Reflective Paper

During the course of this class, I have learned that educational technology has changed leaps and bounds since I graduated from college ten years ago. The internet was just getting introduced at that time, and I remember the excitement of searching on the web for information related to my lesson plans. In my teaching experience, I have had computers in some of my classrooms and have had no computers in others. In the ones where computers were available, they were mainly used for educational math and reading games as reinforcement for the children. There were computer labs at two of the schools where I have taught, but again, they were mainly used for computer games. As computer technology grows more advanced every day, it is imperative that today's students are taught how to use that technology. It is also imperative that today's teachers are taught how to use it, as well.
Right now, I do not have a computer in my classroom. However, I teach first grade. It would be nice to have one, but I do not believe it is essential for that age like it would be for older students. When today's high schoolers graduate, they are going to be expected to use technology in any field in which they choose to build a career. Therefore, it is important for teachers in older grades to both model and teach some of the uses.
Admittedly, it is going to be a challenge for me to put many of the skills I have learned into practice. I teach at a classical school where the emphasis in the lower elementary grades is on acquiring facts and knowledge. Our classroom time is critical, and every minute must be used towards this goal. There is no "extra" time (like I have had in other teaching situations) for the students to explore on the computer. Not having a computer at school could hinder my implementation of many of the things I've learned. However, I do hope to use some of my new skills in other ways. For example, I now know how to average my grades with the simple click of a button on Excel. I also know how to do Power Point, which could be a way for me to serve at church or create interesting presentations for parents, faculty, or students. I have learned how to create progress report using Word and Excel that will save tons of preparation time. In addition to these skills, I have been introduced to webquests, united streaming, and various other education websites that I may have otherwise never come across.
One of the greatest things I will take away from this course is that I no longer have to be "afraid" of technology. Computers do not interest me; I will be honest. As a result, I find it hard to get motivated to learn new skills on the computer when I can continue to do things the "old fashioned way" and get by just fine. But through being forced to learn and explore this technology, I have learned that anyone can do it.
I would say that this course has improved my skills as a thinker. I say this because it does take a certain level of understanding to navigate your way through the files and folders in a computer. Creating formulas in Excel has obviously improved my thinking skills, as well. This course has taught me how to use the tools that are available (on various programs that we have used) to figure out a program's use. The area I still need the most improvement on would probably be in the area of working with movies, sounds, video clips, etc.
I do find this course an extremely beneficial one for teachers. I wish this had been something I took before I graduated and entered the teaching field. However, the technology was not there back then! Or if it was, its use certainly was not as widespread. Students in the Teacher Education Program are fortunate to get this kind of training. They say it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and that can be true. But this "old dog" has definitely learned a thing or two.

Week of October 30

(This post is out of order because I realized I had somehow skipped this week.)
This week I was introduced to podcasting. I have heard of it, and my husband downloads some, but I have had no personal experience with it whatsoever. I found the use of Audacity to be a big difficult. The recording was easy, of course, and the editing wasn't terribly difficult. One frustrating point was listening over and over to my recording in order to pinpoint exactly where the parts were that needed deleting. What I found most challenging was adding in the music. My husband was there to help, and we had a time getting it to begin playing at the right point, getting the volume correctly adjusted, etc. Once we (okay, he mainly) figured it out, however, it was fine. I was pleased with the final result. My presentation was on the three kinds of rocks, and I got a chance to use one of my favorite songs, the theme from "Rocky." I am not sure how effective podcasting is for first graders. They need a lot of stimulating to hold their interest, and I think simply listening would bore them. They would enjoy the music for the first little while, but then they would go into their own world of thinking about something completely different. With first graders, I have found you must incorporate all the learning styles as much as possible - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
I do think podcasting is useful for upper grades, especially if a student has been absent and missed a lecture. Also, if a student needs remediation it would be useful.

Week of November 20

In looking at the website, www.amphi.com/~psteffen/excel.html, I was amazed at all the possibilities! In addition to tutorials for Excel users, there are lesson plan ideas to teach students how to use Excel. Some of the plans are for students as young as kindergarten and first grade! Through my Excel exercises I completed, I learned quite a bit about the many uses of this program. I think the thing that amazed me the most was how easy it is to make a graph! That is a skill that comes in handy not only at school, but in any organization or activity with which you are involved. Simply clicking a button gives you a beautiful, professional-looking chart. The use of formulas challenged my math skills but also proved to be a very useful tool. I do plan to use Excel in the future, both inside and outside of the educational realm. I found it to be very practical and easy, once you get the hang of it of course.

