Taking CEP 810 has been a valuable experience both personally and professionally in several ways. First, I was able to learn in new ways that were motivating and engaging. Second, I was able to apply key concepts to my professional teaching career. Finally, I was challenged to think deeply about meaningful ways to integrate technology into my teaching.
The networked learning project allowed me to personalize my learning process. I was allowed to select my own topic for learning and allowed to seek out resources that met my needs. My learning was individualized to fit my interests, ideas, and learning style. I was able to choose my topic of learning how to knit. I was not only motivated, but my learning has continued even after my project was complete. If this experience was meaningful for me as an adult, I can only imagine the possibilities for my students. This project inspired me to think of ways to incorporate more student choice and flexibility in the ways students can learn through technology. I hope to incorporate some of the elements of our networked learning project into Genius Hour. I like the idea of students learning a new skill of their choice, allowing them to blend hands-on learning and online learning.
I was able to connect key learning concepts in this course to my teaching career. Learning about the TPACK framework provides me with a tool to assess my current teaching practices and plan for more meaningful integration of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. I was also able to begin planning lessons that reflect this framework. This practice was important to begin applying theories about learning to actual teaching practices I can use in my profession. I was thankful to learn about workflow in this course, which can apply to my professional and personal life. I was able to think about using technology to improve my workflow, and reflect on how I can get things done. Improving my workflow can allow me to be more efficient, and spend more time to work directly with students.
Finally, I was excited about gaining exposure to many technology tools in this course. We were given time to explore technologies to help organize our professional work and think about ways digital tools can enhance student learning. We were given time to play with these technologies and begin thinking of ways they can benefit our students. With so many new and intriguing digital tools, it’s important that teachers and students have time to explore new technologies to realize the potential for teaching and learning. As a new school year approaches, I hope to give my students time to play with technology. This will give them time to learn through play, and build a foundational knowledge of the technology available in our classroom.
Throughout this course, my thinking about what education can be for teachers and students has evolved to become more flexible and dynamic. I feel that I have a better understanding of how to make education meaningful for students by acknowledging their diverse needs and interests and recognizing that learning doesn’t need to look the same for every student. Thankfully, technology can help create a more personalized environment for learners. Next year, I would like to give my students more flexility in how they express their learning. For example, students could create videos, presentations, posters, etc. to explain their thinking. This provides students with important choices while learning.
While this course has evolved my thinking, challenges and questions also arise with new learning. One of the biggest questions on my mind revolves around implementing change. How can we begin to make changes in our classrooms that support the varied needs and interests of each student, while also supporting curriculum needs? If I allow learning to be more personal to each student in my class, how can I manage to monitor progress for an entire classroom of students? I think this is one of the biggest challenges I see when implementing new teaching practices and changing the way we view education. As my learning continues, I hope to explore these challenges further and begin to think about possible solutions.
References:
Rebirth Cycle. (2009, March 8). Reflect. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/drownedman/4201993267/in/photolist-7pjjcM-bhEtmv-7DvViE-5iRZN-3Q58Ti-oYaEb7-ocPG8i-5iS16-5iS1p-5yXaz-dxphZK-ehGUdu-7X1RPz-d9SMQp-a9mSRs-9rXWsK-rqvE7-f7qDoB-eDPy7V-JFDBc-3x3Ebe-tz3i5-6926p1-R2wTLF-9z4hw8-5yXa5-pwQHtw-XTx6f-5yXaf-qLQtY4-pQYHMn-6B4ya-7TWHUK-URCETw-5Nyv-rqvA2-9s1UhU-9436WF-9rXNRR-6ui85t-WApHeS-jLXx2-9rXMWt-9rXNqk-9mPsrQ-TasUuv-9rXMwx-pGMdyF-nH3DMh-S1SpKt
Teaching with Tech 