So it has been an interesting last few weeks. I have been unable to be with my class due to some other obligations, but technology has allowed us to drive on. Virtual classrooms, email, and blogs have saved the day. I think that the potential for digital communication via worldwide networks, along with software that can be used on shared platforms, will help anyone who wants to learn what they want.
Our world is shrinking, while the information in it expands. Our big challenge is to take complete advantage of the new opportunities to communicate and collaborate while maintaining and strengthening human relationships.
I would like to know my students thoughts on this class, technology and education, and how they plan to implement and build on what they have done in TEC 600.
Our world is shrinking, while the information in it expands. Our big challenge is to take complete advantage of the new opportunities to communicate and collaborate while maintaining and strengthening human relationships.
I would like to know my students thoughts on this class, technology and education, and how they plan to implement and build on what they have done in TEC 600.
Posts
15 comments:
Much Love: Laura Mees
As an aspiring teacher, my goal for this class was to establish different ways in which i could implement technology into my classrooms. personally, i found it to be a success because not only did it provide a number of different options of easy implementation but it opened my eyes to creative avenues technology uses to solve problems. because of this, i am psyched to leave this class with a stronger understanding of what i can do to educate the masses. i intend to give things as simple as power points a closer look and explore more options with webquests and blogs as time goes on.
From: Zach Swan
This class has inspired me to use technology in the class I am currently teaching. This past semester I have shown power point presentations on an active board where kindergarteners can learn about and circle parts of fish. I have used google earth to "fly" the students from our school to southern China were we learned about Corrmorant fishing birds by viewing pictures and youtube videos (this was to supplement a book we read).
I found this class challenging, in that I has to learn very new things at an accelerated pace while processing it to make it practical in my teaching environment. More than anything this class opened up new ways of looking at teaching and new possibilities. Though I am no expert, I now know what there is to learn and which technological avenues I can and should pursue.
I think the idea stated in Web 2.0, that technology is changing the way we learn and our reaches because we now have access to such a wealth of information and opinions and we really have to know how to be critical about it all. I think the strategies that we need and that our students need are beginning to emerge, as this course claims, as strategies of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Technology is like any super power, you can use it for good or evil, so lets teach our children how to use it for good. Right Luke?
This course has some things that I would change. I think the content is useful, but the assignments sometimes didn't coincide with real goals. Perhaps that is a problem with having such a range of class levels and subjects. Anyway, I thought it expanded the way I think about technology so that is useful too.
I intend to bring the notions of creativity and critical thinking from this course to my classroom. It is very useful to be able to use and navigate blogs, websites, powerpoint, etc. These will also be useful in the classroom. Mostly I intend to use the ideas of sifting through material on the web, thinking about information not as the end of learning, but the beginning, like Blume's taxonomy.
Before this class, I had only experienced a technological classroom as a student. Now, as a future teacher, the blinds have been opened wide. The power of technology seems to be forcing its way into the classroom, and with so many possibilities for technological instruction, I have no choice but to submit. This is not a bad thing: I feel that this class has provided me with a solid base of skills and proficiency to compete with the might of technological advancement. I am aware of a strong sense of competence, that technology is truly my friend because I can use it to my advantage. There are so many different ways to improve learning, and help students succeed in so many ways. the things I learned in this class will certainly find uses in my future classroom. I no longer fear the replacement of conventional learning with technology; I now see how they are integrated, and how they compliment each other.
Before this class I was unaware to the many ways technology could be incorporated into education, especially in secondary math classes. I only knew what I had grown up with, which was no use of technology in my math classes. From TEC 600 I have learned about many resources that I would like to try in my classes such as geometers sketchpad or the various online interactive math tools I found. I also enjoyed learning how to create a webpage, and how easy it was to do so. I think technology in education is necessary and important. Technology is great for administrative type tasks and saves teachers, who already don't have enough time, time. However, I think teachers should not rely soley on technology to have their students learn.
Although this class unfortunately had to be on a Thursday night, I actually grew to enjoy it. Professor Stowell was always in a friendly mood and very eager to help with whatever any of us didn't fully understand. I've learned how to use Powerpoint and Excel more efficiently, which will benefit me later. I've also learned neat ways to integrate technology into learning without it being boring; I've learned how to spice it up a bit and have fun with it. I plan to use the information I've learned whenever I have my own classroom, and plan to continue expanding my knowledge of technology to help my students learn more in a more proficient way so that results are clearly seen. I've becoming more familiar with using blogs, webquests, and discussion boards as a learning tool. It was a nice class :)
Thanks for everything!!
