My philosophy of education has changed somewhat this week. I've always known that students need to be engaged to learn best. Since I'm in the Business Ed. area, I've always taught by using as many tools as I had available. However, I've learned that it's basically essential to maximize the NetGen's learning. I also have known that there needs to be trust and caring in the relationship with students, which was reaffirmed in this class.
Web 2.0 technologies, as I've come to understand them, fit easily into my philosophy. I'll continue to utilize as many new tools as I can in the next few years, but realize that I need to go slow to keep my sanity. This is challenging in itself!
These new technologies will make my teaching more effective by helping the students collaborate and engage them.
I will work toward putting these tools in hands of more students by integrating them slowly into my curriculum. I will try blogs, wikis and podcasts this year. I will use blogs in Business Law, wikis in Personal Finance--not sure how yet, and podcasts for my Computer 1 class. These classes are each in a different trimester, so I can go slo-o-o-w.(Do I need to stress this again!)
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Again, it is apparent that you have a realistic expectation for yourself and the integration of technology into your practice. I can tell that you care deeply about your students and trust that they feel it to, that relationship will only grow as they see you working to incorporate these new tools into their work.
ReplyDeleteYou really understand the concept of "integration". You don't want to "add" or "implement" technology. You want to enhance your curriculum. You've embraced the essential aspects of Web 2.0 (collaboration and engagement) and have a practical plan for integrating them in a way that your students will appreciate.
ReplyDeleteBy all means, go slow and keep your sanity. That's pretty important if you actually want to enjoy the process. From what I've seen of the way you've worked through this week, you're going to be great at this. You ask questions, don't back away from challenges, and make your needs known very clearly. You understand what you want to get from technology and how you want it to fit with your beliefs about teaching. You're going to do great.