Week of November 13

This week we began learning to use spreadsheets. Although my lesson plans are done on a spreadsheet, I use a template that was given to me by another teacher. In fact, all of my spreadsheet use up to this point has been filling in templates done by others. I had no idea of the many functions of Excel. Being able to average grades with the click of a button is an incredible tool for teachers! I have been dedicated to my grade book for all of my teaching years because it is comfortable and easy. I still have mixed feelings about whether to do my grades on computer or the "old fashioned way," simply because I only teach one class of 11 students. By the time I enter the grades into the computer, I feel like I could just as easily average them with a calculator. I found this to be true when I was teaching full-time in the public school system, as well. For awhile, I did do my grades on the computer, but I found my eyes crossing trying to keep up with what row and column I was on, and it was time-consuming entering all the grades. This was over 5 years ago, however, and our grades were not turned in via the computer. I am just thankful that I know HOW to use Excel to average grades, should I decide to do so in the future.

Week of November 6

The new skill I acquired this week was learning to use MovieMaker. I was surprised at how easy it is to use. The most difficult part was adding the narration to correspond with the pictures. That is probably due to the fact that I had to use Audacity and still wasn't completely confident with it. However, I was proud of the finished product! We do a unit on land in the curriculum I use and discuss the three kinds of rocks, so the podcast and movie I created are things that I could actually use in my classroom (assuming one day I have a computer there!). In addition, MovieMaker could be used to create slide shows of class projects, field trips, etc. I think the program is user-friendly enough that younger elementary students could use it to make a movie of their own.

Week of October 23

This week I have been working on my web page assignment. I enjoyed creating it! I think learning to create a personal webpage is an excellent skill for a teacher to acquire. What a wonderful way to introduce yourself to your parents and students! On my page, I was able to include my personal philosophy of education as well as the required information and links. I love being able to sit down and really think about what I do and why I do it. I have always believed that God called me to be a teacher, and writing out my convictions affirms that. The Lord has given me a unique opportunity to exercise my skills as a teacher while staying faithful to my calling as a mother. Both are such blessings to me.

Having a personal web page gives me the opportunity to express myself as well as provide an effective communication tool with parents and other teachers. I am glad to have learned how to do it! As with most of the other assignments, it wasn't nearly as intimidating as I was expecting.

Week of October 16

I am proud to say I completed my very first Power Point presentation. Body Systems is one of the last units of the year that we cover in first grade science. It is one of my favorite ones. The students bring life-sized cut-outs of themselves to school. As we discuss the different body systems and organs associated with each one, they color, cut out, and glue the various organs to their bodies. By the end of the unit, the students can see their brain, heart, lungs, stomach, bones, etc. on their own bodies! Right now, I do not have a computer in my room at school. Therefore, I cannot yet use the project I created. But I anticipate that the day will come when I do have a computer, and I will enjoy showing the students my presentation on Body Systems.

In addition, I now know HOW to create a power point presentation (which is more than I can say before taking this class). When I have computer access in my classroom, I will be able to use power point to share information with my students in a colorful, creative way.

Week of October 9

Today was our introduction into web pages. I have to honestly say that creating a web page is something I never thought I would do! I never thought I could do it, actually. I am beginning to see through this course that many elements of the computer world that I considered way out of my league are not as intimidating as I thought they were. Granted, we have just scratched the surface of this new challenge, but I believe if I can just continue to follow the directions that are given to me, I'll be surprised at what I can create.

My husband continues to remind me to save all my notes from this class. He wants to learn many of the things I am learning! I never considered myself "computer-savvy," but when I see just how much computers CAN do, I realize how very little I know.

Week of October 2

Having no prior experience with Power Point, it was helpful for me to read How to Score More Points with your PowerPoints. The article focuses on 3 main aspects of a presentation: content, presentation, and design. It is important that the content be structured and organized. While it is not necessary to include every detail of information you want to present on your slides, it is important that your information is well-documented. The heart of the presentation, however, lies with the speaker. It is important to be engaging, enthusiastic, and interesting to the listeners. Having a well-designed presentation also helps. The use of appropriately themed graphics and art can make the presentation more appealing. Be careful, however, not to be distracting with too much animation or sound.

All of the elements listed above work together to keep a Power Point presentation from being Power Pointless. Since I am a visual learner, I always appreciate having something to see as well as hear when I am receiving new information. Power Point is an excellent tool for this.

