Module 4 Reflection

How can technology be used most effectively to support and assess student learning?

There's a reason this is the "Essential Question" for this course.  Technology is so vast, and I think each educator would/could answer this question differently.  The teacher's comfort level and knowledge of different technology will determine how that particular person most effectively uses technology to support their students' learning.  For me, at this point in my career, I am most comfortable with using technology for research purposes.  That being said, I will most likely use the Internet and Subscription databases with my students to teach them proper research skills as well as information literacy.  I am also very interested in student blogging.  I think journals are a great way for students to express to themselves and the teacher how and what they have learned.  Blogs give students more options to be creative about how they communicate their understanding with their teacher.  Instead of only writing paragraphs, which will not be every student's strong point, students could embed a video or an audio recording explaining what they've learned.  They could also create other visual representations of their growth and knowledge.

Creating a student sample last week and then an ePortfolio this week further solidified my opinion that technology is a necessary component of any 21st century classroom.  There are so many skills that can be taught in addition to core curriculum concepts when technology is employed.  Through creating a publication, multimedia presentation, and/or blogs/wikis, students learn about collaboration, become more information literate, and find new outlets for their creativity.  This is most definitely the digital age, and we must prepare our students to use technology in ways that will prepare them to become self-sufficient, successful members of society.  

Module 3 Reflection

This module has helped me think about the impact of the Internet on my students’ learning in the following ways…

Specialized search engines.  The thought of such makes my librarian heart go pitter-patter.  The realization that I was unaware of most of the ones listed in the Intel Education eReader makes me cringe.  These are great tools that really open the door to better research possibilities for today's student.  Research is such a huge part of education it seems now more than ever.  Living in the information age, students must know how to effectively do  research.  They are doing research daily, whether they realize it or not.  Every Google search they do, be it on Justin Bieber or the United States Constitution, is research on the small scale.  And the Internet puts all that information at their fingertips.  Making sure they can effectively navigate this enormous source is paramount to educating today's students.

Along with teaching students how to conduct online research, we must also educate students on the other tools which the Internet provides.  The Intel Education eReader says, "effective use of the Internet goes beyond conducting research."  I believe that is true, and through project-based learning teachers can easily weave instruction on Internet communication and collaboration tools into their subject matter lessons.  I am excited about the possibilities that tools such as blogs, wikis, Skype, and social media have to offer in the classroom.  Students need to know how to safely and effectively use these tools.  What better place to learn than in the classroom?