Wow, I made it!

So, I will try again for the third time to post this blog as I am having technical difficulties with the advanced technology of my old computer. These are some complications we come across when it comes to technology, but for the most part technology is an amazing resource to incorporate to school curricula as it helps to engage students with new interests and critical thinking.

I have successful accomplished another semester at La Verne. This semester was really challenging for me not only because of the amount of courses taken and the subjects, but because I had to get in to the grove of things since I had to drop my courses last Spring. But, I made it, and I will finally be a senior which is really exciting.

Out of most of the courses I have taken for my degree in Liberal Studies, I think that Computers in Education was probably the most fun and interactive course. It is definitely the most applicable to teaching all subject areas and provides many many different varieties of resources to students. Technology is something that should be integrated to all subjects so that students not only gain computer literacy, but to become increasingly engaged and build new interests. Technology has greatly advanced and it will become an important aspect to teaching our future students.

I wanted to address the learning outcomes for the Computers in Education course I have taken and reflect on my progress towards these goals. Reflection is an effective process for teachers and students and it also helps to improve accuracy, practice and ideas.

1) Analyze, learn & use current technology related to learning and education.

Throughout this course I have reflected on many different uses of technology in education and the importance of technology and it’s resources. I can almost always find reasons to incorporate different types of technology and resources in my classroom. Different software programs, applications and cloudware programs all have various reasons why they should be included into the curriculum for students. I can definitely say that I have came across some really interesting resources thanks to my wonderful classmates. As I have mentioned previously, reflecting on the different resources and techniques technology offers will help me create a successful classroom in the future. I felt pretty literate when it comes to technology and computers prior to this course, but I am leaving with new techniques and resources as well as ideas and perspectives. Thanks to my classmates I have learned of ways to incorporate new cloudware programs like Socrative which instantly provides responses and helps teachers and students interact with technology. I have also learned QR codes, which I had no previous knowledge on and found that it can be an effective tool to use in the classroom. Additionally sites like blackboard and Edmundo help students and teachers connect and collaborate which can strengthen an classroom and it’s environment. I will forever be thankful to my classmates for sharing this information and also their ideas and reasons behind the importance of technology and techniques.

2) Resourcefully, consistently, and actively participate in various individual, small group and large group assignments.

Group projects have always been my favorite. I think because it lightens the intimidation of coming up with ideas on your own. Working with different students helps broaden my ideas and perspective which will help strengthen myself to become a successful teacher. While working in groups is important, it is also important to individually work and aspire your own ideas and reflections that highlight my own strengths. I think that the amount of individual projects and group projects in this course was a perfect fit.

3) Practice thoughtful, cognitive reflection about the application and impact of technology in education and culture using a course blog, course textbook topics and project development.

I must admit, I really dislike writing. I have been told that it happens to be a strength of mine, but I have to be in the mood to write a good paper. But as we (as future educators) may know that writing is an important process that takes practice and reflection is equally important for self improvement. I think having students blog online and receiving peer feedback is a great idea. It can highlight students personality and help them receive constructive feedback that will help them additionally improve. Additionally, blogging about the topic of technology, the improvements of technology and the importance of technology gave me a better understanding of where education is headed. It has helped me realize that advanced/modern technology will help shift learning perspectives and reach educational goals. I plan on having my students blog with reflections and ideas because it helps them analyze and improve using the writing process.

4) Develop several projects integrating a variety of new technologies. Selectively narrow to the tools you found most valuable to be integrated in the cumulative project based learning activity; a webquest.

As I have mentioned previously, thanks to my wonderful classmates, I have came across a few new software/cloudware programs that will become useful in my teaching career. There have been several projects we have created in this course and all of which are useful. I plan on using screencast to create videos to help my students with either instructional feedback, constructive feedback, or just to refresh and recap on the information learned. Toondoo.com is one of the best websites I have used throughout this course. Why? Because it creates great visuals for students that holds their interest. Not only can I relay a message with images, but I can create books of knowledge for students that they will enjoy reading/seeing. Socrative is also another amazing website that provides instant interactive feedback to teachers and students. Thanks to this course and my wonderful classmates, I have been introduced to many new different types of technology that will provide students with a new outlook to learning. Although I have previously created a website in other classes, I have learned new techniques and improved in my abilities to formulate a successful one. Having this knowledge and being able to create a webquest (online with it’s own site) is extremely rewarding.

5) Research, design, construct, and demonstrate a personally and professionally meaningful educational webquest.

Although this project is still in the works, I am sort of glad I was required to create a big project like this. It will never be fully completed, as I will consistently make changes to provide a successful project. It is an accomplishing feeling to know that you can create a project that is technology interactive and helps students think critically about what they can do to improve the world they live in. I think having a project like this will help students develop new interests and will also promote new talents/strengths. I can’t wait to see my future students participate in this project one day. I hope that it will aspire students to build new interests and become more involved with the world they live in.

With all the projects and assignments required for this course, I am actually thankful they were required. It was all in hopes to create successful future teachers and to improve education for our future students. I can’t wait to test my ideas and creations in the classroom.

Wow, that was a lot! But, I have finally made it through another semester!