Week 2 - Here to there and back again

KWL - Great learning starts with examining what we already Know, looking at what we Want to learn, and then reflecting on what was actually Learned.

K - I already know that using technology in the classroom is essential not only for creating interactive activities but for engaging today's fast-paced learners. I've used passive technology such as Prezi and Powerpoint to present information to my students. This engaged them in that I could include image movement, video, and sound, but the students still sat and listened/watched. Granted, they were more engaged than if I had been lecturing or having them follow along in a textbook, but they still weren't excited beyond belief to be in my room. About 10 days ago, I realized that my new position came with a great gift for my teaching career. Until that fateful moment, I had never been fully-oriented as to what a Smart Board could do, let alone taught how to do it. It was at that instant that I was blessed with the realization that the Smart Board in my library was a TOUCHSCREEN! I probably felt the same way about the leap in technology that I felt in high school when we switched from a punched card IBM System 3 Model 10 to the dedicated terminals of the IBM System 36. It might not seem like much of a leap from an outsider but when you've been working with less powerful technology, the gift of advancement is a very big deal!

W - So now I want to know how to utilize it more fully and how to step back from driving the lessons to let the kids use the technology to uncover the answers we are working on as a class. While personal learning and use of the technology is a great goal for me, it is self-centered to think in those terms. Instead I need to learn how to take advantage of technology to create an environment where students can sharpen their skills of self-directed learning so they become the life-long learners that educators want to nurture in our schools. I need to learn how to promote technology for my students while still ensuring (to the best of my ability) that my students are learning in safe environments. While helping marry student learning and technology, I need to be aware of possible disparities between what I'm teaching and the home environment, finding ways to include families in this adventure so my students have a stronger and wider professional learning network. After all, students are professional learners just by the act of being in school and if we foster that attitude that learning is an important accomplishment throughout life, then we increase the chances of learning occurring beyond the walls of our classrooms.

L - I hope that my final reflection at the end of the term will include successful strides towards creating integrative lessons utilizing student-led use of technology to generate successful learning experiences that will promote positive educational interactions proving a solid foundation for my students' futures. I expect to find that the experiences are safe and positive, building students up and carrying along their home members to share and appreciate the achievements made. At the start of this course, I was using a Prezi to introduce myself to my students, incorporating an Animoto video, audio tracks, and images. Students sat and watched. (Feel free to take a gander at the Prezi: http://prezi.com/swweljwaatpx/learning-about-mrs-damon/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy ) By the end of this course, I want to see students investigating who I am through QR codes, webquests, and making use of research skills that I have taught them because one of my goals for all my students this year is to work on presenting information so that people pay attention to it!