Reflection: Final Blog Posting

In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?

            This course has helped me to become more proficient in many areas of technology use. For one, I have been able to develop my skills in using Wiki Spaces, blogs, and podcasts. I am very happy to have had the chance to incorporate these valuable tools in my classroom and will continue to use them even more in the future. These tools will help to transform my teaching and my students’ learning. This course has also deepened my understanding and appreciation of how technology enhances the classroom experience. I now realize how important it is for me as an educator to embrace technology. My desire to learn how to use other technological tools is stronger and I will continue to seek out more opportunities to advance my skills.

In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of teaching and learning process?

            My knowledge of the teaching and learning process has definitely grown through taking this course. I now understand that students in today’s classrooms are expecting more from their teachers. With increased access to technology, students are coming to school wanting to be more engaged in the classroom. It is also necessary for me to help prepare my students for today’s workplace by integrating 21^st century skills into my lessons. I plan to increase the use of skills such as group collaboration, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking. I owe it to my students to make their educational experience as rich as possible.

In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?

            With the increased use of technology in the classroom, my role as a teacher begins to change. Instead of me being the bringer knowledge, I become more of a facilitator. I have the ability to show my students the tools they need to access a wide array of information. I will be their guide to help them explore those tools and show them how to use them responsibly. My students will also need to become more critical of the information they find and must learn to weed out what is not accurate. Finally, I have become more familiar with the many ways my students can communicate their projects and ideas. For example, through the use of Wiki spaces, blogs, and podcasts, my students now have more ways to share their work with the world. With the increased use of technology, my students become masters of their own learning with me as their guide.

In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?

            There are many avenues through which I will continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading. I plan to seek out more opportunities to be trained in the newest technological tools. By attending such trainings, I will deepen my knowledge of technology use and then pass on that knowledge to coworkers and students. I will also continue to sing the praises of increased technology use in the classroom so that my peers and administrators begin to see its value. I think by doing what I can to expand my knowledge of technology and how to use it in the classroom I can increase student achievement. Also, by spreading the word I can collaborate with other teachers to help them to increase their students’ achievement as well.

Set two long term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?

            My first goal is to increase the amount of 21^st century skills into my lessons. I would like to add more of the critical skills that my students will need for the future. These skills include problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and innovation. This goal will entail some changes to my teaching that may raise some questions from administration. I am certain that when I show that I able to integrate these skills into the regular curriculum, I will be free to continue.

            My second goal is to maintain the use of podcasting, blogging, and Wiki spaces in my teaching. When I introduced Wiki spaces to my students recently, it generated so much excitement. It was a long process and a lot of hard work. However, two groups of my students finally finished a Wiki space of their own. The Wikis are very simple, but they are very proud of their work and cannot wait to add to them. Also, podcasting was a lot easier than I thought it would be, so I will definitely be using it more in the future. Finally, blogging is going to take some research on my part. Most blogging sites are blocked by my district, so I must investigate some other sites that are school safe.

Refer to your checklist from week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course?

            Most of my answers have remained the same on my check list. In the beginning, I answered sometimes to all of the questions. I cannot say that I can move any of the answers to often yet. However, there are some areas of my teaching that are almost there. For example, I have been providing more opportunities for my students to collaborate, self-reflect, and engage in problem solving. Also, my students have been able to share their thoughts and ideas through different mediums such as podcasting and Wiki spaces. Finally, I have been seeking the advice and expertise of other professionals through blogging. This has helped me tremendously and I have learned a lot by communicating with others. As I continue to use and explore technology, I am sure that more of my answers will move to often in the future.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

·         My reaction to the website

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills is an organization that promotes the idea that every student must possess the skills needed for today’s changing workplace. The site provides an explanation of its mission and framework for learning. It also lists council members and partner organizations. In addition to a great deal of useful information, the website offers tools and resources that may be downloaded and printed in PDF format. I agree with the premise of the website and with the fact that our students need to be prepared for the workplace. It all sounds great in theory; however, there were some aspects of the site that were questionable to me. My biggest concern is how this vision will be accomplished with diminished state funding and the stress put on state assessments.

·         Information on the site that surprised you or helped you develop a new understanding of the issues surrounding 21st-century skills

Some of the information that surprised me on this site was included in the Framework for Learning. I can identify with most components of the framework such as the core subjects, learning and thinking skills, life skills, and ITC literacy. However, I am left with some questions about the 21^st century content and 21^st century assessment (these questions I will explain below).

I was also amazed to see that there were only 15 out of 50 states participating in the program. I am wondering why more states are not on board and how much of that has to do with funding.

Another surprise was the fact that some of the resource publications, reports, overviews, and skill maps have not been updated since 2006. Maybe I am being overly critical, but I would think an organization based on 21^st century skills would update content a bit more often.

·         Information or opinions on the site that you disagree with along with an explanation of why you disagree

Some of the questions I have are things that I do not necessarily disagree with, but I fail to see how they would fit into curriculum. For example, listed as part of the 21 century content is financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy. As an elementary teacher, I cannot envision trying to teach students about business or economics at such an early age. It just seems a bit intense for my 4^th graders.

Another question involves the 21^st century assessments. I understand the need to assess students to see if they are retaining what is being taught. However, with the many state assessments that are already given in math, reading, writing, and science, I am not sure how a technology assessment can be crammed in there too.

• The implications for your students and for you as a contemporary educator

As an educator, I am aware of the importance of teaching students the skills mentioned on the Partnership website. I constantly strive to include skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation in my instruction. However, I think that for the vision of the Partnership website to become a reality, all states must participate and be on board with the program. If not, the United States may continue to struggle to keep with other countries in the global economy. As for now, I will continue to teach my students with the technology and curriculum that I have and continue to hope that changes will come down the road.

Blogs in the Classroom

     I am a reading teacher for grades 3-6. I work with readers who need that extra nudge in the right direction to become proficient readers. I would use blogs in my classroom in two ways. I would have one blog for the students to access to publish their work. They would publish book responses, answers to comprehension questions, new vocabulary words (definition, use in an original sentence), and they would be allowed to post reviews on the books they've read. I would like to see them interact with each other, to just talk about reading in general.
     I would also have a blog that parents and students can access at home. I would have assignment lists, due dates, a list of helpful reading strategies, links to good reading websites, and a list of recommended books for the students to check out. I would also include an explanation on what my students are working on each week so that parents are aware of the weekly skill or strategy to focus on at home.

THE TEST.....YIKES!

With the PSSA (Pennsylvania's state achievement test) looming ever so close, we are all feeling the heat at my school to get our students ready. We have been working on PSSA skills for so long now that our students are getting burnt out and we the teachers are getting burnt out. Is anyone else out there feeling the pressure?

Hello Bloggers!

Hello there, I hope I am doing this right. I am very new to blogging and may need some guidance along the way. I am a very vocal person, so I will be always willing to share my thoughts and feeling with you all.