EDUC 6715 Final Reflection

When this course began, I started with it with the usual intimidation and anxiety. I always have the feeling of wonder about whether I have what it takes to pass this class. As this course draws to a close and I begin to reflect on what I have learned in this class I realize that I did in fact take a lot away from this course.

The first thing I have learned is that there are many ways to implement emerging technologies into the classroom. Between digital educational gaming and Multiuser Virtual Environments there are many ways to engage our students.

I also learned that you do not need a tremendous amount of technology in the school to implement many of these into the classroom. It is very easy to start up and incorporate games into the classroom. You can also have the students create the game giving an impressive artifact that students can use and feel proud of.

The last thing I have learned is that I did have what it takes to do well in this class. I always seem to shock myself and seem to take away a lot of useful information away from most experiences that leave me smarter and better in my classroom.

As far as immediate adjustments to my classroom, I suppose there is just so much to chose from. I really think that anything is possible especially with the use of digital jeopardy. This is such an easy project to do in the classroom. The students find the information and write the questions and build the power point in the form of a jeopardy game. This could easily be used in any subject such as history, social studies, language arts, math, science, and even art and physical education. This is likely the first change I will make in the classroom.

All in all I have learned a great deal from this course. I hope you did as well. As always, feel free to leave a comment, suggestion, or question.

Spotlight on Emerging Technology

Spotlight on Emerging Technology - Online Learning in K-12 Schools

We have known for a long time that not all students learn the same way. Some students learn by doing, some by reading, and some by watching. These multiple intelligences, as they have become known, created a rather large hurdle for educators to overcome in their attempts to reach and engage all learners. Until the recent onslaught and availability of technology in the classroom, there was little educators could do to reach all these different learning styles. The concept of differentiated instruction came into play in an attempt to reach all students. With differentiated instruction and technology educators are reaching more students than ever, however, there are still too many students falling through the cracks. There are still those students that do not work well with others, have anxiety about being in public, or do not do their best thinking from 7:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. For these students e-Learning can offer a wonderful, engaging, and fulfilling academic experience.

One way to reach some of the students that are “falling through the cracks” is with e-learning. There are many systems that are in place that that take care of the technocal aspect of managing and arranging an online learning environment. RCampus offers an online learning environment with free access that is easy to use Save time with our intuitive toolset to streamline your teaching and learning needs. We are our own users, so we've designed our system to be easy-to-use. You can quickly build courses and classes, websites, ePortfolios, rubrics, and much more. and highly secure. RCampus also has the capability of cTo protect the privacy of both faculty and students, we take extra measures to provide a highly secure environment and do not share, publish, or sell any personal or confidential data. ollaborative learning.Students and faculty can collaborate in a number of ways, through communication tools within their courses, websites, communities, and ePortfolios, to collaboration on building and sharing content. “At RCampus, you can do all your school-related work from building personal and group websites to managing your courses, eportfolios, academic communities, and much more,” (RCampus Website).

This type of learning can appeal to many different students. Students who are agoraphobic can find a learning environment where they feel safe. Students who are not morning people and who do some of their best thinking in the evenings can work any time of day they chose. Students with other responsibilities such as jobs, or caring for younger siblings or ailing parents can continue their education on their own schedules. These students, in the past, had to give up their education altogether. These are just a few examples of the implications of this type of learning.

Many people think that online learning means a fake education. I am here to tell you that it is not. If I would have had some options in education when I was in school, perhaps I would have gotten A’s and B’s rather than D’s and E’s. Perhaps I wouldn’t have flunked the eighth grade. It is because of my history in education that made me decide to become an educator; to help those students that remind me of myself when I was in school. I am currently taking a Master’s online and this is not a fake education either. I have been pushed academically more so then when I was in the traditional classroom setting and I am a better person and professional because of it.

I have recently accepted an online teaching position for the Global Academy, an online high school for some of the students with issues I have mentioned in this essay. Some of the comments I have received from my students and parents are amazing. Many students are engaged, interested and successful academically for the first time in their lives. Personally, I wish I had an online learning option when I was in school. Perhaps I could have avoided the shame and embarrassment of being a failure at school.

EDU 6714 Final Reflection

The best way to process our social networking for me is the following. I plan to visit each site, sticky note them and bookmark them. I will then categorize them to use as a reference resource as the need arises. There is a wonderful tool in google that allows you to set up your own search engine. It would be best to import all these sites to this google search engine option. This way, not only would I have a great list of resources, I could also search them depending on what information I am after.

The first step I must take in the implementation of Differentiated Instruction and the Universal Design for Learning is the adoption of interest, learning style, and multiple intelligence surveys. This is necessary to implement in order to really understand my students. Once this is in place it will set the tone for the rest of my instruction.

Offering my lessons in a variety of ways is also important to appeal to the different learning styles. By showing film, using text, and a smart-board, and Active Expression clickers, I can appeal to more students that with traditional methods.

The implementation of DI and UDL also comes into play with assessment as well. As an ELA teacher I am a true believer in the importance of the written (word processed) essay, however, by offering a variety of options I can still teach the steps of the writing process, and still offer different options for assessment. Instead of the traditional book report and book trailer can appeal to more students and still be able to teach the writing process.