Professor Stowell's enthusiasm motivated me to become enthusiastic about some day integrating technology into my future classrooms. I was hesitant to accept the idea of replacing "traditional" ways of teaching with technologically enhanced ways, but there is a time and a place for everything. I feel like it would be to my students disadvantage if I decided not to implement a new and more efficient way of doing something just because I'm used to something else.
I think that in the future I will try to incorporate technology in my classes because there are many benefits. If I'm presented with an opportunity to learn about technology that I can use with my future students, I will definitely take it.
I'm really glad I took this course, not only because of our amazing class (love you guys), but also because of all the new thigs I learned.
I finally sat down and learned some tricks in PowerPoint, without this class I'd still be lost in the slides. We would have liked to see your smiling face a little more in the classroom, but as Marshall McLuhan says, "the medium is the message" here. You were able to do a decent job of facilitating from a far off land due to the advancements in technology, which is the point of the course...clever!
I give this class two thumbs up!
I went into this class having the feeling that there was too much technology in the classroom. I am leaving this class asking myself why I had that bias.
I learned many ways that will help me as a teacher, even a PE teacher.
The best part of this class was that we learned about different technologies and then we actually used them. Although at times I felt frustrated I feel that this class taught me better than the other two I am currently enrolled in.
Thanks Professor Stowell!
I have to say that in the past I have avoided computers. This class has really turned my thinking around however and has made me realize how helpful they really are. Further more, they are clearly becoming a dominate part of global culture, so using computers in a classroom and exposing students to them at early ages, will only better prepare them for the futre. Thanks so much for everything and good luck with your future and with Joseph! (Hope my baby comes out just as cute!)
Coming into this class, I had a pretty good base understanding on writing blogs, hosting a web site and using spreadsheets. I was happy to learn how to make a Powerpoint and get more creative with my technological skills.
My best experince came from editing the Webquest we created in Taskstream. I expanded on the one I created here and used it in my Curriculum & Instruction class tonight and taught a 45min lesson using the Webquest.
I hope to learn more about "tagging" sites that I can use in collaborating with my students once I start teaching.
Thanks for a great class and for the chocolate! Sorry you couldn't be here for the finale but it was better seeing your beautiful wife and little Joseph instead...
Stay safe.
I always planned on using technology inside the classroom, but I just never knew how. This class has gave me many technological resources to use that I wasn't to familiar with or didn't know of at all. I knew the basics of Powerpoint but after our assignment, I feel really comfortable using it as a resource for the classroom. I was also unfamiliar with Excel and how to make a rubric. After the assignment in this class I feel really confident doing both. I feel that the resources will be very helpful and useful when I am inside the classroom.
I see technology as a tool to supplement and enhance the learning experience. I do not see it as a replacement for the human relationship that the teacher brings to the classroom, but rather as a way to connect with more people on a massive and global scale. This class has inspired me to continue to increase my understanding of the potential and posabilities of integrating technology in the classroom.
Wow, what a great semester! As an introduction to teaching and classes at USF this class has given me tools not only to do well in my future professional life, but my schooling. Although some of the things taught in this class were review for me, like making power points the majority was new. Task Stream, Blogger, Google Sites/Docs and making spreadsheets were all skills I acquired because of this class. Also I had no idea of the standards for technology and learning that are required for students and teachers to meet. By far my favorite part of this class was Professor Stowell’s sense of humor and approach to technology. My favorite thing that he taught was that technology should only make your life easer, you should use it to teach more in the same amount of time as traditional learning or teach the same in less time. Besides this, I think just the basic format of this class worked well, because the really the best way to teach and learn technology is to use it and that a basic technology class should be required for all students at USF.
Okay finally...my thoughts on the class are filled with enthusiasm and excitement for my future career as a teacher. I really was interested in all that I learned about technology in teaching. I thought the class was eye opening to the endless possible ways to present information to kids of all ages and ranges in learning. Because of this class I realized that teaching can only be improved and I now have the knowlegde and skills to help in that endeavor. I still am unsure of the subject I will teach but one thing I know is that powerpoints will be used and I will probably use a smartboard if I teach Kindergarten.
Post a Comment