Week 8 -- Aha Moments

I'll be honest--I wasn't really expecting to get much out of this class. I had to take ETEC 557 to complete my alternative certification coursework, and I was not happy to have to take what I considered a step below that class. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I was actually learning something!!

My biggest Aha moment this semester was when we looked the different Web 2.0 technologies. I had been thinking I was pretty technologically savvy, but when I looked at the list of Google apps, I'd never heard of 80% of them. I guess you could say it was a technological slap in the face, telling me, "You don't know as much as you think you know!"

I really enjoyed learning about blogging. It's something I've wanted to explore for a long time (and one of the few Web 2.0 technologies I'd heard of), but I just never found the time. I'm planning to use blogging in my English class next year. (I'm sure my students will be thrilled!)

As far as where I go from here... I definitely plan to continue learning about different types of educational technology and how I can implement some of them in my classes. No matter how much I learn, there is always more to learn; learning is a never-ending process.

Week 7 -- Google Apps

The objective for my lesson plan integrating technology was to have my 9th grade students interact with the text of The Odyssey in several different ways. I chose this because I've noticed that many of the students I have in class don't seem to get very involved with whatever we're reading at any given time. As someone who's loved reading her entire life, this is hard for me to understand in some ways. But when I think about it from a technological perspective, I can kind of see where these students are coming from. Students today are used to iPods, xBoxes, and movies that are filled with CGI. Almost all of their entertainment is either based on sight, sound, or both. So when you take a kid who's used to playing Halo on his xBox 360, put a book in his hand, tell him to read it and expect him to enjoy the experience... well, who's surprised that it doesn't always work out too well?

I chose the specific applications in my tech lesson plan because I felt they would support collaboration and differentiated instruction, as well as allow the students to use various forms of technology to interact with the reading material. If I actually use this objective in one of my classes, I would hope to see thoughtful analysis and creativity in the students' final products.

I am trying to integrate technology into my lessons, but I know I still have a long way to go before I can say I've succeeded. When I am considering whether or not to include a technological element, I try to stop and ask myself, "Will using technology enhance this lesson?" If the answer is yes, I include it; if the answer is no, I leave it out.

Tammy Vinson