Reflection

The progression of this course has gotten me thinking more about how to incorporate technology into my classroom on a regular basis. Using technology in the classroom requires different types of teaching strategies. First, the management style you use will probably be different when using technology. Students react differently when technology is around, so the way I introduce and use technology needs to be different. Technologies can also incorporate different teaching strategies. Some technologies are more interactive than others, so I need to decide what teaching style I want to use and then find a technology that fits that style.

The most popular technology to use in the classroom is the Internet. Students now have greater access to research and educational games as well as inappropriate content. When I think about using the Internet in my classroom, I need to think about the possible negative outcomes as well as the benefits. The evaluation process also includes testing the links of websites being used to ensure they are active and appropriate. If a website has inappropriate or inaccurate information I need to consider carefully if I should use it for my lesson. Part of my responsibility as a teacher is to teach my students how to evaluate their use of technology, specifically the Internet. With so much available at their fingertips, they need to be able to be responsible about what they use the Internet for. Instilling values and morals is part of being an educator and will help my students develop into conscientious adults.

I believe I have met my personal goals for this course. I learned about new technologies as well as how to use them in my own classroom. The information shared by the instructor as well as by the other students proved to be incredibly helpful. The best resource we have is each other and I believe I took great advantage of the resources available in this class.

Currently, my goal is to continue finding ways to integrate technology into each unit of social studies and science that I teach. I have only picked these two subjects to start with because I know smaller goals are more realistic for me. As I plan through these units this year, I will be looking for ways to incorporate technology in various ways whether it be me using the technology as a teacher or using the technology with my students or teaching my students how to use a new technology. The more I can responsibly and effectively use technology in my classroom, the more likely my students are to become engaged in learning.

Online learning

I think I could use educational blogs in my classroom this year. I have done some research as to the benefits of using blogs in the classroom and want to see those benefits with my students.
Many times I have my students reflect on the books they read in class. I could use blogs as a way for them to reflect still, but then make each blog available for the others to see and comment on. Sometimes students don't know what book to read, so reading someone else's thoughts on that book might help make a decision. Since editing is not a major feature of blogs, I would not use it for editing, but rather as a medium for the students to get their own thoughts out as well as to read each other's thoughts. I would use a more laid back teaching approach with this online experience. The students do not need to be directed through the process, but rather guided along as they learn something new.
It would be difficult for me to use interactive discussions with experts. In order to attend my school, students need to speak English. In China, there are not many native English speakers. Doing an interactive discussion would be difficult because most English speaking "experts" that I know either already live in my city and we would, therefore, not need to do an online interactive discussion or the people I know live in the United States. Because of the 12-hour time difference, it is difficult to schedule a time to talk when my students are in school and someone in America is available.
I like the suggestions given in the companion paper. There were many ways to incorporate online learning in the classroom that I had not recently thought about. It's good to have a document like that in which lots of information is put together in a user friendly format.

Google Calendar

• Describe your experience as a user of the application. What functions did you like and what functions did you find frustrating? Why?

As I explored through Google Calendar I was pleased with the simplicity of the site. It was incredibly easy to add events to the calendar. There are many options for when events would be posted whether it be daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or even on certain days of the week. I created a calendar for the remainder of our online class and was pleased with how easy it was to create as well as share with other people. The people you share the calendar with can have different access to the calendar. The creator of the calendar can choose to allow others to view only, view and edit events or to view, edit events and share the calendar with others. I liked that it was easy to use and easy to create new events. There is also a task list that can be displayed on the side that is easy to use. For people who receive satisfaction from crossing things off their list, this task list is a nice feature. Multiple calendars can also be created by the user. Each calendar shows the events in different colors and you can choose which calendar events you want to show at any particular time. The church I attend has a Google Calendar and the events for this calendar are visible when I sign into my own Google Calendar. I liked this feature because I don't have to add in the church's events, but I can see them with the click of a button.

The only downside I saw to the calendar was that it was difficult to find where to change the calendar settings. When you set up a new calendar it automatically takes you through the steps of creating the specific settings. Once you create the calendar, however, it is harder to find where to change the settings. I'm sure once you get used to it, though, it becomes easier and more logical where things are placed. The only other feature that I think might be helpful to have is a way to communicate with the creator of the calendar. If parents have questions or concerns, they might want a way to contact the teacher directly from the calendar. This feature would be great to have as an option, as some teachers would not want another mode of communication to be available.

• Think about its application in the classroom
  • What knowledge or skills would students need to use the software?
  In order for students to use this software, they would need to know how to type and navigate through a calendar. When I was exploring the application I was not viewing it through the eyes of a student, but rather a teacher. I see this application being more useful as a communication tool between teachers, parents and administrators. The calendar can have important meetings, homework and tasks posted for parents to view. Administrators might also want to know what events are happening in a particular classroom or have events to add to the calendar. Teachers need to know the basics of navigating through an electronic calendar, but the majority of skills needed are basic as the site is user-friendly.
• • How can you share the products you create with this application
  When a calendar is created, you simply have to know the email address of the person you want to share it with. You can then send them an email notifying them you are sharing a calendar with them and they can view the calendar. If you choose, other people can have the authority to change and add events to your calendar, but the creator has to give permission for this to happen.
• • How could you see the application being used to teach a particular subject matter?
  I see this application being used less to teach subject matter and more for communication purposes. You could use Google Calendars to teach students about calendars, time management, etc., but the main purpose in my mind would be to communicate with others.
• • What are some things a teacher could do to help students collaborate using this application?
  A teacher could help students and parents work together using Google Calendars. The more information parents have about what is happening at school, the better they will be able to help their children succeed at school. If parents are informed, they are more likely to be involved.
• • What sort of organization or managerial considerations will a teacher have to take into account?
  A teacher would need to be very organized in lesson planning to use this application most effectively. He/she would also need to remember to update the calendar on a regular basis so parents could stay informed. This is a technology that I see myself wanting to use, but being leery of it because I don't know if I will have the time or energy to consistently use it. It has potential to be a great tool if it is used regularly by both teachers and parents.