EDLD+5364+Final+Reflection

EDLD 5364 Final Reflection
I had envisioned learning how to integrate technology in my classroom. I want to teach my students to use the computer as a resource that will give them the chance to learn in an authentic environment. I envision them learning, sharing, creating, and working in a cooperative way. Although my students are in a developmental stage of their life, they are building the foundation of what they will learn, how will they use their knowledge and resources, and how they will contribute to the enhancement of their own communities (school, family, and friends). My students are a clear example of 21st century learners, they like technology and they enjoy using it to expand their knowledge, they are in charge of their own learning, and I’m there to guide them, to be respectful, ethical, and use technology in a safe and secure environment. With the information that I have obtained from this class, I can say that I have achieved the outcomes that I had envisioned. I found this class very helpful and innovative, and it motivated me to keep searching the best way to integrate technology in the classroom, not just in my classroom but also at my campus.

I work as a bilingual pre-k teacher, so the outcomes that I achieved are relevant and important. I was able to model the desired behavior and lessons in a traditional way, and I had the opportunity to enrich the lessons integrating technology in my classroom. I tried to have a computer lesson that reinforces every aspect desired in my student’s goals: socially, physically, and technologically. Therefore, a good foundation in the use of technology and the integration of it in the daily activities in the classroom will allow students to understand the importance of having access to resources that will make their school life easier and more creative. I also believe that the teacher and the student(s) have the necessity to work together as a team, and they also need to include in this team the whole community around them, such as the school administrators, staff, and the student’s family and friends. When working collaboratively, ideas come up easier and all the parts involved in the teaching-learning experience get more benefits than working in isolation.

Again, the lack of resources available at my campus prevented me from achieving more positive outcomes. Unfortunately, there are not enough computers at my school to provide technology lessons or to integrate it to the curriculum (lesson plans). A 1:1 ratio is currently beyond our scope...and our budget.

I think that I was successful in carrying out the assignments because I was able to perform all of them to the best of my capacity. However, I felt a little bit discouraged at the beginning of the class because I couldn’t get a team right away, and when I thought I had one, turned out that they were already working with somebody else. I felt that there are still barriers that block people from accessing technology at different places and for different purposes other than work, but I have also seen that once people get used to technology, individuals work in their projects until the completion of them.

When I first started the classes (EDLD5306) I said that it will take a long time to integrate technology in my classroom. However, I have found myself planning already how to integrate those resources into my teaching-learning experience. It is a lot of work, because I have to plan thinking on ways to use technology for assessment, extension, one to one, special needs, etc. In one word I have to differentiate the purpose of using technology as a tool that will make my work easier and that will make my students learning experience richer, authentic, creative, independent, and what’s most important, that covers their individual needs. I think I’m getting there. I am not visualizing myself utilizing resources in a smart and integrated way anymore, I’m doing it!