Sunday, August 18, 2013

End of Course Reflection



          The final week of my class Integrating Technology through Content Areas through Walden University is here and  there have been many things that I can take back to the classroom now that summer break is at the end.  This course has given me a GAME Plan, technology tools, ways to help my students succeed for their future, and strategies as a teacher to infuse technology into the classroom.  As I reflect on the past seven weeks, I now realize that being able to integrate more technology into my classroom is on the horizon.
            The GAME Plan that I developed had two major standards that I incorporated to focus on from the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T).  The first being to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity where teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.  The second is to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility where teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). These standards will help my students and I be able to integrate the technology needed to keep up with the 21st century skills needed in the world that we live and to practice a behavior that is appropriate and legal so that students will use technology in an ethical manor to guide them throughout high school and beyond.  When going into the classroom this fall I am hoping to work with the technology teachers so that we all can practice and teach what is best for our students.
            When I think about the immediate adjustments that I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration in my art room I know that I need to ask for what I know is best for my students.  Now all I have when it comes to technology in my classroom is access to a computer lab and one iPad for my classroom.  I need to request that my classroom be respected like the rest of the classrooms in the building when it comes to technology in order for my students to thrive.  A whiteboard would be extremely useful to show artworks, have students do presentations, and be interactive with what they are learning.  For my students to use problem-based learning, social networking/online collaboration, and digital storytelling that we have learned through this class I need to have a classroom that is up-to-date with the 21st century.
            During the three weeks of the course, I had to develop a unit plan that incorporated problem-based learning, social networking/online collaboration, and digital storytelling that all integrated technology.   Problem-based learning will enable my students to do the following: learn content as they learn high-order thinking skills, promote student development as self-directed learners, collaborate with others, learn the language of the discipline in authentic contexts, learn the content deeply and apply their learning to new situations and the content is explored in an authentic and meaningful way (Laureate Education, 2010). Most middle school students are use to the ideas behind Social networking/online collaboration, so this technology strategy would engage the students in a positive way if used correctly.  It allows students to incorporate teamwork, work in and out of school challenges students to work at a higher level, and allows for tandem learning of language from native speakers (Laureate Education, 2010).   Finally, digital storytelling in my classroom would be a natural fit with the right technology advancements available in the classroom. Digital storytelling builds various types of skills such as research, analytical, creative thinking, problem solving, interpersonal and communication skills (Laureate Education, 2010).  Because of the creative and visual outcomes of digital storytelling, it is a perfect fit for any classroom especially an art room.      
            The past seven weeks of this course at Walden University has been a learning experience by adapting the way that I go about creating my lessons so they fit into the GAME Plan taught through the class.  Once I was able to develop the unit through a wiki I had a better understanding of how it can happen in my classroom.  I hope as I finish the next two classes with Walden University I will be able to integrate technology in the art room to the best that I can with the technology tools that I can access.

 References
 
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Spotlight on technology: Problem-based learning and technology – Part I. [Video webcast]. Retrieved from [Video webcast]. Retrieved from www.courseurl.com

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online    Collaboration, Part 1. [Video webcast]. Retrieved from www.courseurl.com

Laureate Education, Inc. [Producer]. (2010). Spotlight on technology: Digital storytelling, part 1     [Video webcast]. Retrieved from www.courseurl.com