My Reflection
What I have learned about
technology integration is that it is very time-consuming. You
have to be a dedicated teacher to use technology to its fullest
advantages. It is much easier to sit and do worksheet after
worksheet and test after test. Even though it is a lot of work,
it is extremely rewarding to see an idea of yours actually put
into use. A teacher can be very creative when it comes to
technology integration and should be proud of their work.
The discussions have shown me that no one has all
the answers and that their are a lot of great ideas out there (Marie
Trevasani's webquest, for example). Frequently, school districts
do not have all the answers but they offer them anyway, and we have to
abide by their policies. Hopefully, this does not tie our hands
too much.
I have grown as a teacher because I have been
exposed to many programs I did know of previously. I had never
heard of Inspiration and even though I had heard of webquests, I didn't
know what they entailed. I definitely plan on using webquests in
the future but I need to develop a better format. My was a little
to straight forward and didn't allow for many options. I am not a
fan of concept maps. But, I believe I can offer, as an option,
for students to make their own, if they are comfortable with them, as
part of an electronic portfolio.
Because of the students that I teach
(lower-achieving), my main goal is is too have less apathy.
Hopefully, with the use of technology, I can make lessons exciting
enough so that even if the kids still don't like Biology, they at least
won't fall asleep and maybe even participate.
I chose my two pieces because I was proud that I got
through them. I found the Excel Gradebook very difficult to do
but when it was done, it seemed really cool and I was glad that I had
done it.
I plan to use my webquest immediately. I
purposely chose evolution because that is my next topic. I will
be starting evolution in 3 days and I will book some library time to
use the computers.