Final Reflection

Re-reading my initial post on how I view technology integration, I would say that my views have not changed, but I feel that my knowledge has expanded. Before this course, I agreed that technology integration was beneficial for students because it gave them an authentic audience and also allowed for more collaboration and engagement. However, I did not feel that I had an abundance of resources that I knew I could use in the classroom and that in practice, although my view is pro-technology integration, may have fallen short because I did not have the tools I needed without doing more of my own research. This course has helped to prepare me and give me the tools I felt I was missing and I feel that I have the resources I was looking for to give my students the technology integration experience I was seeking after. Everything I have learned this quarter about educational technology pedagogy will affect how I teach because in class we discussed how to use the tools in practice so I not only walked away knowing the tools, but also how they may look when used in a classroom.

Some specific tools and resources I will use are Geoguessr, Woordle, Animoto, Spreaker and a classroom blog. I will use Geoguessr because I see how it can be used in so many meaningful ways and it provides an authentic way of learning about geography. I enjoy that this tools allows you to look around and zoom because it helps students to find clues as to where they may be in the world. I will use Woordle because I already have many ideas of how I can incorporate this tool into the classroom. One specific lesson would be to take a famous speech and see which words appear the largest and lead into a discussion about why that may be. I will use Animoto because it allows students to express their understanding in a creative manner using video and it is an easily accessible tool for students to use. Likewise, I will use Spreaker in my classroom because students who do not enjoy writing about their understanding can choose to talk about their understanding. Lastly, I will use a classroom blog due to many reasons, but most importantly because I feel that it creates a connection between the teacher, students, parents and the world to create a meaningful experience. Some ideas I would like to learn more about is virtual field trips with local museums, aquariums, zoos, etc. and how I can go about setting those up for my classroom. I also hope to expand my "tool kit" of websites and resources so that I feel even more prepared to integrate technology meaningfully into my future classroom.