflicts. Another reason might have been the fact that I’ve participated in Web conferences in the past as part of my position and have found many to be quite boring. I’ve only participated in a few that were worth my time. Somehow the lack of an actual person being in the room with me doesn’t appeal to me. So, although the optional Web conferences were offered at various times to accommodate for schedules, I chose not to participate. I was successful in completing all course assignments by their due dates. As we formed the group for our project it became increasingly harder to meet the deadlines, but we prevailed in the end. Trying to schedule times to meet with my partners both in person and virtually, using Web 2.0 tools, was difficult. I spent many late nights working on the assignments after finally getting a chance to discuss the assignment and responsibilities with the group. Sometimes while I was ready to turn in my assignment and had my part completed, I had to wait on other group members who would wait until the last minute to do their part. It became relevant to me that while Web 2.0 tools make it easier for collaboration, especially when you are in different locations, these tools may not always be the answer. Yes, you can meet with someone across the world, but then again you have to take into consideration time zones. When times are convenient for you doesn’t mean that they will be for the other party, they may be sleeping. Luckily, all of my partners were in the same time zone, therefore allowing us to successfully complete the assignments.
 * 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?**
 * 3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?**
 * 4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?**

Throughout the course of this class I learned quite a bit more than I thought that I would coming into the course. I am pretty familiar with the latest terms and technology tools, but apparently not as familiar as I thought. I found that while my technology skills are good, I need to focus on my instructional skills. I am currently doing a book study on //Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design// by Carol Ann Tomlinson and have studied quite a few other books on each of the topics. When we were tasked with going to the CAST website and learning about UDL it was new to me. I enjoyed learning about the different ways to differentiate the instruction in order to reach ALL students. I learned about the three networks, recognition, strategic, and affective and how offering more choices in the learning process allowed students to demonstrate their learning in a format that was confortable for them. During the course my technology and leadership skills helped me as I worked with my team. Being familiar with technology allowed me to work a little easier on some assignments and I found that I used my leadership skills in making sure the group was on task when we met. Although I was not the team leader, I worked closely with everyone and made sure that we had a clear understanding and communcation between each other. If questions arose, we were able to address them efficiently and respectfully. As I completed the course I realized that there is still a lot of work to be done in order to successfully integrate technology. I keep a positive attitude in the work that I do as I support teachers and focus on the successes of all teachers, no matter how little it may be. Success, even if little, needs to be reinforced positively in order to see growth.
 * 5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?**