Final Reflection CEP 811

Whether it is whole class, small group, or partner instruction it is important to incorporate a variety of instructional strategies. The same is true when integrating technology into lessons. Variety in strategies ensures students are engaged in lessons, practicing different learning styles, and demonstrating their knowledge in many ways. Direct instruction is most effective when introducing a new type of technology in order to provide students with clear directions and expectations for using the technology effectively. Providing students opportunities for independent practice helps solidify their understanding of the technology. Finally, providing students with a rubric and allowing them to use their creativity to construct a project using the technology allows them to apply concepts they have learned. 

Integrating web-based technologies provides flexibility for students to collaborate and construct projects outside of the four walls of a traditional classroom. It also provides opportunities for them to work with students in other schools, states, or even countries. It is important for individual teachers not to ‘re-invent the wheel’ and I have discovered that there are a wide variety of web-based technologies such as web quests that are already available that I can incorporate into my lessons to supplement my face to face instruction. It is very important for teachers to explore and evaluate the effectiveness of technology tools before using them with students for many reasons. First, it ensures I am able to help my students troubleshoot problems, meets the learning objectives, and is appropriate for my students. Once I have identified my lesson objectives I am able to search for web-based materials that fit my plans. I have found Quest Garden, Read, Write, Think, and Scholastic very useful websites for finding quality web-based resources for classroom use. 

When I began this course my personal goals were to learn more strategies for successfully incorporating technology into my classroom. I have learned a variety of effective instructional strategies, written a lesson plan that utilizes technology, collaborated with classmates to evaluate resources, and created a stand-alone instructional resource for use with my fourth grade students. I am most proud of the class website I have created to share resources, pictures, and ideas with students, families, and colleagues. I am really excited to use a blog to communicate with parents and to help students hold collaboration discussions during book club. I am exploring ways to incorporate collaborative writing through GoogleDocs into our writing assignments. Overall, I am inspired by my work and those of my peers to continue taking small steps and incorporating technology throughout the fourth grade curriculum. As I plan for the upcoming school year I have bookmarked many websites I plan to use and I am looking forward to continuing my technology journey.

My new goals are to continue to keep my class website up-to-date, utilize blogs for book discussion, use GoogleDocs for collaborative writing assignments, and create my own webquests to supplement my inquiry science instruction. In order to meet these goals I first develop a plan, gather resources, align the activities from the resources with my lesson objectives, create a rubric for students, and then monitor the implementation process for things to improve for next time. As technology continues to change and evolve so must my ability to remain flexible. I have learned to take things one project at a time and providing clear expectations for students produces the best results. Additionally, I want to be mindful of the principles of Universal Design for Learning when writing my lesson plans in order to meet the needs of all learners in my classroom. Technology provides excellent opportunities to address multiple learning types and styles both to help students highlight their strengths and provide practice for other areas. Another way to help me meet my goals is to collaborate with colleagues in my building because working together to share the work load helps with creativity and allows more to be done in a short amount of time. I am also looking forward to further exploring all MERLOT has to offer. I appreciate all of the feedback and support I have received from my classmates and professor. I hope everyone has a productive and technology-rich school year!