Anna

Anna Grabowski  ED 536 Spring 2012 Reflection

As I reflect on what I have learned and what resources have been provided to me I am overwhelmed, in a positive way, and inspired. The discussions, activities, and resources shared this semester have re-awakened my interest in positively integrating technology into the classroom. For so many years I gave up on trying to find new ways to integrate technology as my resources at the school I work at limit me to the internet (which often blocked website access) and Microsoft word programs. This semester I have discovered that many of the internet resources shared are accessible through the internet at my school setting. As I have begun to share these resources with my students with special needs, I have observed them become excited about learning. Though some internet programs have led the students to feel frustrated as they learn to use them, they ask me to incorporate these programs into more activities. Though Socrative was received with mixed reviews, my students complete quizzes with 100% participation. They have enjoyed using Wordle and Tagxedo. They loved learning about digital citizenship through watching the interactive animations of The Adventures of the Cyberpigs. Most recently, they ask to use the Bitstrips comic generator for class assignments and as a way to pass the time during breaks and recess periods.

Though our last day of this school year is just around the corner, I am planning on trying to incorporate Glogster, Prezi, Blabberize, and a story telling program into language arts activities. Also, the Powerpoint templates we received have inspired me to present lessons in a more creative and interactive manner. I hope the students enjoy these programs as much as I do.

Though I did not try out blogging in the classroom (due to my school’s confidentiality policies and worries that students would try to access the blog outside of school where adult supervision is not always provided) this course has showed me that such media is very useful in the classroom. Depending on the age range of the students, blogging and even using Twitter can provide a fun and quick way to continue the dialogue both in and outside of the school setting. If I ever enter the public school realm, these will be areas I will explore with my students. In summary, I am trying to put together the information and resources discussed this semester into several 30-45 min. workshops to share with the other teachers in my school. I am very excited about this because it will show my colleagues that though our technology resources are limited to the internet and Microsoft word programs, we have so many ways we can make learning fun for our students, whose abilities are limited. Also, in providing these resources I can discuss how many of them can be used on a Smartboard, if our school ever receives one. Also, it will allow me to raise the discussion on how we can incorporate direct instruction about technology use and digital citizenship to each grade level, as these topics are not currently explicitly taught in our program.

I am glad I enrolled in this course and was able to share and experience learning with Nicole Feeney and all my classmates. The examples of how each of my classmates incorporated technology into completing our projects inspires me how to use these resources in the classroom and in everyday life. I enjoyed participating in blogging, as I have never done so actively. Thanks to everyone for the awesome experience!