Personal Learning Reflection

    Over my eight weeks in CEP 810, I have learned about so many valuable tools that I can utilize in my classroom and to help organize my daily life. Each week I learned about new topics that were applicable to both the teaching world and my everyday life. While some of the resources mentioned were things I was already familiar with, like mobile learning, Prezis, and Google Apps, there were many more resources that were brand new to me. This includes things like RSS readers, Diigo, Google Sites, Edmodo, and other great resources that I knew I would use regularly. From day one I started using many of these resources in my classroom or just to help me organize and collect information. While I learned so much about so many resources, often I felt I was just skimming the surface. I want to be able to devote even more time to truly becoming knowledgeable about many of the resources and topics studied. For instance, in the security lab, I was only required to read a certain number of atomic labs and familiarize myself with those. Due to time constraints, I did just that. Really, there were so many different atomic labs that I knew there was no way I could become well versed in all of them in just one week. I’m grateful that I learned about so many different topics, but I do hope that over time, I am able to devote more time to specific areas.
    I learned that when integrating technology into the classroom, it is important to have taken some time to become familiar with the technology myself first, but also that I don’t have to be an expert. Students catch onto these Internet resources very quickly and often find tricks that I have not yet discovered. I have found that one of the most effective ways to introduce a new type of technology into my classroom is to project the information using my LCD projector to the screen and have students follow along on their iTouches. This way they can bookmark sites as I’m talking and really get a feel for what they are supposed to do when sent off to work independently. This gives them a chance to see how the program works and gives them an instant way to explore the new technology themselves.
    Ever since my school first received iTouches, there was a big push to use them every day. Often, this seemed like a daunting task that just added one more thing into my already busy day.  However, I learned to change my thinking from having to integrate the Internet to using the Internet as a tool to advance learning and provide instantaneous feedback for my inquisitive students. I wanted to make sure that I was integrating technology for an effective reason and not just because it was fun or neat. With the discovery of Google Forms, I learned how to use the iTouch units in a way that provided formative assessments of my students on a regular basis and often guided class discussion. We also use them to search the Internet. However, after having this class, I can also say that I have found many more ways to effectively utilize technology in my classroom. After seeing some neat Prezi presentations, I decided that for the project my students are working on now, that they could have the option of making their own Prezis or Glogs. To turn it in they are uploading it to the class Edmodo page. From there I will be able to grade it and they will get their feedback on Edmodo. Although I was already very familiar with Glogster and somewhat familiar with Prezi, I was able to see just what Prezi could do and the effect it would have on my students’ presentations. Furthermore, I learned about the benefits of Edmodo from one of Sue’s comments on one of my blog posts. Edmodo has been a great way for my students to turn in digital work. Integrating the Internet resources learned about in this class has already helped to better my lessons and appeal to my students’ interests. They really enjoyed using the WebQuest I recently created to explore the Internet and then create their Glogs or Prezis.
    I think that the SIG presentation that my group turned in really exemplifies good teaching with technology. We used Google Sites to teach about cyberbullying using a WebQuest. I think that the site provided a clear format for viewers to explore the information. I also think that it’s important to make sure that all students understand what cyberbullying is and the dangers of it. By following a WebQuest with information about this, it makes students accountable for their own learning and allows them to absorb the information at their own pace. Researching this WebQuest idea was what led me to make a different WebQuest for my students just two weeks ago. We also have an anti-bullying day each year and I now plan to follow through with our SIG presentation to make that cyberbullying WebQuest.
    The goal that I had listed in my personal growth plan at the beginning of this course was to gain some “real tools that can help me to fully understand many of the web applications out there that will help my students to learn better”. I think it is clear that I have already begun to accomplish this. I have applied many of the resources that I learned about in this course to my own classes. My students have been very enthusiastic about each of their assignments that have integrated these resources. Another goal that I had was to “learn about technology in a deeper and more practical way than ever before”. I think that the resources like Diigo and the RSS reader are just the beginning of the practical resources that I will learn about. I also think that the Atomic Learning Labs have provided me with an opportunity to learn more deeply about many of the topics explored in class. Looking forward, I hope to continue with both of these goals in my future courses. I want to continue learning about technology in a way that I am able to fully understand how it works, and I also want to be able to bring new technology to my students to enhance their understanding of new topics. I will be continuing to take CEP courses once this course is over, and hopefully, I will be continuing on to earn my MAET from Michigan State University. These long term goals will help to make me a better teacher to enhance my lessons for my 21st century learners.