It is the time of year when we all sit back, bellies full of turkey, tryptophan glazing over our eyes, and reflect on the last year. It is a time to spend with family and friends, laughing and eating. Instead I sit here reflecting on a week's worth of online coursework...
I found that the workload this past week was not too difficult, just terribly time consuming. It was challenging to find the right balance between my job, family, coursework, and Thanksgiving. Balancing my full plate is something I have always struggled with. My class being completely online for the past 2 weeks has made that task nearly impossible. Having said that, I did greatly enjoy creating the internet workshop for my students and reading about everyone else's projects. Everyone approached the project from different angles and used different media and Web2.0 tools. I love the idea of creating your own search engine and look forward to exploring the possibilities it has to offer. It would have been nice to see everyone present their projects that they put so much effort into. There is a tremendous sense of pride in presenting a project you created to your colleagues and friends. I learn so much from my peers in this class. They are fantastic teachers and I am truly honored to sit in class with them each week. Even though we have been in constant contact electronically this week, I feel as though I have missed out on valuable learning that would have taken place in our classroom.
When reading Alan November's (2010) book I found his Critical Planning Questions on page 33 intriguing, in particular "Do we have the capacity to support teachers after the technology is installed?" I often find that new technologies are implemented in schools yet never supported. How can we expect teachers to use technology effectively without teaching them first how to use these tools. New technology can be overwhelming to veteran teachers and new teachers alike. If schools do not provide professional development teachers will either use the technology incorrectly (possibly damaging it) or not at all.
Technology is a powerful tool for educating todays students. They live in a virtual world and we need to prepare them for their digital future. How can we be expected to do so if no one teaches us?
November, A. (2010). Empowering Students with Technology. California: Corwin SAGVE Ltd.
Stacie,
ReplyDeleteI have also felt that the work for the past two on-line classes have been very time-comsuming. It is so very challenging to juggle being a teacher, parent, and graduate student. I missed not having the class in person, as I have so much to learn about using technology and a variety of tools in the classroom. I have learned so much from you and the other students. I am eager to create my own website. I have to agree with the comment about when technology is acquired for a school, there needs to be training and ongoing support and training to stay current. I received several training sessions for the SmartBoard, but there are so many features that I am still not familiar with and I could certainly benefit for more training.
Susan