Reflection—EDUC 6713—Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas

This course has been a wonderful learning experience for me. It has provided an opportunity to examine with discernment how best to integrate technology tools in order to bring deeper, richer understanding of content to my students. By using the GAME plan to design, organize, and structure my own learning as well as my students', I now am able to view technology with increased sensitivity and better judge how it will best serve our learning needs. Throughout this course, I have focused on the traits and skills needed to become a self-directed learner and have begun to pass those same skills on to my students. In this way, they will have the tools they need to continue the process of life-long learning. Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2009) add that self-directed learners: "think about thinking and apply strategies to regulate and oversee their learning" (p. 3). The most significant contribution that this class has given me is that I now have a framework that allows me to help my students learn how to learn.

While exploring the facets of the GAME plan, I was able to engage in the cyclical process of setting goals, taking action, monitoring, and evaluating. This is invaluable for my own professional growth and will also provide the means to meaningful, relevant discovery for my students. Marc Prensky (2008) offers: "…in addition to using technology in school, students like having goals they want to reach, doing rather than listening, getting involved with the real world…"(p. 45). The ability to customize and differentiate my lessons more effectively has evolved through this course and by utilizing the GAME plan. Being able to choose appropriate technology tools that will extend learning and help me to tailor my instruction to specific student needs has been supported through this process.

In my personal GAME plan, I was able to begin to make changes in my instructional practices by offering my students more authentic, technology-infused activities. Royer & Richards (2008) add this perspective on the pairing of technology and real-world activities: "Students create authentic 21st century multimedia literacy products similar to those they encounter and value outside of school" (p. 31). During this course we have discovered, discussed, and developed lessons incorporating problem-based learning, social networking or online collaboration, and digital storytelling. Building collaboration skills was a major component in all three of these lessons. "In a collaborative environment, students are actively engaged in the exchange of ideas and are not only responsible for reaching their own academic goals, but the goals of others in the group" (Tech4Learning, Inc. 2007). In addition to increasing teamwork skills, all of these strategies foster creative thinking and provide powerful channels for students to connect with content.

In our DVD, a perfect summation of this course was offered: "Use technology to accomplish your goals" (Laureate Education, Inc. 2009). Rather than use technology for the sake of technology, this course has endorsed aligning our technology use with our vision for teaching, the goals of our students, and the enrichment of our content. My objective for my classroom is to help my students become active, involved, and immersed in their own learning. I will strive to help my students erase the line between what happens in school and what happens beyond by offering exposure to activities that are authentic and address my content. Technology is the implement I can use to accomplish this.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program twelve. Spotlight on Technology: Digital Storytelling, Part 1 [Motion picture]. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40-45.

Royer, R., & Richards, P. (2008, November). Digital storytelling. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(3), 29-31.

Tech4Learning.com: Digital Storytelling Across the Curriculum located at http://www.tech4learning.com/workshops/kolk/digitalstorytelling