When I first entered this course, I honestly did not know much about technology. I may still be somewhat "behind" when it comes to completely understanding it, but I can honestly say I have learned A TON!! I was very uncomfortable at the beginning, having all this different technological tools thrown at me at once, but soon enough I began to get the hang of it all. Through this course I have become more comfortable using technology personally, which makes me more comfortable using technology in the classroom. I have understood and learned how important integrating technology into the classroom is, and how much better of a learning experience having the technology in the classroom can occur. I think that using technology in the classroom can make for a more fun experience for both teacher and learner. The teacher can have different and interesting ways to present the information, and the students can all benefit from different teaching styles using the technology in the classroom. It definitely can help make uninterested students more interested in the information.

I think that it is important to know that students do not just use technology to learn. There are different ways that students can use technology to make a difference in the world (and still learn a bit too!). By having students use technology in the classroom in a service learning project, students are able to make a difference in the world, are able to connect with individuals, to build awareness for causes, and to become more informed citizens. Through making this difference in their community, they are also learning how to use technology too, which can help benefit them in their future endeavors. Furthermore, they are still making connections to the subjects that they are being presented in the class, and can see a more real world connection to the information.

Technology also opens the doors in the way of instruction. I knew that, at the beginning of this year, I did not want to be the type of teacher that would just lecture and have students take notes. How boring, and ineffective too! I knew that I wanted to be an interesting and fun teacher, with cool facts and activities. Well, by using technology, students are opened up to a whole new world of information, that I can help guide them to (and that is not just from the horse's mouth... AKA me). Students have access to a variety of different information. They can access podcasts from different professors of various universities, can see actual pictures of primary documents online, and can play a geocaching activity to learn about geography. By utilizing technology in the teaching aspect, it takes the learning from a direct instruction, to a more hands on approach by the students.

I also think it is fabulous how involved the students can get with presentations. Before this class, my thoughts of presentations were very minimal-- PowerPoint or a poster board. I was unaware of the myriad of different options when it came to students creating a project or wealth of information. I think it is really cool that students are able to create their own blog or wiki, and voice their opinions or thoughts. I think it is wonderful that students, through a program like garage band, can create their own Podcast as a form of presentation. I also (my own personal favorite, cause, hey, I did do the presentation) love Glogster. I think it is one of the most fun and interactive programs for students. I love how creative one can get with creating a Glog, and I promise I will be using this in the future.

Lastly, I think it is important to note that we are all connected to each other. We have the ability to share information with other teachers, or to take information from other teachers. We can share knowledge, or just general great teaching practices. We can gather from each other cool websites to use in the classroom. By having a myriad of teachers sharing information with each other, it makes the learning experience infinitely better for the teacher, but mostly for the student. Lets face it, getting through to the student is key, and what better way to do in than a fun interactive technological tool!

Technology Concept Map!