WOW! What a semester this has been! I have learned so much in such a miniscule amount of time. If you were to tell me at the beginning of the semester that I would be building and designing multimedia webpages with embedded audio and video by the end of the semester, I would have laughed and run to the bathroom to throw up. The work has been challenging, but I feel I have risen to the challenge and surpassed my highest expectations. It's like learning another language: when you begin to think in that language, you know you're fluent. And I am happy to report that I have begun to think like a technology leader.
Learning how to design webpages with all the bells and whistles, and learning how to embed this kind of activity into meaningful, higher level curriculum has truly improved my teaching capacity. I have been invited to think about increased rigor, differentiation, and universal design, all of which are made so much easier and more accessible through the use of technology. This has stretched me as a teacher and a leader. And I have found that this kind of technology integration stretches students, too. They are more apt to pay attention and more willing to engage when they get to use technology to achieve greater academic strides. Students are motivated by the learning, and the integration of meaningful technology encourages students to be seekers of knowledge rather than just passive receivers.
Additionally, I feel I am beginning to earn the trust and respect of my colleagues with the technology I have learned. As I have shared what I have been learning, more teachers are opening up and asking questions about technology integration. My background in curriculum development has helped me tremendously to see technology use as an integral part of moving student achievement forward. So I can be helpful. And teachers are beginning to see this and ask questions. I find this level of confidence from my peers to be such an honor, as we explore the unlimited possibilies together.
Finally, I do understand, respect, and appreciate the fact that technology is constantly changing. So this course is really just skimming the tip of the iceberg for me. I know that I have to stay on top of technology. I have to be an active learner and explore the possibilities of the Read/Write web regularly. If I choose to stand still, the technology will pass me by, and I will become obsolete once again. I truly believe that educational technology is the way of the future, and I intend to be right there, leading the charge.
Learning how to design webpages with all the bells and whistles, and learning how to embed this kind of activity into meaningful, higher level curriculum has truly improved my teaching capacity. I have been invited to think about increased rigor, differentiation, and universal design, all of which are made so much easier and more accessible through the use of technology. This has stretched me as a teacher and a leader. And I have found that this kind of technology integration stretches students, too. They are more apt to pay attention and more willing to engage when they get to use technology to achieve greater academic strides. Students are motivated by the learning, and the integration of meaningful technology encourages students to be seekers of knowledge rather than just passive receivers.
Additionally, I feel I am beginning to earn the trust and respect of my colleagues with the technology I have learned. As I have shared what I have been learning, more teachers are opening up and asking questions about technology integration. My background in curriculum development has helped me tremendously to see technology use as an integral part of moving student achievement forward. So I can be helpful. And teachers are beginning to see this and ask questions. I find this level of confidence from my peers to be such an honor, as we explore the unlimited possibilies together.
Finally, I do understand, respect, and appreciate the fact that technology is constantly changing. So this course is really just skimming the tip of the iceberg for me. I know that I have to stay on top of technology. I have to be an active learner and explore the possibilities of the Read/Write web regularly. If I choose to stand still, the technology will pass me by, and I will become obsolete once again. I truly believe that educational technology is the way of the future, and I intend to be right there, leading the charge.