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=Reflection for Embedded Assignment =

I was a bit afraid of taking this course and even considered changing my major, because I envisioned having much difficulty in completing technology assignments. My technology skills were outdated, so I feared the unknown. I felt that pursuing this degree was risky, but I it was an area that I needed to improve upon. So I took the chance. In this course, I envisioned learning about blogging, podcasting, and how to create a web page. I’d heard these terms, but didn’t know exactly what they meant or what they were. All I knew was that they were a popular form of communication. Reflecting back on my expectations for the course, I can honestly say I that my learning surpassed my expectations in many ways. As a result of taking this course, I understand what blogging, podcasting and creating a web page are. I understand and have participated in blogging and simple web page creation. I have yet to experience podcasting, but I feel confident in trying it on my own. What I didn’t envision was learning about the Texas Long-Range Plan and the TEKS TA. In addition, I’ve learned about the importance of integrating technology into our classrooms on a daily basis; and I’ve been enlightened about the changes in our students and the workforce they are preparing to enter. I’ve learned how to take on a leadership role in creating a 21st century classroom. Five weeks almost didn’t seem long enough to learn as much as I did. However, I feel fortunate to have acquired so much knowledge in such a short period of time. Most importantly, I’m not as fearful about technology.

The major project for this course was creating a wiki. In fact, this was the wiki that I originally created for this course. However, the members in my group participated for only the duration of this course. So I decided to create a wiki that would assist my grade level. This wiki can be found at http://fantasticfourth.wikispaces.com/. Although I've done all of the work, it has taken the entire school year of modeling it's use and conversations with the two principals to increase the interest in the use of wiki's for technology integration. The other team members have different levels of technology expertise. The teacher with the least amount of expertise has begun to access the wiki for use in her instruction. This is very exciting.

I teach fourth grade in a title I district. Many of my students do not have technology at home; and those that do, have very little supervision or guidance. In order to “bridge the digital divide” I must provide all students the opportunity to experience the world through technology (Mason & Dodds, p.25). However, before I allow students to begin using technology, I’m teaching them about Internet safety and ethics. I’ve learned so much about these topics during this course and I find it a critical starting point. Several of the readings provide helpful websites that I plan on using to teach my students about safety and ethics. Once I feel confident that they are prepared, they will enter the world of the Internet. The Internet can provide my students with experiences that they may not otherwise receive. Many at-risk students struggle with vocabulary, because they lack the personal experiences that help them build it. However, the Internet can change this for them, by bringing the experiences to them. Heretofore lies another critical teaching opportunity. Teaching students how to decipher between information that is valid and reliable from information that is not. At the beginning of the course we learned about the importance of teaching the students how to determine whether information on the Internet is valid and reliable and I feel confident that I can guide them through this. Marc Prensky makes the point that "...there is no reason why a generation that can memorize over 100 Pokemon characters with all their characteristics, history and evolution can't learn the names, populations, capitals and relationships of all the 101 nations in the world. It just depends on how it is presented" (Prensky, p. 6). Engagement is the key. Prensky makes a clear argument for the need to teach children using methods that engage them. I'm completely sold on the idea that teachers need to present material using the technology that students are accustomed to. By doing this we can make lessons much more interesting; and, hopefully, students will retain the content that so many of them struggle with today. I’ve only named a few out of many learned outcomes that I can implement in my professional teaching career. The relevance of all that I learned in this course is undeniable.

I had hoped to learn how to use podcasting so that I can implement it into my classroom. The glossary provided to us at the beginning of the course defines podcasting as the creation of digital audio files and the distribution of these files in a way that makes it easy for visitors to listen to them wherever and whenever it is convenient. As a bilingual teacher, I envision so many uses for podcasting in my classroom. The opportunities for ESL seem numerous. Unfortunately, since I haven’t had the opportunity to experience this myself, my ideas for the use of podcasting are based on extremely limited knowledge of this tool. What prevented me from achieving them is time? The course wasn’t long enough. In fact, I don’t think that any technology course can ever be enough. That’s simply because technology is changing so rapidly, that no one can catch up. So time prevented me from achieving this goal.

On a completely separate note, I also wanted to form some personal/professional relationships with some of the other students, or colleagues. I don’t feel that I connected with any of the other students in this way. I find that classrooms are a great place to form groups that can pull together and create change. I’m not certain what prevented me from achieving this goal other than an opportunity for socialization was not available. However if the availability to make these types of connections is there, I not aware of them yet. I used the discussion board for class discussion only, but I would have enjoyed getting to know everyone better.

I was successful in carrying out my course assignments. However there were some very long and frustrating nights spent trying to figure out what to do. For example, when I was asked to create a wiki, the instructions provided a step-by-step process. But, some of the menu and sub-menu names were slightly different on the Web page. So, I had to do many trial and error runs to get the assignment completed. Another factor that played heavily into my frustration is my lack of knowledge with respect to a wiki. I hadn’t heard of a wiki before. Thankfully, I was able to complete the task. Although I felt much frustration with this task, it is the one that I most talk about with my colleagues. Because of this experience, I learned so much more. As I always advise my students, I learned from my mistakes. As such, I’ll never forget it.

I’m amazed at what I learned about myself these past five weeks. I learned that I can overcome my fears of technology and that I will continue learn as long as I live. I’ve learned that I can make learning fun and exciting and that I have the power to make changes at my campus (maybe even district level) regardless of the obstacles. With regard to leadership, I found that I could influence people in a positive way. Even if I can't influence everyone, I can encourage desired behaviors. I’ve learned that leadership requires modeling not telling. The wiki meeting was a perfect example of this. I was able to influence a few to participate actively, but I couldn’t influence everyone on my campus. Perhaps it's because many on my campus have not been exposed to wikis. However, those teachers that participated in the wiki collaborations are excited about using it for other purposes and have begun talking to others about it. So I learned that I could lead by example in hope that most will follow. Most importantly, I've become excited about teaching again. I can’t wait to experience a true 21st century classroom. In the midst of all the chaos, I feel invigorated about teaching again. As I move forward as a leader, I will seek expert advice from the technology team at my district about restrictions placed on many useful Internet sites. I plan on finding out if there is a procedure in place for removing restrictions to many of the free web tools available. If a procedure is already in place, I will make teachers on my campus aware of them. If a procedure or policy is not already in place, I will make a recommendation that one be created.

Works Cited:

Mason, C. Y., & Dodds, R. (2005). Bridge the digital divide for educational equity. //The Education Digest,// 70(9), 25-27.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants: Part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.