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.