Final Blog Reflection

     Collectively, the activities we did and the lessons I learned in IT 365 will help me in my future career as an elementary teacher. Concept maps with the help of Inspirations, a simple to use program,  makes lesson planning and lesson aids easy to create. Brainstorming with concept maps allows me to come up with a variety of ways to teach a lesson. Not only can they be used as handouts, but also as assessments by simply leaving sections blank for students to fill-in.  Movie maker is another resource I can use to introduce a theme or assign to students as a way for them to express information.

     Web tools are designed to save instructors time by generating quizzes, checklists, rubrics, and worksheets. I will use these assessment tools when I am a teacher. Web games are fun for students to complete while they learn the content. Students are more likely to remember information when they actively construct their knowledge. Web games encourage active learning. Although I do not think plagiarism will be a major issue with elementary children, turnitin.com will help me teach my students about responsible writing so they will not run into problems later in their education. Until this semester, I did not realize all that is considered plagiarism.

     I will use a web page, blog, and Google groups in my class. Similar to how the instructor of IT 365 used blogger, I will use it to post assignments and other announcements. I can also include important links to virtual tours, web games, and models. My classroom web page will include information that is more general to the class year such as contact information, classroom rules and consequences, and class schedule. In middle school, we kept journals where we would answer open ended questions about current events. I will use Google groups to encourage students to think critically about current issues and cooperatively solve scenarios.

     My strong points include my understanding about the importance of technology in the classroom. At the beginning of the course, I did not like the idea of including much technology in the classroom. However, I now appreciate the variety of educational information available as well as the programs that facilitate learning. Brainstorming is another strong point of mine, so I will take advantage of inspirations. The assessment tools are fairly easy to use and create desired quizzes, check-lists, and rubrics. I understand the importance of technology and what will be required of me to uphold the standards set for me and the students.

     My weak points include coming up with content to fill a website or blog, but I am sure with more experience will come more ideas. Once I am in a classroom, I will learn through experience and trial and error. Formatting and designing the website and blog are also weak points because they were the first time making both. The more technical tasks are harder for me because I am still getting used to using the programs.

     To improve my skills and ability to utilize the technology available, I will continue to use and edit my web page and blog. By continually exploring the possibilities of these programs, I will learn more and more about what I can do with them. With this class I have been exposed to all these technology resources and I will be sure to utilize them.

     All the lessons I learned in IT365 will be useful to me in my future classroom. All these tools will help me keep organized and efficient. I will incorporate technology in my classroom as a tool for me as well as for the students and parents. Through my blog reflections, I understand how the technology we used in class will help satisfy the NETS standards for students and teachers. The reflections also served as brainstorming for future lessons and activities. I will encourage my students to become digital citizens and try to close the gender gap. I will use all the resources I learned in IT 365 in my future classroom.