Throughout this course I have learned a lot about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology. Learning about UDL helped me evaluate activities I have used with my students and allowed me to make sure I am choosing activities that are beneficial for all students. I think the most effective project this semester was the creation of my own web page. Once I created my page, I shared it with the parents and students in my class. This has allowed students to communicate with me through the classroom blog, use my useful website link to play educational math and spelling games, and is a tool to use when they forget what their homework was for the night. I have received positive feedback on my website so far.
Before this class, I used the term web-quest incorrectly in my vocabulary. The web-quest activity we completed in this course allowed me to find online activities I could use in my classroom. For example, I plan on using the “Blending Fiction and Nonfiction” to improve comprehension and writing skills. Also, I enjoyed the creation of the StAIR project. I had never done a stand-alone project before and I think it is an effective learning tool for students. Although it is time consuming for a teacher to create, I think it would be a great project for upper elementary, middle school or high school students to do. They could create their own StAIR project on a variety of topics related to the curriculum.
One of my goals when I started my master’s was to create a web page that students and parents could go to for support. I am proud of my current web page and I think it is useful for a variety of reasons. I also am beginning to feel more confident with using technology in my classroom. I rarely went to the library with my class last year; however, this year my class has went a variety of times to use the Internet for their learning.
My long term goals are continued from CEP 810. One goal of mine is to find ways of incorporating even more technology into the classroom. Just from two classes, I have learned about so many new educational sites, as well as social sites that people turn to all around the world. MACUL has helped me find many educational sites to use daily. I am excited that this class is the second class I have taken and I have many more to go to feel more confident in my abilities to incorporate technology into my classroom. My long-term goals are to discover many more free online technological resources that are user-friendly to implement into my classroom. Also, I would love to eventually be able to use online portfolios with my students. Lastly, I would love for my district to see the need of creating google accounts for students.
Thanks for a great semester!
