Graduate Course Reflection

When I began this course and was presented with the task of creating my own blog, I almost lost my breath. The fear of the unknown is something that as an educator, you become comfortable with, but this was different. This task and future course assignments were requiring that I navigate technical tools, that I had never seen before, and to build a polished product, from the ground up! Even further, my graduate studies assignments would be for the world to view. Scary! After some research and quite a few frustrating tries, I realized that I was going to have become more open and comfortable with the unknown processes and the ever-so-certain failures that would lead to eventual success. The Walden course assignments necessitated that I commit quite a lot of time and that I very much utilize my colleague’s knowledge and participation. The course has allowed me to actively participate in a community of professionals, which otherwise, I would not have had access to. I am not hesitant towards technology any longer, and actually have become an outspoken proponent, at my middle school, for even more integration of technology and 21st Century skills. As we conclude this course I look back with pride that I not only have created and managed my own web blog, but I also have collaborated on the creation of a wiki and even further, have designed and published my own Podcast. I have more confidence in myself now and consider what technology skills that I have acquired, as invaluable.

Coincidently, through class research and professional dialogue, I have also acquired a deeper understanding of technology’s role in the classroom and for how it will support the learning process. Digital Natives, as they are referred to, think and learn in parallel terms where as most of the Digital Immigrants are more comfortable with a hierarchal approach to knowledge, (Prensky, 2001). This fact alone prompts me to analyze and restructure my delivery of curriculum and 21st Century skills in my classroom. I now see the importance of developing problem solving skills and the critical thinking that is required to authenticate learning and life experiences. Consistent lessons that include technology and new educational pedagogy are imperative, and are something that I will commit to produce. The more opportunity that I provide for my students to learn with each other, the curriculum, and myself as the facilitator, the better off they will be. Further, constructive examination of past assessments, lessons, and learning approaches, is now something that my PLC colleagues and I engage in, on a weekly basis.

Our students, in middle school today, should facilitate their own learning, locate, organize and evaluate their ideas, therefore allowing the experience to become more real-world and inquiry based. I can help them to expand their knowledge and their curricular experiences by engaging them in this process and modeling the skills necessary for achievement. Certainly, this 21st Century transformation will not occur overnight, but ultimately, my goal will be to “construct collaborative meaning and experience by having my students uptake each others’ contributions, relate to each other, define themselves as a group, to diverge and re-organize their interactions, and finally to negotiate their own topics of discussion,” (Kirschner & Erkens, 2006). By shifting the focus of my classroom from being teacher-centered to one that is student-centered will allow change to occur in a natural manner. If I am always providing answers to my students’ questions and am their go-to resource, then they will not exercise their own talents and skills. In addition, I aspire to make time next year, in my school day to be able to implement the Web 2.0 Lesson that I have developed for this course. I value its development and the critical thinking involved in designing a multifaceted lesson. After all, “research states that technology can change the nature of your classroom and increase students learning,” (Cramer, 2007).




References

Cramer, S. (2007, January). Update your classroom with learning objects and twenty-first century skills. Clearing House, 80 (3), 126-132.

Kirschner, P., & Erkens, G. (2006). Cognitive tools and mindtools for collaborative learning. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 35 (2), 199-209.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants, part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9 (6).