Running Head: Final Reflection

Reflection 1

Running head: Final Reflection

Final Reflection

Charlotte Morgan

State University of West Georgia Reflection 2

Reflecting upon one’s strengths, weaknesses and goals is often an awakening experience which forces an individual to reassess plans for the future after the attainment of knowledge. Now that my

Ed.S program is coming to an end at the State University of West Georgia, I realize that my initial goals have changed, as well as my motivation for initially enrolling in the media and technology specialist program. However, changing the motivation for enrolling in a program does not mean that I am not committed to learning and implementing all aspects of the coursework provided through the MEDT program. If anything, this semester has reaffirmed my commitment to education and the integration of technology in the classroom.

The technology program has definitely been a challenge to me, yet I find myself determined to utilize what I have learned in both my professional and personal lives, which leads me to reevaluate my motives for beginning this program. I initially intended to earn my specialist degree and use it sometime in the future if I no longer wanted to be in the classroom, but I now realize that I can apply everything I am learning right now in my classroom. It has taken time, but I have slowly overcome my fear of technology. I was never apprehensive about computers and basic technology, but I did find myself apprehensive when facing a technology that was completely foreign to me. For instance in my web design class, I found myself apprehensive every time I attempted a new phase of the web design, not because I felt incapable, but because I knew how easily technology could go awry. I think this fear is one of the reasons that educators, myself included, often ere on the cautious side when presented with opportunities to integrate new technology into their curriculum. Because educators fear the repercussions of attempting a new technology, after an investment of time and materials, that fails, they implement technology on the surface, but fail to truly change the way they teach and the students learn. In fact, according to Christenson, Horn, and Johnson (2008) authors of Disrupting Class “the billions schools have spent on computers have had little effect on how teachers teach and students learn.” After much contemplation, I realize that I was as guilty as other educators because I used Reflection 3 technology for the basics such as research and writing papers, but the technology was merely a substitution for textbooks and overhead projectors primarily because I was afraid to invest the time changing my instruction, when I might fail. Towards the end of this program, I have developed a comfort level with technology and have gone so far as to create a class wiki for my students and have implemented different types of technology for students’ use. This program has reaffirmed my commitment as an educator to continue to improve my instruction and provide the best learning opportunities to better prepare my students for the future, which absolutely includes technology.

My goals for the upcoming years focus primarily on the utilization of the skills and knowledge

I have gained through my specialist degree. I have already been exposed to numerous applications that

I have started to integrate in my classroom instruction, such as a classroom wiki. As a high school English teacher, I can visualize a wealth of opportunities for providing students with on-line opportunities to collaborate, write, revise and publish their writing. I also plan to experiment with implementing blogs and applications such as Google Docs which are simple applications that can be used in the migration from teacher-centered to student-centered instruction. In addition, I hope to develop an interactive class website that allows students opportunities to collaborate, discuss, and share their ideas with one another, much like a Socratic style classroom that will put the focus of instruction on the student, not the teacher.

Implementing technology into my curriculum will not occur all at once. However, through the skills learned in my distance learning class, I have a better understanding of potential problems when designing online instruction. I have already conducted an assessment of the technology that is readily available for my use and found that the majority of my students feel when they use technology for instruction, they are learning new skills that will benefit their future. I also conducted a survey that assessed my students’ levels of technology interest and knowledge. Again, the results were favorable.

My students have been raised using technology; technology is as natural to them as pen and paper. In Reflection 4 addition, this summer I hope to utilize many of the applications such a Movie Maker to develop more interesting presentations to use instruction and to teach the students to use it as a means of presenting their ideas and proving mastery of the standards. After assessing the successes and problems with the implementation of these initial technologies, I will then begin focusing on creating a classroom environment that utilizes technology while it encourages the students to take control of their learning, such as the implementation of a classroom website that provides students with a model for an interactive classroom.

It is obvious that there are many factors that affect the smooth implementation of technology into today’s classrooms, but my personal goal as an educator is to model using technology for my students and other teachers. I started this program wanting to gain another area of expertise in which I could teach, but instead of providing another career pathway, I now am excited to apply what I have learned in the Ed.S program to my 9th grade curriculum. In addition, this program has emphasized that technology is always changing, so for me to model best practices, I must always be a student of technology and continue to learn. Regardless of where the technology comes from, everything points back to the classroom teachers who must be open to learning and changing their old means of instruction if they are to prepare their students for future endeavors. Teachers must make a commitment to learn the technology and overcome their fears, while encouraging students to utilize and recognize technology as an opportunity to take control of their learning experience. Teachers must also accept the reality that while school systems claim to emphasize technology, the reality is that funding for technology will be the first area cut during a budget crisis, which means teachers must work with what they have, instead of focusing on what they do not have.

Reflection 5

References

Christensen, C.M., Horn, M.B., Johnson, C.W. (2008). Disrupting class. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.