Teac 880a Reflection

As I reflect on the past semester, a few areas of growth stand out to me. More than anything, this class gave me the push that I needed to take risks with technology that could enhance instruction and productivity in my classroom. Being able to take these risks helped me as I continue to have less inhibitions for presenting “perfect” projects of students work. This class also created a community of learners that had a similar focus. As I continue to complete independent PD, I have learned the importance of having a supportive PLN where I can ask questions and hear the perspectives of others. Finally, this class provided me with two types of resources. First, I learned about many ways to follow others and gain resources about my areas of interests. Second, I was able to create my own resources that could be shared and used by others.

Although learning how to use new technology is a passion of mine, this course helped me to stay focused and involved in seeking out resources on a daily basis. Each project was a new opportunity for me to take a new risk and create products that could be useful in my classroom. I have continued to focus more on the process of learning, and less on a perfect end product.

Over the past two years, I have been working to develop a PLN where I have the opportunity to be challenged, provide ideas for others, and think deeply about important issues in education. I am so thankful for this class, because it did exactly that. I have made some great friends and I am excited to continue dialoguing with others in this community. Sometimes when I have participated in twitter chats, I have gotten a bit overwhelmed. This smaller community made it a lot more realistic to develop more focused conversations that relate to legitimate questions and challenges in the classroom.

Last, this class gave me some great tools for finding resources that I need. Many of the posts shared in this class have helped me to find great new people to follow. I have also learned how to use twitter hashtags and chats to keep up with specific areas of interest. In addition to gaining some great resources, I have learned how to create my own resources. One of my goals over the next year is to find ways to build my web presence through sharing my resources. I have learned how to make my own youtube videos, screencasts, and presentations and share them through social media. Learning to do these things has also encouraged me to think about how I could allow my students to create and share their products and use social media to share. I am excited to teach my students how to interact with each other online using google classroom or schoology, then move to school-wide communication, then share out with the community. Students will need some guidance, but ultimately they each have a voice and need an opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions as they learn.