What I've Learned Thus Far

I can't believe our two weeks is coming to a close already! Although it was a very short class session I can say I walked away with a HUGE understanding of what I need to do in my classroom to become an effective teacher in this growing technological age.

Here are some of the things I have learned--I plan on continuing my education when it comes to technology.

1. You most certainly CAN teach an old dog new tricks! We all have lessons we taught during student teaching or during a practicum that worked out really well. However, there is indeed a way to make it even better by adding technology! Bringing in technology is not always a necessity but it will benefit us to take a little more time and see if we can use technology in an innovative way to make the students' learning more enhanced.

2. Talking with friends can be so much more than talking. Social networking has brought on a whole new aspect when it comes to chatting with friends online. The uses of Facebook and Twitter has astounded me! I have been on both Facebook and Twitter for many years but had never thought about how to make it educational. I slowly got into using Twitter for professional development during my CI 406 Multicultural class because my professor told us about some of the people she followed to keep up with educational news. However, after our class about social networking, I began following the people Dr. Crawford recommended and I already feel more aware of what's going on in the educational world! (I knew about Ames's plans to go 1 to 1 as soon as Karl tweeted it!)

3. Blogs are more than what I thought they were. For some reason, when I heard the word blog I felt like it was a place people who were much smarter than me went to fill their friends in about what they've been doing a learning. I still get mixed reactions from people when I tell them I get to blog for my class. After using our blog to reflect and comment on other people's posts, I feel like it is a VERY VALUABLE resource. I frequently visit other teachers' blogs now to find out about their classrooms and idea they have come up with to make their classes run more smoothly. I also visit health and fitness blogs to stay motivated and get workout tips. I would recommend people use blogs on a personal level and educational level in a heartbeat! Students can and do get as much out of blogging as I do.

4. Don't be afraid! There are times when your technology won't work just the way you planned it. There will be times when you have to discover new ways to run your classroom or manage behavior. But DON'T BE AFRAID! Everything will work out just fine and the skills you learn and will teach your students while going through it all will be priceless. I know students can tell when you are excited about teaching something and when you aren't. If you are excited about showing them how to use this new piece of technology but it doesn't feel like cooperating, don't give up. When you figure it out and it works, the students will have learned 2 things from you. Never give up AND the intended lesson you planned! :)

This class has been one of the best and most fun courses I've taken at Iowa State. It is awesome when we have the opportunity to learn about a topic and then get to use it. There have been too many times throughout my educational career when I have learned something and it went in one ear and out the other because I never used it. During every single lesson Dr. Crawford taught, we got a chance to use hands on  approaches to learning the skill. I hope to have the ability to do the same in my class one day.