811 Final Reflection

As I am ending my 810 and 811 classes at Michigan State, it is an appropriate time to reflect upon my coursework and growth. This is my reflection specifically for my 811 class. These are some questions to think about:

1. What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology? In session 6 we learned about online learning and session 7 we learned about face-to-face instructional strategies. In The Guidelines: Online Experience Document, I was able to learn about the many different types of online teaching strategies such as learning management systems, podcasting, electronic portfolio, etc. In the Online Experience Guideline, I was able to learn about specific resources for these strategies such as blackboard, moodle and wordpress. I only worked with wikispaces, wordpress and blackboard so it was nice to learn about many other resources and tools that I can use in my future classroom. Many professors say that students will be learning online in the near future and I know that some of my classmates teach online or in a blended classroom. By having class with them, I am able to learn more about their experiences and by reading their blogs. The guideline was also helpful because it said which kind of characteristics each strategy was such as collaborative. In session 7, the videos were very informative and it was nice to be able to learn about the different technologies for teaching strategies such as lectures, discussions, explaining and demonstrating. I was able to learn about more resources that I can use and explore when I have a classroom. These sessions were very helpful because it addressed all types of teaching situations that teachers will face. 
2. How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?  In session 2 we learned about evaluating materials and we evaluated a material in MERLOT. I learned about to evaluate materials based on curriculum standards, technolog standards and information literacy standards. It is easiest, practical and we get the best evaluations by using standards because they never changed and are not biased. We also should evaluate the material/ resource based on the quality of content, potential effectiveness as a teaching-learning tool and ease of use. I believe that is the best if a teacher who is familiar with the content is evaluating it for quality and effectiveness. It was harder for me to evaluate a resource when I was not familiar with the content and an expert in the area. The best evaluations will come when the teacher is familiar with the content and will know its effectiveness. This will help out other teachers who are thinking about using the source. By integrating these web-based technologies, I was able to be more reflective and think more as a student and how these technologies and tools would help me learn. As teachers, we need to think about how it will help us to teach but more importantly, how it will help our students to learn. While I like things such as prezis, a wikispace may be more helpful for students because they are able to see and navigate through the information on their own. 
3. How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration? I think that I have met my goals. I do not have the same goals as my classmates because I am not able to practice what I learn since I am not a full-time teacher. My goal was to be able to learn as much as I good about technologies and I learned a lot. I learned about MERLOT, rss feeders, different sites to create websites, wikis, filezilla, TPACK, online learning tools, assistive technology and so much more. I was able to learn more about web 2.0 tools which are one of my interests. 
4. Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over? My new goals are to be able to update my portfolio on weebly so I can showcase my work and it will allow me to become more reflective. I am starting the 812 class until the end of this semester so hopefully I will have more work to contribute to my online portfolio. My long-term goal is to still get a full-time teaching job or atleast a long-term sub position. I am hoping that I can have my own classroom for the 2013-2014 school year. 

Overall, I was able to grow a lot this course. I was able to learn about MERLOT, which is a fantastic resource for teachers. I think that I was more inhibited to grow as much as my fellow classmates because I do not have my own classroom. It is frustrating at times because I am learned so much in my certificate classes, but I am not able to apply what I am learned and try it with students. I think that I would have grown more as a learner if I were able to experiment what I learned with a class of students as well as educate fellow teachers about the new things I learned about. I am eager to be able to get a full-time teacher job so I can employ these awesome tools and strategies. Hopefully I will become more marketable by having this knowledge and the ability to share it with others. Until then, I will have to continue to work hard to be the best student and hopeful teacher that I can be.