Project #8: Reflections on the Journey of Learning About Technology

This course has taught me a lot about myself as a future teacher.  I have learned how to do many things using the computer that will help me in years to come.  First and foremost, I learned how to publish and manage a website using studentweb as well we google.  By learning these skills and applying them, I then learned how to make a webquest which will definitely be used and used often in my classroom.  As the students become more and more technologically advanced in the years to come, it is good to stay ahead of the times and be very familiar with today’s technology.  I can see myself using weekly webquests for my students to utilize in either science or history subject matter.

                I feel that coming into this course, I was familiar with the everyday Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Internet Explorer, but this course opened my eyes to many other programs that I now feel extremely comfortable using.  I can now use PhotoStory 3 for Windows, which will make a beautiful keepsake for students either after a fieldtrip, or a remembrance of the full school year.  I can even use this for fellow teachers if they decided to retire or leave the district.  I also feel much more comfortable using Microsoft Publisher which will be a tool I use weekly or even daily.  I will be able to make calendars, newsletters, brochures, certificates, and more at ease!  I am very excited to use what I have learned in this class in my very own classroom.  The skills I have acquired will help me be more creative, organized, and resourceful in my classroom.

                Everything in this course has not come easily to me.  I have faced frustration when it comes to my google site and making all of my links work properly.  Sometimes I had to do things five or six times to make sure that everything was working, but when everything finally worked, I felt so accomplished!  I now know that I have the skills to make all of these things work, so that makes me very excited for the future when I get to create and carry out my own projects. 

                I worked with Michelle on creating a webquest.  It was nice working with someone else because we could bounce ideas off of each other and put our ideas together to create the final product.  It was also nice to work alone because when I finished, I knew that I did that myself and I am the one who successfully completed a project.  In terms of learning, I feel like working with Michelle was a good activity for the beginning of the semester so we could work together and make sure that we were on the right track, but working alone taught me a lot too.  I had to make sure I followed directions, made all of my links work, and complete the task to the best of my ability.  If I ran into a roadblock, it was up to me to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.

                When it comes to working in teams at the elementary school level, I believe that I will share my knowledge of webquests and website design as well as Microsoft Publisher and PhotoStory with the other teachers I work with.  If I can get the other teachers in my grade to use the webquest feature, maybe we can work together to create a group of webquests to share with each other.  Then we can bounce ideas off of each other and we can all take a subject area or content area to make a webquest.  Then we will share the amount of work so we aren’t overloaded with things to do.  This will keep our stress levels down and will allow us to grow closer together as a team.

                Overall, this class was very helpful.  I learned so much practical information that I will utilize in the years to come.  I am very excited to have a technology-friendly classroom with technologically advanced students.  I feel that my experience with technology in this class will help me be a more effective, memorable, and creative teacher.  I look forward to using my knowledge in the “real world” to help my colleagues, students, and families.