812 Reflection

As with any lesson, students learn better when they are engaged, and play an active role in the classroom. If have found this to be absolutely true with integrating technology as well. During my lesson on technology ethics, the students were not active participants throughout the entire lesson, so there were periods where they were drifting on me. However, I did structure many sections of that lesson, so that students knew exactly what was expected of them at that moment. They had specific guidelines to follow, which eliminated a lot of questions and confusion. I think that structure is important with technology integration, as it is something new. The same goes for adults. While implementing my techquest, I made sure i provided the staff with a clear outline as to what our goals were, and how we would accomplish them, along with a timeline. It was important for them to know all of the facts, and be on the same page as me.

Integrating web-based technologies had its positive moments, and its challenges. I have encountered many struggles with technology throughout the implementation of my techquest. We are currently using outdated technology and it has added extra stress in this project. So, even though technology integration seems like it is the way to go, it will not come easily. There are certain pitfalls that may occur, that will delay the process. Also, technology is not always reliable, so I have had to re-think my use of it in the classroom. I use powerpoints for a portion of my math lesson. They are found on the textbook's website, and I just download the one I need each day. The other day, the website was down, and I had no way of getting to the powerpoint. I was relying so heavily on the powerpoint, that I had never taken the time to think of a back-up. I had to make so on the spot changes and it all worked out, but it was definitely an eye-opener. Unfortunately, one of the pitfalls of technology is it can breakdown and have its moments where things do not always run as planned.

I have met many of my goals for learning about technology integration. It has been a focus of mine to study smart boards, and their different applications. Throughout my certificate classes, I have found time to focus in on that and have come across some valuable resources. I was also able to choose smartboards for my SIG project which was an excellent experience. I was able to collaborate with others that had a similar interest in the tool, and we were able to create a wikispace that serves as a reference page for smartboard lessons, ideas, troubleshooting, and professional development. During the research for that project I was able to learn a lot of neat tricks along the way, as well as diigo so sweet resources to have for the future.

In the meantime, I have also been able to accomplish some of my smaller goals, for integrating technology more frequently. I recently created an interactive review game for a math test. It was set-up similar to a game show, and each student had a role in it. We were able to utilize the smartboard, as students had to race against each other to get the right answer and write it on the board. I was able to pick up some tricks on different powerpoint features as well, as I created the game template through that program.

As far as continuing goals, I look forward to finishing my techquest project. We will continue the journey of implementing Study Island at Riley. It has been a strenuous project so far, but the end result will be worth it. We have planned for additional teacher professional development and training with the program over the summer. From there, we will launch study island in the classroom fall 2010. We look to the future, and have plans to implement another technology-based program the following school year for reading, called Read180. As far as personal goals go, I would like to continue my teacher edition of my delicious site. I have made a point to add at least one resource a week. I have quite the collection so far, and it still has plenty of room for more. I would also like to design a website for my class over the summer. I think having a website would provide another way for parents to stay on top of what we do in class, and it gives them another opportunity to stay in touch with the school and with me. I have currently only designed a site through weebly, so I am excited to look around and explore other options for my classroom website.