Course Reflection
The personal
learning theory that I developed in week one of this course was that students
learn best when they can refer to their prior knowledge to help them store new
information. Whether it is making
comparisons to similar experiences students have encountered or turning learned
words into mnemonic devices to help them learn new material a great deal. After being in this course, I have realized that
not only should I draw on past experience and prior knowledge but I should incorporate
my instructional strategies with technology tools to help create new
experiences with new knowledge. I have
learned about many different educational tools to incorporate into my lessons
to create learning activities that give diverse learners the opportunity to
learn in ways that help them understand mathematical concepts. Even though I knew about things like forums,
blogs, wikis, videos and graphic organizers I never knew how it would affect
students’ success in learning or how I would incorporate these things into the
classroom. Knowing how technology tools aide
students’ learning, it will help me target student learning goals more
accurately and precisely.
An immediate technology tool that I will use
is an electronic gradebook that will help my students review their progress by being
able to access their grades online.
Students will be able to view the homework assignments they have done, haven’t
done, and view their grades of assignments or exams. Access to homework assignments and additional
links to resources on an online resource that students can view regularly will
keep them informed about how they can do better in the course. Another piece of technology that I’d like to incorporate
is the use of electronic clickers in daily assessment. Students can answer questions with immediate visual
feedback about the question to clear up errors or mistakes made. Using clickers can help engage every student
in the classroom compared to just asking a few students to post solutions onto
a chalkboard. In terms of instructional
strategies, I’d also like to incorporate differentiated groups to work on
problem based learning (PBL) activities through the technology tools learned
from this course. Using PBL activities
in the classroom will immerse my students in the mathematical concepts they are
learning because of the experiences they will create for themselves with the technology
they are familiar with.
One long-term
goal that I’d like to make in my instructional practice regarding technology
integration in the classroom is to use current applications that many of
students are using for educational purposes.
To turn Twitter, Instagram, or Memes into educational tools will help
reinforce new material or remind students about assignments. Staying up to date on current software,
applications and technology will be a constant learning experience that I’d like
to take as a hobby. Another long-term
goal that I’d like to make in my instructional practice on technology integration
would be to change the physical environment to the school’s computer lab to
access resources that can help students in PBL activities. Giving students the opportunities to research
and apply mathematical concepts to their activity will help create experiences
that will reinforce new knowledge.
Visiting the computer lab is something I would like to take my students
to at least once a month. Integrating
technology into my classroom is something that I’d do for the rest of teaching
career.
