Reflection on Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society

When I started this course I have to admit that my knowledge of RSS feeds, wikis, blogs, and podcasts were limited. Even though I have attended various workshops where these web 2.0 tools were featured, I never took the initiative to create my own podcast, wiki or blog. This in part was due to the fact that I would not be able to utilize these tools in my technology classroom. My school like many others across the nation do not have access to various websites, e-mail and other tools necessary to implement these skills into the curriculum. This is not to say that access is out of reach or impossible, it is a work in progress. So I am elated about the fact that this course so to speak forced my hand and opened my eyes. Though I have to admit many times I was stressed out because the period for learning and then creating a wiki, blog and podcast were small windows of time. This is where my colleagues were instrumental in my learning process through skyping, cyber discussions, and even via phone conversations. We utilized the very 21st century skills discussed in the course such as critical thinking, communication and collaboration.

I will continue to take Master’s courses in Integrating Technology in the Classroom in order to expand my knowledge of technology. It would also be advantageous for me to continue to attend professional development seminars for technology, which my district continues to support. Following the blogs of my colleagues and utilizing their informative wikis will be instrumental in developing new ways to increase student achievements. I also intend to continue to post to my blog and create additional podcasts and wikis, in order to master these skills and teach them confidently to my students. These strategies will allow me to both model and facilitate web 2.0 and century 21 skills so that my classroom is geared for student centered lessons that will keep students engaged and increase achievements.

One of my long-term goals for my technology classroom is to create a blog that integrates the various grade levels content areas with a question of the week. For instance it could be as simplistic as asking what did you learn in social studies or science this week that made an impact? Another idea would be to define one of the weeks spelling words. This process would produce student achievements in both technology and content areas. My second goal is to gain access to a future program that my district is considering that would allow for a network based wiki. My fourth grade students currently research one of the fifty states in social studies. It would be great if this research could be posted on a wiki where students could expand on the project by including short videos and useful websites with a link. It would not only be a great way to display their project but students in any grade level could use it as a point of reference for states they maybe planning to visit on vacation. These two goals would transform my classroom into a student centered environment and equip the students with the necessary 21st skills used in a global and digital society.

Tech Demographic Survey

PodcastMachine






Check out this podcast survey I did on the digital abilities of three of my third grade students. It was a fun way to find out about how often they use technology and what technology they use outside of the classroom. All of us were exposed for the first time to audio recordings (podcasts).