Sunday, February 27, 2011

Final Reflection - EDUC 6715

As the course, New and Emerging Technologies (EDUC 6715) comes to a close, I continually reflect and think about where technology in education has been, and where it is heading. I realize that technology is constantly emerging and that I need to continue to seek out and learn about new and emerging technologies.

In this course I learned about MUVEs (like Second Life), online courses (like Moode), grant writing, and gaming. I know I need to learn more about Second Life and Moodle because they will play a huge role in shaping the future of integrating technology in the classroom. Second Life offers so many professional development opportunities for free. Online courses, such as Moodle allow schools to offer more courses, allow students to study anytime, and a chance to go paperless. I also learned how important grant writing will become in today’s cash strapped school districts that need money for more technology. At my school, the computers in our computer lab are ten years old, so grant writing is definitely welcomed. I also investigated gaming in the classroom; learning how to use it effectively in the classroom and how it engages learners in authentic learning.

Unfortunately at my school, there are a limited number of teachers who use technology, so gaming in the classroom might be looked down upon. In order to use gaming, I need to convince administration, colleagues, students, and parents of the benefits. I need to get all parties involved and through collaboration, implement and use simulation games. I would volunteer to provide professional development opportunities, and would be willing to help any of my colleagues. Using simulations to teach content helps my students who have different learning styles and many of which love playing video games. “Today’s learning generation is extremely game literate” (DeKanter, 2005). I think once other teachers see high-interest learning that can take place outside of the school and outside of the school day, they will jump aboard.
As this course and program comes to an end, I look back a year and a half ago and can see some tremendous growth as a technological leader in the classroom. I now incorporate wikis, blogs, podcasts, VoiceThreads, ScreanToasts, and other web 2.0 tools. I constantly search the site, “Free Tech for Teachers” for new technologies to use in my classroom. I am investigating Second Life, Moodle, and social networking because these educational tools will help me reach all my learners. I realize that as a technological leader, I need to constantly seek out emerging technologies and implement them, in order to help all my students prepare for the 21st century.

Craig

References
DeKanter, N. (2005). Gaming redefines interactivity for learning. TechTrends, 49(3),
26-32.