Boy was I wrong!
I found out that there is a whole world of technology out there that I can use to ramp up my teaching and create an exciting and engaging environment for my students.
The world is changing and we have to keep up. Technology is only going to keep evolving and we have to be willing to go on the journey with it.
TPACK was a great starting point for me to look at my teaching and where to go. I realized that I know a lot about my content area and an ok amount about technology, but through the semester I learned how I could become a great teacher, or at least try. I gained tools on how to flip my classroom and use blended learning to create an environment where I am not so focussed on spitting content at my students, but allowing them to use design thinking and problem based learning to really tackle and understand real life problems.
I learned that it takes work.....I mean a lot of work to stay on top of the endless and ever changing technology resources out there. That I have to be committed to seeking out new opportunities whether that is conferences, websites, podcasts, blogs, twitter, or Facebook to build my PLN.
There is an endless amount of resources out there and I have to be willing to go find them!
So what have I learned? That I have to always have a drive to learn, change, and grow with technology because if not I will be left behind. I have to put myself out there and try new things knowing that some might fail, but be willing to look at that failure as success and growth. That the use of technology can help our students and allow us to really personalize their experience!
I hope to always be this open to new technology and my plan from here is to take what I have learned and apply it to my future courses to really be the best I can be.
I felt the same way as you at the beginning of class, and the same now (sweet buddy christ btw). I have learned much throughout the course, and I am excited to continue to seek out sources to create a more personal and effective classroom. You listed several ways to expand your PLN--as that grows it will continue to do so exponentially. Good luck fighting the good fight to adapt and overcome!
ReplyDeleteyou are right it certainly is a lot of work to learn and stay up to date on new technology. I agree technology can really help us ramp up our teaching, incorporate problem based learning and help further personalize a student educational experiences. Well said.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that there is a " whole world of technology out there!" There was so much from this course that I never knew existed, but I can tell that a lot of these tools will help my students.
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