Apply and Discover 11.1.

  I have grown a lot as an educator over the course of this class.  I have discovered new and exciting ways to engage my students in learning and to employ 21st century lessons.  At the beginning of this course, I was aware of some of the different programs and devices that could be used, but had not really yet used any in an extensive way with my students (partly because my school had just got the technology themselves).  I became very excited and motivated to learn and use the programs and technology when I saw all the different things that could be done with them.
   I have always known that learning should be connected to the state standards, as I have written many IEPs based on them to improve student learning and ensure that they are learning important skills.  Using technology to better enhance these skills is important and I now have a better handle on how to do so.
   My thinking hasn't really changed about the use of technology in the classroom.  I am now just better able to see how I can use it for everyday instruction for my special education students.  In the past it always felt like using the technology was a seperate skill to be teaching my students and that technology was better suited within a regular education classroom.  My instruction is very explicit, targeted, and research-based and for good reason with special needs students.  While I still feel that regular education classroom can use the technology to a greater extent, I see how I can use the programs to enhance lessons that I am teaching.
    Building the webquest for the first grade team was exciting and fun!  They will use it this spring and let me know how I can enhance it for their needs.  I now want to build a webquest for butterflies and ladybugs for the second grade and kindergarten teams.  I am planning on doing so over summer vacation when I have more time to myself.
   The discussion boards and projects for this class were the best motivators and instruction that I could ave had in the area of technology.  If I didn't have an anwer someone else did and I could use their experience to further my own learning (how 21st century of us!).  Projects were all wonderful and developed to get us more comfortable with use of devices and programs.  I enjoyed every minute of this class.  It will have a lasting effect on myself and on the students that I teach.


Karena