Final Thoughts on Technology Class

Before I took this course, I was unaware of the different ways that technology can be used in the classroom. After developing applications such as, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and using the RSS device, my knowledge has grown regarding how to incorporate these applications into the classroom setting. I feel more confident about using these applications and introducing them to my students in instruction.

I will continue to expand my knowledge of various technology by doing research on other ways that I can incorporate academics within the technology knowledge learned in this class. My students will benefit and increase their academic achievement from my detailed lessons on each application. The students will also be given the opportunity to experiment with blogs and wikis with groups of other students. I believe that each student has their own unique perspective on how to use these applications and having them work together will increase awareness.

Two long term goals for transforming a classroom environment into a place where technology is integrated to meet instructional goals will include increasing awareness of technology, and having students apply that new awareness. I plan to accomplish these goals by introducing simple technology activities to my students. The intensity of the activity will be increased as the knowledge of each application gets stronger. I also plan to find ways to model technology in my lesson plans. This will allow the students to see firsthand on a daily basis how technology is used.

Podcast

I interviewed some middle school students regarding their current technology usage. Some of the questions that were asked focused on their cell phone use, computer use, and the amount of time spent watching t.v. and playing video games. The following link is the podcast:

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/3753/episodes/16676/media_files/41407/download/3/file_128kb.mp3