Looking back, looking ahead...

I always loved the idea of technology being used in education, but I was nervous and scared about what that meant for my lessons. I used some technology in my classes, but I will admit, it wasn’t enough.  I was definitely relying on some of the old fashion teaching styles. This always puzzled me, because I felt like a young teacher at the age of 25 and technology was something I’m familiar with. So, why wasn’t I as comfortable with technology for teaching as I was with technology in my daily lifestyle? This course really helped me open up my eyes to this question.

I think part of issue was that I worried about my students and their ability, with their special needs, to function using these new applications and resources. However, any time I brought something I learned from class to them, they picked up on it. It took practice and patience, but overall worth it now that we have new tools to use!

Borrowed from The Odyssey Online

As educators, we have so many resources literally at our fingertips while we’re typing away on computers, chromebooks, iPads, etc. Participating and educating myself throughout this course has provided me with an abundant amount of resources and encouraged me to take the step and try using them in my classroom.

After the research assignment where we looked up statistics and facts about where educators stand with education, I felt better about my nervous and fears. I learned that many other educators face those same challenges.  But what was I to be nervous about? My students won’t know if my lesson goes perfectly according to plan. Now I have the courage and information to try new technology.  I’m walking away with more insight on Padlet, Showbie, Quizlet, Thinglink,  NearPod, Prezi, and Screen Casting, just to name a few. That enough made this class worthwhile for me!

My favorite quote and overall lesson I will take from this course is when Nicole proposed the question of “would you want to be a student in your own classroom?” As educators, I think we can all come back to this question on a daily, weekly, monthly basis and it should motivate us to be better and do better for our students.