Week of Sept. 25

This week I completed my first exam. What did I learn? There is a LOT about word processing that I didn't know! Honestly, I thought this portion of the class would be the "easy" part. Word processing is certainly what I have the most experience with, as far as computers are concerned. I had no idea there were so many applications and possibilities that come with Word. Thankfully, we were allowed to use our notes and Microsoft Word Help. I am grateful to now know how to better utilize this program. I am also grateful that I have notes to remind me of how to do it! My husband has asked me to please hold on to all my notes from this class, because he was also unaware of many of the applications. (Mail Merge is his favorite new discovery!)

My nerves were high during the exam, but I am pleased with my score. We are now embarking on Power Point, with which I have had no experience up to this point. It is something I have wanted to learn for awhile, and there is no doubt it will be useful in my teaching.

Week of Sept. 18

Whew! I just turned in my graphics exercises. ALL NEW to me. I believe this was the first time I have ever used both Paint and Picture Manager. Honestly, I am not sure how often I will be using Paint in the future. When I completed my "drawing" with Paint, it looked like it had been done by a five-year-old. I would much rather get a white sheet of paper and some crayons. However, learning how to import graphics was very helpful. I also never knew the difference between .bmp, .gif, and .jpeg, much less when to use each of them. Cropping, resizing, etc. will definitely be useful when it comes to editing photos and graphics. The use of pictures, whether on handouts, in Power Point presentations, or on tests adds so much and makes things much more visually appealing.

Week of Sept. 11

We do not have a required reading this week, so I will comment on the projects I've been working on. While I was overwhelmed at first, so far I have found them to be very "doable." I have honestly been surprised at what I've been able to do! My husband is impressed (he is especially intrigued with "Mail Merging") and wants me to keep notes of these so I can teach him how to do them as well. He nor I knew so much was available on Microsoft Word!

Although I do not have a computer in my classroom, these skills are going to be useful in my class preparations. Now my handouts, quizzes, and even tests can be more interesting for first graders to view with the simple addition of a border or graphic. And, who's to say I won't have a computer in my classroom one day where I can introduce United Streaming?

I know the Power Point tutorial will be coming soon, and I have been looking forward to learning how to do this. Once again, it is a bit intimidating to me right now, but I hope I will be just as surprised as its ease as I have been with everything else.

Week of September 4

Cooperative learning groups are something I have tried in the past, sometimes with success and sometimes without. This article provides some helpful guidelines in ensuring that they are successful. First and foremost, as the article states, a cooperative group is more than just a group of people working together. Successful cooperative groups are built on working towards a mutual goal, providing support and encouragement, and working together to complete a task. It is vital that each member in a coopertive learning group be expected to do his/her share and held accountable to it. Groups must also be willing to come to consensus on all decisions. This may require sacrifice on the part of some group members in order to help the greater good. The groups must also have positive, constructive interation with each other.

In the elementary setting, a big challenge to cooperative group learning was the tattling. In an effort to be sure that "everyone is doing his/her part," often members of the groups would come to tattle on the others. Something I always worked toward was teaching the group members to work out issues among themselves before coming to me. In the future, I think it will be helpful to spend some time laying out the guidelines mentioned in this article before the groups begin working together. When done correctly, with each group member participating, cooperative learning groups can be a wonderful and enriching learning experience for all students involved.

Week of August 28

This reading, as well as our discussion in class, has been quite insightful. I had never heard of a web quest before, much less used one in my classroom. A webquest, as defined by Bernie Dodge of San Diego State University, is "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet." Some of the basic aspects of a webquest include: introduction, task, information sources, process, guidance, and conclusion. Web quests are usually done in groups and can be either short-term or long-term. The purpose of web quests is to promote higher-order thinking.

Although I am a younger elementary teacher (1st grade), I do believe web quests could be useful in my classroom. It is important that children learn how to safely navigate the internet, and it is also important that they learn to work together as a team. I have always enjoyed using cooperative learning activities in my class, and now I have another great tool with which to work. You have said that it is easy to create one of these pages, so perhaps later in the course this will be something I can introduce to the teachers at my school!

Week of August 21

According to the article "Teaching with Technology" by Hooper and Rieber, there are five phases of technology adoption in education: familiarization, utilization, integration, reorientation, and evolution. Most teachers, however, usually do not progress past the utilization phase. This has certainly been true in my education experience, both as a student and as an educator.

I believe it is important for teachers to integrate technology in the classroom when appropriate, mainly because the world today is becoming more and more technologically driven. I do not believe, however, that technology could or should ever replace the importance of the relationship built from teacher-student interaction.

When used appropriately, technology can be a valuable aid in any classroom. Whether being used by the teacher for practical tasks such as averaging grades and keeping records, or by students for calculating math problems or navigating educational software, the use of technology is sure to enrich educational experiences for both the teacher and the student.