Week 8 Reflection

This course has helped me to develop my own technology skills as a professional teacher because it forced me to go out and do my own research on blogging and wikis. We learned everything hands on which makes things so much more concrete. I am now not so much afraid to try new things or use new things in the classroom because I know that I can teach myself anything that is needed. It has also shown me that using technology is a great way of bringing something that my students love into the classroom. I plan on using blogging in my classes next year to add a new element into my teaching.

I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process because I have realized that it is okay to do something on your own. It is almost more concrete to me to use the hands-on learning that we did in this class than if someone had given us step-by-step directions to complete every task. Because of this, I really plan on trying to become more learner-centered in my class. It is a great thing when you look back and see everything that you have accomplished rather than if someone put it right in front of you the entire time.

I plan on trying every piece of technology that I can in order to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology. I plan on showing my coworkers how to use it as well in order to make them more comfortable. I also would like to begin working on more projects which incorporate technology in them in order to increase student achievement as well as participation.

Two longterm goals to transform my classroom are going to be to start using blogging in my classroom and to do more projects that are technology based with my students. Some obstacles that I will have to overcome would be if students do not have the means to use the technology at home or time during the day to use it at school. Something else that would hinder progress would be if students weren't comfortable with the technology. I plan on overcoming these obstacles and accomplishing my goals by setting aside time to go to the computer lab with my students when these projects and blogs arise in order to trouble shoot whatever kinds of problems that they may face.

Application 5: Podcast

Here are all of the links and RSS feeds depending on what you are going to use to listen to it:

IPOD: http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/1006/ipodvideolarge.rss
MP3: http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/1006/mp3.rss
AAC: http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/1006/aac.rss
IPhone: http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/1006/iphone.rss
Mobile: http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/1006/mobile.rss

21st Century Skills

When reading through this Website, I really enjoyed the concepts behind 21st century skills. It is great that they emphasize core subjects with this site. A lot of schools are moving toward an application based learning, especially in math, but if the students do not understand the basics behind the core subject, applying it will be nearly impossible. I also liked how they emphasized that the cores must be learned first before applying it toward the 21st century skills needed when they get out of school. The site says, "Further, the focus on core subjects must expand beyond basic competency to the understanding of core academic content at much higher levels."

The thing that most surprised me was the fact that there weren't many states that are adapting to this. It really sounds like a good plan in order to help students get ready to be out in the workforce and/or prepare them for life past high school. I did not disagree with any of the information on the site because I really believe that it is all relevant to what we as educators should be trying to do in our classrooms everyday. Students should have the opportunities to work with technology and to apply what they have learned to their everyday lives.

The implications for us as educators are to try to put as many applications and connections to the student's everyday lives into our lessons. The students need to know that we are doing this all for a purpose and that it can have something to do with their everyday lives. The implication for students is that they need to know that we are doing all of this for them and they need to stay motivated in order to learn what is needed to perform these tasks outside of the school.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

Week 2 Application

Week 2 Application:

I can use this blog in my classroom as a means for my students to interact and ask questions in a forum. I want my students to get to know each other and feel comforable. It is also a great way to get to know more about me through my blog. I would also use this for my High School Proficiency Exam in order to post open ended questions for the week that need to be completed. It would also serve a purpose with my older students for SAT preparation.

I am currently teaching grades 9, 10, and 11 math. This blog would enhance lessons by providing feedback for each individual student as well as let the students help each other through any problems that they might be having whether it is with the homework, or something for a quiz or test. A blog is a good tool for the instructional context because it will allow me to see what my students know and give them almost immediate feedback on what they could do or how they could have reworded something. I believe that as long as someone is firm and consistent about using the blogs, it would be a great way to infuse the technology into your classroom. I could also pull up the good ones on the SmartBoard and show the entire class what I liked about each person's posting.

Hello Everyone

My name is Anna and I am from a very small town in rural New Jersey. I am currently teaching high school math. I am very excited for this class because I want to try to be more comfortable with using technology in my everyday lessons.

I enjoy golfing, softball, tennis, and spending time with my friends and brand new puppy! I enjoy hearing from everyone!