Final Reflection Part 1

I feel that this course has been extremely helpful is helping me develop my own technology skills as a professional teacher. This was the first course that actually dealt with the meat of our major. I think that it has set a good standard of what it to come. I found the course text and DVD to be very helpful. I will definitely bring the book to keep by my computer at school! I learned a lot of different ways to incorporate some 21st century skills into my room through technology. This class actually allowed us to work with the web 2.0 tools that we should be using in our classes. This was the first time I had ever created a wiki, and it was a great experience.

I think that my knowledge of the teaching and learning process has changed as well. It has been a while since I have been in the position of student. I think that by taking this class, I understand what my students are feeling a little better. I enjoyed the lessons that required us to actually work the the web 2.0 tools hands on. This is similar to the feelings of my students in my own class. It was great getting to experiment and have options of things to include in our projects. We were given the freedom to do what works best for us. We were also able to talk with others about possible alternatives to different assignments. By completing this course, I now know that I should be offering my students more options in their work. This was something I particularly enjoyed, and I'm sure my students would also like having the choice of how they complete their assignments.

I am excited to create a more student-centered classroom this year. I think that by giving the students more opportunities to work collaboratively in groups, and decide how they want to learn, my students will be more successful. They should be more in control of their own learning. They should not depend on me to dispense all of the knowledge, but instead, seek out answers on their own. I am ready to incorporate some of these ideas into my room.