End of Semester Reflection

I have learned so much this semester about technology! There is still so much I don't know, but I feel so accomplished in what I do know at this point. The other night I was showing my mom some of the technological things I have created this semester. In doing so, I could tell I was much more comfortable and versatile with technology than I have ever been. Regarding this subject and technology, I have been inspired to be a competent teacher when it comes to technology in the classroom. I feel like my eyes have been opened to some of the many technological possibilities that can and should exist within the classroom. Specifically, I feel like I have learned the differences between SMART boards and ActivBoards and how they can be used within the classroom, especially the SMART board. Also, I have learned about the many different Web 2.0 tools that exist, and I have become familiar with some of them, such as weebly.com. I have also really enjoyed using and maintaining my blog for Technology in Education, and I hope to create my own blog sometime as a teacher for students and parents to access. There is a world of possibilities regarding technology, espcially thanks to the internet, and I plan to use the knowledge and resources that I have gained as well as the aspects of technology that I will continue to learn about as I step into my career as a teacher. Even if I end up teaching overseas, I know that I will be able to use technology and the internet to access information and resources for my students. I am honestly very thankful for this college class, because I would be very behind in technology if I had not taken it. Even though it was at times overwhelming, I have gaining confidence in the area of using technology to teach lessons and convey information.

Regarding the NETS for teachers, I chose to focus on #1- "Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity." My personal goals in light of this NETS were to:
1) Brainstorm ways to implement technology in my classroom,
2) Be open to finding and pondering creative websites or articles about educational technology to comment on within my blog,
3) Discuss technology and education with the students I am working with each week.

I believe that I have fulfilled all three of these goals throughout the semester. I have gained practice in using technological resources and I have included this knowledge in some of my other educational classes at Northwest, as well. I have researched interesting articles and learned a lot through various internet websites (that I commented about on my blog). And, I have talked about technology with some of the students I work with at Lakeview Elementary, including asking their opinions about several of my technology assignments.

Recently, I asked several students at Lakeview about my Assignment #4 project. I specifically asked them if they would be interested in learning more about art in the classroom. They said they liked art a lot and would have fun seeing my website. Even though I did not actually show it to them, I was encouraged that they were interested in it. I hope to use both my project pieces someday in the classroom. I also feel that this particular assignment (my SMART board art lesson and my "World of Art" weebly website) also fulfills the NETS for teachers that I focused on, because the purpose of them ultimately was to facilitate student learning and creativity by helping students have a launching point from which they could research their own assigned artist. I want my future students to use creativity in everything they do, and I think that my new knowledge about technology will go a long way in helping me find creative, technological ways to convey knowledge.