Course Reflections

Well, the time has arrived for another post! I hope that this holiday season finds you and yours healthy and happy. I am in the final weeks of a technology course at Walden University and I think that it is time to reflect on what I have gained over the last seven weeks. I believe that this class has been the most informative and useful class that I have taken while at Walden. The course, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, has taught me many helpful forms of technology for use in my classroom as well as improved my understanding of what the role of teachers should be.
I truly enjoyed studying, learning and applying these new forms of technology in my own life and classroom. After learning about blogs, wikis and podcasts I feel much more comfortable having my students use them for instructional purposes. I am really thrilled with blogs! I have had fun creating this blog and managing it. One of the long-term goals that I have set for myself and my students is the full integration of blogs into each of my preps. I would like to create a blog for each of my classes that my students can use for things like class discussion, online journaling and social networking. I would have to overcome some institutional difficulties as this technology is not used regularly at my school and is still seen as somewhat passé. I truly believe that blogs used in the proper sense hold immense educational value and that I could help to introduce them at my school. This course at Walden has introduced me to technology that I had absolutely no idea about and has really made me feel comfortable using and teach it to my students. I feel empowered as a teacher to help my students understand new and innovative technology of the 21st century.
I also feel that this course has truly affected the way that I look at my role in the classroom and my place as a teacher. As technology moves forward and students become inundated with the need for social networking skills the role of teachers has changed. I feel that I am more of a mentor to my students then a simple instructor. I try to learn with my students and prepare them for what they will face in the work place and college. These 21st century skills are becoming more and more important to the success of our students. Another long-term goal that I have set for myself and my students is to create a classroom that is more in line with 21st century skills. I want my students to receive the best education possible and to offer them a plethora of forms of technology that they can use in their future endeavors. The main problem that stands in the way of this long-term goal is funding. My school does a great job with technology, but the pace of development for new forms of technology is incredible. I hope to overcome this problem through fundraising and educational grants. This shift in class style will lead to my classroom being more learning-centered than teaching-centered. I will not simply be the master of the curriculum because the student will be involved in social networking with other students and instructors that can help educate them in a way that is not possible in my classroom now. I look forward to learning with my students and moving forward with my goal to create a 21st century classroom.
Looking back at my check list from the first week of this course was exciting and informative. I was surprised that I found areas that I have really shown improvement in. I stated at the outset of this course that I sometimes provide students with multiple and varied opportunities for using technology tools and resources to support the learning. After seven weeks of this course I can honestly say that I would feel comfortable in changing that response to often. I have introduced my students to some of the forms of technology that I learned here at Walden and they have really taken to it. I also think that I could slightly increase my score in the area of allowing my students to present information in multiple ways, with a choice of medium. I have strived over the last few months to integrate new technology such as blogs and wikis into my classroom especially in the area of presentation. I feel that this class has had a profound affect on my life and teaching style. I am excited and hopefully to start integrating much of what I have learned in this class into my own courses. I had made a commitment to myself and my students to stay current and learn the most cutting edge technology to help prepare them for the future. I feel that my commitment to take courses such as this one and study at Walden show my dedication to continuously learn and study new technology.