EDLD+5364+Course+Reflections

The outcomes I envisioned for this course were learning new applications and websites that will benefit student learning. I was interested in learning new classroom integration strategies to share with the teachers I work with. I was also looking for inspiration of new ideas to infuse into our schools curriculum. I was pleasantly pleased that this course gave me many new ideas to use in instruction. My light bulb also came on when Larry Rosenstock said, "Use the pedagogy of technology with the content of what they (students) need to know". I always knew this but never really thought about it much or practiced it much. Now I need to practice it. What I got out of the course did definitely align this with what I envisioned it be. I did lesson writing, learned some new skills and ways of doing things. The UDL was a similar format we already used but thinking about how my lessons will teach blind and deaf was something I did not think about all the time. I do appreciate that being brought to my attention. Overall, I believe for me, this course was a great success.

The outcomes I received from the class directly relate to the work I do on a day to day basis. The only downfall is that I don't get to personally put these ideas into practice because I do not have a class of my own. I feel at times this puts me at a great disadvantage because I don't get the benefit of practical experience. Also, the longer I am out of teaching the farther away I get from being able to relate back those experiences. The ideas and skills I have learned can be shared with other teachers that I train. I think I can also help mold my districts curriculum into one that is technology rich. We are currently in a rewrite of our district curriculum and I work with six women who are district content teachers and whom are directly involved with the curriculum writing project for our district. I also write lessons and model lessons for teachers who are interested in technology for their lessons.

There are only a few outcomes that I did not achieve. I wanted to write my UDL for all the other days of my experiment but because of family, Christmas and work I was unable to do that. I also wanted to make a book for the scientific method and include a full glossary to include with our unit. My mind swam with other ideas and ways to use the book builder program that I wanted to try out. It will have to wait till the Spring. Time just does not always allow for that to happen. We also wanted to do an audio version for our group reflection. I had great plans to include screen shots of our example lessons, books and plans. As it seems to always do, time eluded us and Christmas was no help either. Overall I think I achieved all the necessary items for all class requirements.

I was successful with completing the course assignments. I was unsure of the whole picture at first. These courses seem really hard at times and it is difficult to figure out what the professor and academic coaches are expecting with the assignments. I am a whole picture type of person and very visual. I like to see examples. I know the fear is that the class will copy the example and therefore not stretch. So I understand why they are not given. I was also unsure of how detailed to get with my assignments. I have a tendency to make things way to hard and bigger than what they need to be. I constantly look at the rubrics. It is difficult when terminology is not consistent and used in different ways than I am used to, that makes assignments confusing. With the help of my team and the online conferences we were able to get through and complete all of our assignments.

I have learned that I can keep up with on-line meetings and work with groups on line. It is getting easier to keep things under control and in a schedule. I procrastinate so I am constantly fighting to keep that under control and not wait till the last minute. This is why I dislike working in groups, people are always depending on you to do your part and you don’t want to let them down. I have learned that I know a lot about technology but I still also have a lot to learn. I learned many new sites to visit such as CAST and programs that are very useful to teaching such as the book builder. I learned new ways to use spreadsheets to have kids fill out rubrics on their own and keep track of their own scores. I love the book builder application and think that it can really benefit students of all types. My leadership skills need some improvement. I would rather not be a leader unless it is necessary. If someone does not step up I will. I will lead when their are children involved but I loose confidence when it comes to adults. I feel like my attitude is good and positive. I am always willing to give something new a shot and some thought. I was definitely against gaming in the the classroom but now I would consider it but only if it were balanced with other methods. Ultimately kids needs to leave school with a balanced educational background to teach them skills, content and patience. Gaming will not necessarily teach