It's Only the Beginning

While my course is coming to an end, my blogging will continue. I have learned so much throughout this course. I have learned about aspects of technology that I had never even heard of. The terms wiki, blogs, and podcasts are now a permanent fixture in my vocabulary. I have begun to develop lesson plans that will help my students to thrive in the 21st century because of the technology that I am implementing. My learning disabled students now realize that that they can accomplish anything that that they set their minds too. It is never easy to implement new forms of technology in the classroom, however with the proper tutorial, all students can become masters of technology. Technology encourages students to take ownership of their education. Rather than having teacher centered classrooms, the students are more in charge of what they learn. The teacher is a facilitator that encourages creativity in the classroom. I hope to learn more about creating podcasts in my classroom. I have already discussed with administration the possibility of holding more teacher inservices to learn new forms of technology so that we can keep up with the pace of our students.
One goal that I hope to achieve within the next two years is to apply for a grant to receive new technology devices for my classroom. I hope to receive webcams and laptop computers for my students to use. I also plan to meet with the technology coordinator for my district to discuss ways to educate the staff so that we are all on the same page as far as meeting the needs of our students. It is crucial that our students do not leave us behind in terms of learning new technologies.