As an immediate change I have already committed to every lesson, I have at least two learning tools apart of it. Now, I have not completely abandoned instructional tools because I do think there is a time and place for them. Some technological tools I have already used and will continue to use with my students is blogs, podcasts, wikis, voice threads, and brainstorming webs (using Inspiration software). Two technological tools I will use to enhance student learning in my classroom would be blogs and podcasts. Both tools can enhance student learning by cooperatively working with other students. I have seen such a difference already in my students’ ability to professionally communicate their thoughts about the content on my blog website. Also, the students enjoyed creating their own podcasts in Windows Movie Maker. The students were able to cooperatively work together, research information about their topic, gather pictures, video clips, and music to support their topic. The students, and I, were very proud of their final products. Even for weeks after, the students were still talking about their project and other groups’ projects too. I believe by students using learning tools to manipulate the content with, the students will remember the information for much longer.
I think as a life-long learner and staying up-to-date with the new developments in education, a professional educator must constantly set goals for themselves. Two long-term goals changes I have are: taking professional development classes about how I can learn to make my Promethean interactive board more of a learning tool than instructional tool, and how to consistently integrate technology into my curriculum in a proper way. In order for me to achieve my first goal, I need to take advantage and sign up for professional development courses through my school district. These courses are offered during the summer and the school year, and usually are no charge to teachers. My strategy to achieve my second goal is to plan farther in advance. Since some technology is new to me, I need to plan my units/lessons farther in advance so I can have time to familiarize myself with the technologies before introducing it to my students. My hope for the future is that I can become a technological-savvy master teacher so my students can become technologically advanced too.
