What I've Learned About Technology

I will have to say that I've gained some wonderful ideas and strategies during this class. Coming in, I felt fairly comfortable with technology but used it solely for personal uses such as cell phone, social networking sites, and cameras/video cameras. I knew and had used technologies in the classroom only as they were available and so my choices for technology in lesson planning were somewhat limited I have to admit.

This class however has really opened my eyes to the unlimited number of websites, programs, technologies, as well as their uses in the classroom. I really enjoyed how we were given opportunity in class to see and 'play' with the instruments and sites we learned about. Having assignments where we were required to use them was also a good way to view a lesson from the students point of view and gauge what would work, or possibly wouldn't work, with the younger students of which I will be teaching. I was able to learn and use new technology while constantly modifying what we did in class and planning future activities for my classroom in my head. 

I think the biggest thing I learned throughout this class was the importance of feeling comfortable with technology as a teacher and being brave enough to stress to other teachers, and possibly administrators, the positive impact it has within the classroom and the meaningful learning that it creates. With this class coming to an end, I feel like I now have a box of 'technological tools' that I can carry with me as a beginning teacher and as the time goes by, I will be able to continue to add new things I learn.