Final Blog Entry EDTECH 541

Part 1: Course Reflection

Over the course of this semester, the most prominent thing I've learned is that I love bringing technology into my classroom. I always knew this could be an enjoyable process, but I've never been motivated enough to invest the time into making my current curriculum technologically-enhanced. Within the requirements of this course, I have taken my content speciality and infused it with engaging, technology-rich assignments into my EDTECH 541 website. Each and every project created links back to the AECT standards listed on the syllabus for this class. The projects are designed specifically to recall on your specific content pedagogy, in my case 3rd Grade English Language Arts, and incorporate the knowledge of technology to blend the two into creative lessons for use by the students.

I would like to say that I've grown professionally, but I don't think this is the case. My district is about uniformity within the classroom, so much so that I wouldn't be able to implement any of these projects without my partner teacher being able to do them as well. Unfortunately, with only one lab and simultaneous classes, there is not enough technology to go around. I have been able to display some of the true content and lessons for my students, but they have not been able to apply those lessons in their own technology based projects. With the conclusion of summative grades coming within the next week, I hope to use the remaining two weeks of school as a way to let me students explore my site and choose the project they would like to complete.

In an ideal world and classroom, I would take the time each day to plan technology-rich lessons to engage my students. I believe I have learned enough to transform a stagnant curriculum into a vibrant work of technological art. Keeping in mind the learning theories about how students learn, a majority of my projects touch on the theory of connectivism. Since 3rd Graders spend so much of their time trying to talk to their peers and seeking approval from their friends, creating projects that require communication with peers around the world gives them that sense of community and connection. 

Part 2: Self-Assessment

Using the Blog Grading Rubric, I would guess that I've earned 125 out of 140 points, which is an 89. Although I spent a lot of time writing my blog and making the connections needed to the projects of each Module, I don't think I included enough information from valuable sources or the textbook. Often, I used the blog as a way to express my ideas about the topics at hand, instead of using it as a way to express someone else's findings. Each blog entry was completed before it was due and I've never failed to comment on the works of two of my peers.