Apply and Discover 11.1

This course was a great way to increase my knowledge about technological resources and tools, and even to get to know my students better.  I have gained the confidence to try new things, either by having the experience hands-on, or just by gathering ideas from my peers.  My students have already benefitted from my experience in this course.

The article by Prensky, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,” struck me the most out of all of the articles that I read through the course.  I had been one of those teachers, who every now and then when frustrated, would ask, “What is wrong with these kids today?”  After that, I would often reflect and ask myself why what I did that day was so ineffective.  Seeing in black and white that kids today just may be thinking differently cleared up a lot of my frustration and doubts.  I would often feel guilty if the class went off topic- like I was wasting precious time.  Now, I feel confident that not only do my students like going off topic, but it actually benefits them and supports their way of thinking.  They can go off topic and still learn- and learn even more in depth than if we did not do so (Prensky, 2001).

The technological tools of which I became aware already do, or will soon have a place in my classroom.  Towards the end of the year, my students have to do an oral presentation that several students feel uncomfortable doing.  Now, I have an alternative- they can either do a podcast, or even a screencast, at home without having to be nervous about their audience that can be played in class in lieu of getting up in front of everyone.   The WebQuest that I made, and the success that it had in my class has made me start to develop 2 more- one in my Science class on Cells, and another one in my Language Arts class about the Titanic. 

The websites about UDL and NETS for students are great guides and contain much valuable information.  The UDL website not only reviews what UDL is, but gives many ideas as to how to implement it in my classroom.  The NETS site is a good guide for what skills I should have, and should be teaching to my students to prepare them for their futures.

Perhaps the most valuable thing that this course has instilled in me is the confidence to try new technologies in my classroom.  The amount of support from websites and peers has led me to stop stalling- to stop saying, “That won’t work with the amount of technology that my school has.”  I now have the confidence to use the tools that are available in the best way to benefit my students. 

References

NETS for Students, http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-S_Standards.sflb.ashx. (2007). Retrieved February 18, 2012, from International Society for Technology in Education.

About UDL: What is Universal Design for Learning? (2012). Retrieved March 15, 2012, from CAST: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants- Part I. On the Horizon, 9(5).