Semester Reflection

I have to say that when this course first started, I was thinking that either it was going to be easy, or extremely difficult. I thought that I was just going to have to do a power point and a blog and reflect. I have to now say since I am finishing up, that it has be a very hard class for me because I am not technologically sound. I found that although interesting, it was very time consuming and probably my least favorite class thus far. I can say that I did achieve the outcomes of the class, by far; only because I was pushed and stretched beyond all of my expectations.
I believe that most people are either integrating technology into their classroom because they love it themselves, or because there is an expectation for it within their school/district. I do integrate technology into my classroom (research based projects, digital storytelling, power point, etc., however, I have found that this is not enough. If I want to keep up with the ever growing world of technology and to keep my students connected and the “light turned on” with technology, then I have (we) have some major work to do. I have found that by taking this class, now I am familiar with technology terms, policies that are in place, laws, and plans for our future in technology education. Because I am now familiar with these things, I have no excuse to not get going and moving forward with the technology and skills that are needed to be successful in this arena.
Now that I have completed all of the assignments that were assigned and stressed and strained over all the knowledge that I was packing into my brain, I find that I am proud to say that I know this information and feel that I will be a better teacher/future administrator because of it. The only thing that I felt was excessive was all of the reading. Many of the articles were written by the same author and were redundant. Other than that however, I feel that I was stretched beyond my comfort zone and am better now for it. Reviewing the Long Range Plan, the STarChart, and AEIS when determining what is needed was an eye-opener for me. I was not familiar with any of these prior to taking this course. Now I see the importance of the STarChart and why we have to take it yearly as stakeholders.
When reflecting back on this course, I have found that the thing that I learned the most about that I guess I took for granted was the copyright and web publishing laws. This has made me think many times how I will need to ensure that my staff will be well trained and how the information will need to be available for not only the staff, but for the students. Cyber safety is definitely a key area that can not be overlooked. I believe that we need to train and retrain to make sure that all rules and laws are being followed.
One of my favorite quotes that I read that I try to live by daily is: “every moment of the day, no matter what it is we are doing is a teachable moment.” Because our students look at what we do and say, we are in the perfect position to ensure that what we do is correct and ethical. If I show them that technology is important, they too will follow. If I show and tell them about the laws, rules and internet safety, it may make the difference in what a student is doing or saying on the internet. Because we are “digital immigrants”, it does not give us the excuse to just give up and not integrate technology into our classrooms. I love it when kids teach me things. If we encourage and invite their expertise, we will find that they have more buy-in and will perform better in the classroom. Since our administration is still in the “old age” of technology by using overheads when we have a meeting, I believe that it needs to be brought up again that they too need to model for the staff. Accountability is key. If educators do not see that it is a necessary thing, many will not take the initiative on their own to correct their current behavior of daily worksheets and more in to modern times of technology.
When using the blog, I found this hard. I am not a “blogger” by nature, nor do I write in a journal. I found that this was a pain to post on the assignment board, discussion board and then again on the blog. I can see however, that blogging has endless possibilities. I can see that it would be beneficial for an administrator and staff to communicate. I also believe that it would a healthy method to use in the classroom. I believe when looking at differentiation in the classroom, this would be a wonderful idea to incorporate. When doing the writing process, I can see blogging as a great tool to write, revise, edit and provide for immediate access to assignments. This also provides limited access to the internet and safety if done directly with the class. It also ensures that no online predator would be able to see their work and they could feel safe to put their feelings down if using a blog in that fashion.
Cyber ethics is probably the thing that needs to be practiced the most. Since we are already teaching values and morals in the classroom, this falls right in line. I love to tell my kids, “Integrity is doing the right thing even when nobody is looking.” This goes with using the computer. Just because I (or an adult), am not looking over your shoulder, it does not mean that what they are doing can not be traced or tracked. Nothing is hidden or erased. Once you put the information out there, you can not take it back; everyone can read it. In order to achieve the intellectual growth and safety that is needed for students and technology, we need to prepare them with the basics of cyber ethics.
In completing this course, I can see that this course has prepared me in the importance of the use of technology in the class, the need for cyber ethics, and the huge responsibility that lies ahead as a future administrator. It has also reminded me that I will need to extremely careful when communicating with stakeholders and what I will need to be equipped with to make sure that what I am doing and saying what I want and need it to say, because after all, once it is said in writing, you can not take it back.