I was thrust into a situation where I had a classroom of brand new computers and a software program that I had only seen on infomercials. I was really lost about how to teach certain computer concepts and also very disappointed in the skills that the majority of my students did not have. I had all of these great ideas but I had so many issues with keeping the kids from destroying the equipment I kept it a simple as possible. I think the class was really helpful for putting some things in perspective. I wanted to do more projects but my kids did not have the skills and resources to successfully complete an online assignment. The one webquest I did was not successful; they insisted on putting the questions in Google and not read the information at the links they were given. The most recent assignment about researching a country was a lot more successful, after reminding them a couple of times what I learned with the search lab they finished a lot quicker. I am still not a fan of twitter; I just don’t like the constant updates so this may not fit into my classes in the future. I plan on going to more PD for technology integration so I can get more comfortable with the SMART board and the software on my work computer.
I think the question of the amount of technology used in the class and successful integration is something I need help with. I am excited about doing the webquest this upcoming school year with my students; I also put in a request for a 2.0 program for my lab. I want to explore some other 2.0 services to use in the future. I like the idea of tracksar and I was thinking about a webquest like assignment with that site. Just like most classes, I’m left with this gun hoe attitude and all of these ideas. I have recently been given the responsibility and the opportunity to write the K-8 curriculum for the charter school that I work for. I was thinking about including the technology standards into the curriculum because the plan is to keep the technology. I think having those technology standards will help reinforce skills that students are supposed to know at the different grade levels. This class has left me with a lot to think about and activities to do.