FINAL REFECTION

The final phase of the Blog reflection is due by the day your class would meet during finals week. You should reread the entries throughout the Blog and the feedback you received from your peers, then reflect on the overall experience.

Part I

• Now that you have completed ETC 447, reread your first blog post (philosophy of education and use of technology).
• In a paragraph or more describe how and why ( or why not) your philosophy of education has changed during the semester.
• In a paragraph or more describe how you think you will use technology in education

ANSWER: My philosophy of education has definitely NOT changed. I made it very clear that I have a constructivist approach to education, and I believe that in my lesson plans I have held fast to this approach to learning. In all of my lessons I had students creating a piece of work, and I also had them interact with one another in some sort of way. I am glad that I was able to show my philosophy of teaching through my lesson plans and integration of technology. I also think that I may have loosened my grips on the idea that students need to be shown that technology is not a life line. I have realized that there are a lot of resources available for students to learn from technology, as long as students are able to use it as a tool and not an answer book I will feel successful in my teaching.

I can see myself using technology in the classroom through the multitude of tools available for creation. Students can create virtual pieces of art, they can create books online, there are tools for creating videos, voice recordings and even Venn Diagrams. I think it is especially important that I am able to adapt in my technology use, based on the resources available to me at whatever school or district I am in.

Part II

• In your final comprehensive reflection you should address all four of the Standards listed below and describe how you did OR would be able to do each of the four elements under each standard: For example, for Standard 1, Item 1, you should provide an example of how you did use technology OR would use technology to promote, support and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness in ways that would facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.
• With each standard include a rationale for why you would approach each standard in the way that you have described.

Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

1. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

In my first lesson plan I had students building a virtual home where they used math calculations to see how much it would cost to build this home that they have just created. This lesson had students using creativity, innovative thinking, inventiveness and I was able to walk around and support student learning and promote their “building” of their homes that they took responsibility for.

2. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

In lesson plan one students were using the internet to create a virtual home. This lesson used the real world authentic experience of creating a home.

3. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.

In this house building lesson, students had to use the thinking, planning and creative process to create their virtual homes. I would develop this lesson more to have students working together to design this house, and then they could post reflections to each other's homes to get peer feedback, this would support the use of collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students understanding.  

4. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

I would use the idea of collaborative knowledge and construction by having students work together as a class to create one large virtual home, I would bring in a guest speaker to answer questions about the best ways to build a home. I would show them a forum where they could ask contractor’s questions to show them how to use virtual learning environments.

Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

1. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

In my third lesson plan I had students exploring the internet to learn about different cultures. They had to use their information that they learned to create a Venn Diagram on Kidspiration. They had to adapt their relevant learning experiences to incorporate the information onto a digital tool that supported their learning.

2. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.

I really thought that my house building lesson plan had students take charge of their education. Students were managing their own learning, and were able to communicate with me about their own personal assessment of their online building process.

3. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

The house building lesson plan was completely customized and personalized to the student since they were the ones who created it! Also in the math portion of the lesson, students who were gifted created larger houses and had to participate in solving problems that were more difficult, while the less advanced students created smaller homes and were able to use different materials such as manipulatives and calculators to help meet every student's personal abilities.

4. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

I have used multiple different forms of assessment in my lesson teaching. I used formative assessment as I walked around and asked students how they were doing while they created Venn Diagrams on Kidspiration and while they were building houses online. I used a mandala coloring sheet to summatively assess how well students were able to identify shapes. I used these assessments to adapt my instruction and in giving students more or less time to complete their work.

Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

1. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

I used many different tools throughout this semester. I used the smartboard, youtube videos, online building websites, google docs and surveys, Kidspiration etc. I believe this shows that I was able to demonstrate fluency in technology. Students were able to show me there transfer of current knowledge to new technologies through writing down their culture on a Venn Diagram and then comparing it to another’s culture or situation.

2. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

I would love to have students use Skype in the classroom in order to reach out to different community members, cultures and people of different expertises. This helps students get a different view point and serves as a very valuable resource.

3. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

I would create a class website where students and parents would be able to access different information about our class. This website would also contain surveys and forums.

4. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

I would model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze and evaluate information resources to support research and learning by showing kids how to properly use the internet. Then have students create a class website that shows their understanding of the technology and digital world.

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

1. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources

Having a classroom website that students create, would have students advocate, model and teach safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology. In this website they would have to include their ideas for respect on copyright, intellectual property and the appropriate documentation of sources.  

2. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

I would make sure to never give students assignments that required them to use resources outside of the classroom. You never know what students do or do not have access to, so it’s important to stay aware of their tools. I also will always keep in mind students ability levels and will always remember that there are so many different diverse students. Having students use one another as resources and also having students motivated learning, you can help to meet every student's ability level.

3. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

I would promote and model digital etiquette by having my students create a website that discusses positive and responsible social interactions related to technology and information. They could then use this information all year long and use this website as a source to check whether or not they are using technology responsibly.

4. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

I modeled cultural understanding and global awareness by having students look at other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration and then had them create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting their culture to that of a different culture. I could develop this to have my colleagues come in and share their own personal cultures to show students that there can be different cultures even within the school.