Reflection: New and Emerging Technologies

As I come to the conclusion of this program, I am not only reflecting on where I have gone, but where I am going as well. This course in particular has prepared me to become a leader in Technology Integration, not just a passive follower. The school system that I work for is the largest in the state. I had always considered us to be technology rich. Although we have an abundance of computers, with all classrooms connected to projectors, and many with whiteboards, instruction has continued on in the same manner as always. As my understanding of emerging technologies and being on the cutting edge, not merely the leading edge, has grown, so has my understanding of my role as a model and mentor. I now consider it my responsibility to introduce my colleagues to new ways of learning and teaching. I need to step up to the plate and show them how the students can benefit from the use of the emerging technologies. The use of technology in teaching and learning is transforming instructional practices in 21st century schools and I must coach my colleagues to move ahead.

The learning activity I am most excited about implementing is the MUVE, or Multi User Visual Environment. Online educational environments delivered through the computer lab, facilitated by the instructor and made rich by the students’ research and involvement, can engage students in ways that the traditional classroom cannot. The MUVE provides an environment that, although similar to a digital game, allows the student to have more control of the environment. This allows for greater collaboration and communication between students and increased opportunities for the student creation of meaningful problem solving activities. Exactly what that will involve is still not entirely clear to me, but as I continue to work with existing MUVEs and see what they are capable of, some ideas are already beginning to take root. Through projects such as the River City Project (http://www.activeworlds.com/edu/index.asp), it is easy to envision the students creating a Civil War era community and working through a variety of problems from disease to dissension. With the instructor acting as a facilitator, the class could have a firsthand experience of the dialogue that went on with brother against brother. Although I am certainly not at the point to implement this yet, with collaboration and guidance from someone with more experience, it is clearly a direction that I want to go.

And so, the completion of the program becomes the beginning of my new direction. Through this course I have learned the importance of staying current and knowledgeable about emerging technologies. Through the use of resources gathered in this course, from digital games to MUVEs to the introduction of the Horizon Report that I have been introduced to, I will need to continue to devote time to finding ways to implement the emerging technologies in ways that support better classroom learning for my students, and most importantly lead fellow educators to do the same. Utilizing websites like Teachers Discovering History as Historians ,sharing lesson plans and ideas, and communicating our goals and frustrations, together we will help our students to become 21st Century learners.

Spotlight on Emerging Technology: Online Learning in K-12 Schools

Click the image above to go to the presentation on Online Learning and using a CMS. Like it says, "It starts with a single click".

Reaching and Engaging All Learners Reflection

Academic success for every child is my objective as a classroom teacher. This is not always an easy task. Our students arrive in our rooms with so many differences; differences in readiness, interests, learning styles, instructional needs and cultural backgrounds. In this course, I have gained knowledge of two frameworks for meeting the needs my diverse learners—Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI). Like UDL, the DI approach embraces student diversity and encourages the modification of instruction to support students’ needs.

Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology has taught me that differentiated instruction is about using teaching strategies and technological tools that connect with individual student's learning strategies. The ultimate goal is to provide a learning environment that will maximize the potential for student success. I will take from this course several salient concepts that will guide my instructional practices from now on: hold on to the effective teaching strategies that lead students to positive learning outcomes and to make adjustments when necessary, be flexible and open to change, take risks, and try teaching and learning strategies that I would have otherwise ignored. “Just as doctors must stay abreast of the latest medical research, and lawyers must keep up with case law, educators must stay current with practices that optimize student learning” (North Central Regional Education Laboratory & Metiri Group, 2003, p.11).

An invaluable resource that grew out of this course was our Ning group. This collaborative effort has yielded an abundance of links to informative assessments, technological tools and educational presentations. There is no doubt that as I grow and expand in my implementation of UDL and DI, and encourage my colleagues to do the same, I will be making reoccurring visits to our social network. The site that we created is a testament to the powerful and effective tool technology can be for gathering data about our students and providing instruction that recognizes and accommodates their interests, learning styles, intelligence preferences, and learning profiles.

This course, Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology, has solidified the importance of continually collecting a variety of data about my students. As an outgrowth, I plan to continue exploring the use of technology to facilitate this process. A new essential staple of my first weeks of school will be various inventories that lead me to know more about my students learning preferences as early as possible. This inevitability allows me to begin to differentiate based on students’ learning styles early on.

Another difficult adjustment I plan on implementing for the following school year, involves relinquishing some control, and learning to trust the process. The current emphasis, in this school system, is on a prescribed curriculum and pacing charts that define what and when the curriculum is taught. At first glance, this inhibits opportunities to vary the curriculum and pacing necessary to differentiate. However, if I begin with the end in mind, knowing intuitively, and supported by data, that my best practices are the most effective means of instruction, then I will force the parallel lines to meet. After all, “The goal of education is not simply the mastery of knowledge; it is the mastery of learning,” (National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2009).


References
Introduction | National Center On Universal Design for Learning. (2009). Home | National Center On Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved January 17, 2010, from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/introduction

North Central Regional Education Laboratory & Metiri Group. (2003). enGauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the digital age. Retrieved from
http://www.grrec.ky.gov/SLC_grant/engauge21st_Century_Skills.pdf