When technology is integrated into teaching, different learning styles can be accommodated. There are many different tools that can be used to effectively connect with each student’s learning style. Some students may be visual learners, where creating a presentation on PowerPoint or Prezi is the best way for them to organize their thoughts. Other students may be more hands-on and want to work with a SMART Board. It is amazing how integrating technology into education has made such a huge impact!
Social media is another form of technology that is often integrated into teaching. Twitter and Facebook have given educators opportunities to share their experiences and exchange material. Learning how another teacher approaches a problem or hearing someone’s opinion on a topic allows you to grow your PLN and enrich your teaching strategies.
With a simple search and click of a button, the Internet provides an endless world of resources. Without the Internet we would not be able to stay up-to-date on all the technology tools that are available. Not only does the Internet give you access to the product, but it provides you with full descriptions about the features and functionality of the tool, pictures and customer reviews. Integrating the Internet allows you to read what other educators have experienced when they have used certain technologies in their classroom. Their feedback will help you evaluate if this tool is a good fit for your teaching style.
The assignment that most exemplifies good teaching, and the area that I have grown most in would be the SIG project on SMART Boards. There is material for everyone in this presentation. We included audio, visual and text for our audience’s different learning styles. This assignment also taught me about the other technology tools we used when creating this presentation, such as PowerPoint and DropBox. This assignment shows good technology because it can be easily updated as new features are released. Another part of good teaching is about working together, valuing each other’s opinions and respecting each other’s work and time. This was a true team effort.
My first goal for my personal growth plan was to explore and learn different technologies that can be incorporated into lower elementary grades. I definitely feel I have started to reach my first goal. There are certain technology tools that I have been introduced to and know I will integrate into my future, lower elementary classroom. Exploring Facebook as a classroom page, using Voicethread and possibly having a class RSS Google Reader are some of the ideas that I would like to incorporate as part of my technology teaching. I know that I will definitely be using Google Docs with the other teachers in my grade level team, as well as Twitter to keep my discussions with other educators open. My technology file is just beginning to get filled. I can’t wait to see where technology will take me next!
My second goal was to increase my knowledge in some of the basic technology applications. I had the opportunity to explore Microsoft Outlook during the assignment on PC Maintenance and apply the lesson at work. Google Docs was something that was difficult for me at first. I wasn’t sure if I was sharing the document correctly or who was able to edit it rather than view it. This was important to me to learn, as I feel more districts will be adopting cloud-computing solutions for their schools.
An obstacle that limited my learning and growth during this course was lack of physical interaction. Technology really is an amazing tool, but, nothing will replace the physical interactions and connections among people. An area that I would have liked to learn more about is creating videos. With having a full time job and taking classes, it is hard to just play around with different programs. If it was part of a lesson, I think students would enjoy exploring it.
One of my new goals is to continue being active in my PLN. I feel that this is one of the strongest parts of the class that I am walking away with. Being able to talk with other educators and share experiences about teaching is extremely beneficial. I want to continue to learn about technology and its advances in the classroom. I look forward to taking other classes through MSU in order to continue my education as a teacher and a learner.
Collaborative projects can be interesting if you have never done them before. I think this is an art or skill that everyone should have. So much is missed when we limit ourselves to those physically around us. They tend to share our same experiences and ways of doing things. We acquire a new range of skills and knowledge when we are able to communicate with others we may never meet face to face.
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