EDUC-677I-7 Final Reflection

As this course comes to a close I can reflect back on the beginning of the course and see all of the learning and growth that has taken place in just 8 weeks. Whenever I begin this courses I come in thinking I am up to date on current technology and I am always surprised at how many new resources that I am introduced to that I was not previously aware of.

We began this course by defining our personal theory of learning. When I created that personal theory I stated that I taught from a constructivist perspective and tried to incorporate that theory into most of my lessons. Now, at the end of this course, I am still confident in my previous personal theory of learning but I think that I would add more emphasis on social learning theories if I was to write it again.

I have already began thinking of ways that I can incorporate this new hybrid social-constructivism approach to teaching for the upcoming school year. Two technologies that I would like to incorporate to achieve this are group power points and Voice Thread. With power points I really see students reinforcing their own learning by presenting their research and projects with the class. With VoiceThread I see so many opportunities for students to express themselves and communicate effectively with comments and questions online. This skill seems invaluable as it becomes more and more a part of everyday life in and out of school.

In regards to continued growth I would really like the opportunity to be a leader in the field of educational technology within my own school and eventually beyond. To achieve this I plan on inviting my other classes to join in with the lessons that I think best utilize the technology that I have been learning about. I also am setting a goal to stay as current as possible with new and developing educational technology so that I can implement it into the classroom as soon as possible so that it is relevant to and applicable to the technology students will encounter out of school and in the future. I plan on achieving this by staying updated through online periodicals and also by continuing communication with other teachers who are also passionate about integrating technology into the classroom.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed the learning and communication that took place in this course and I can't wait to implement some of the new strategies that were presented. I also am taking away a new view on what works best for me as a teacher and how I can use my personal learning theory to do what is best for my students, give them the best education possible.