Final Reflection

What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?

Throughout this semester I have learned many effective teaching strategies that integrate technology.  The most significant one was the STAIR.  I like the idea of using some asynchronous instruction in an otherwise synchronous class.  Not only will it introduce high school students to what online learning may be like for them in the future, it has a lot of added benefits.  If UDL principles are followed, students will be able to view a resource (such as a tutorial) more than once with ease.  They should be able to view it in its entirety or just small parts.  Closed captions can also help.

How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?

I feel like I can use a (revised) version of my STAIR in my classroom next year.  In doing so, I thought a lot about what 9-12 education should look like.  I have heard a lot about schools doing "e-days" rather than snow days.  Clio Schools (and some others across the state) are offering "global academies" through the WAY program.  I think that implementing learning objects of STAIRs can be very useful in instruction.  I think this will be a trend that we will continue to see more and more in the very near future.

How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?

Yes, I have further developed my use of Camtasia.  I think that effectively integrating technology is a process.  It doesn't (and shouldn't) happen over night.  As educators and students develop more familiarity with a technology, it should be implemented more.

Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?

My goals remain the same.  In 5 years I would like to either be a Technology Director of a k-12 school district or a part-time PhD student.  To do either one of these things, I need to complete my Master's degree in Educational Technology.  I will apply to MSU's program within the next week, with the hopes of getting in by this August.

Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience

What content could this help you teach?
There are many online experiences that could be very helpful.  In the past I have had students conduct online research for a debate about whether or not Pluto should be considered a planet.  Following the debate I had them blog about it.

What type of pedagogical strategies might you use with your students?
I have found that students are able to maintain a blog throughout the course of a semester.  LMSs like Blackboard and Moodle are a great place for teachers to host an entire course.  You can post lectures, podcasts, and YouTube movies, hold discussions, and have students submit assignments.

Webquests can be a great learning tool for all middle and high school students.  They allow for structured discovery learning.  This concept was great before computers and it is even better now that teachers can implement better resources.

Online simulations helps many learners (especially those that learn visually) grasp difficult topics more easily.  They are free to try things and see the consequences in a safe way.

What technologies do you think would be harder to use with your students?  Why?
Wikis can be complicated for 9th graders, especially if they have limited technology and/or content knowledge.  I am all about integrating technology, but not when it becomes a roadblock to acquiring content knowledge.

I think using an RSS Reader (e.g. Google Reader) would work really well in a current events class, or class that has a current events component.  Again, this has proved to be too difficult of an interface for many 9th graders in my experiences.  I personally use one though!

Wikis Lab

Wikipedia Entry

Clio High School, where I work, does not currently have a Wikipedia page.  I was going to create one for them, but Wikipedia recommended that I get some experience editing other pages first.  So I went to my alma mater's page, Dakota High School.  They have a unique setup in that the whole district has one Wikipedia page.  Each school is listed under "high schools," "middle schools," and "elementary schools."  When I was reading the "high schools" part, they mentioned Chippewa Valley High School (our rival school) as being one of two high schools in the school district.  This is not true anymore, since Mohegan High School opened up a few years ago.  I edited the Wikipedia page to reflect that change.

Wikispaces

I have some experience using Wikispaces as a class website.  At my old job in North Carolina I used it to conduct my semi-synchronous AVID 3 high school course.  Students were responsible for checking the website for assignments, the calendar, and other announcements.  They also had their own wikis where they hosted their movies (some also posted to YouTube with parent permission), calendars, and other assignments.

Checkout the AVID 3 website!