ISLT 9467

Course Description:

Strategies for integrating technology into the teaching and learning process, with a focus on enhancing how students think rather than what they think. Special attention given to supporting higher order thinking and problem solving with technology.

Reflection:

I thought I was comfortable and knowledgeable about technology tools for the classroom, but this course really expanded my knowledge base! Right away, we were to do an introduction using Voice Thread, which until then I had never heard of. Immediately I started thinking of all the ways I could use this with my own students. This is just one example of the probably hundreds of new tools I was exposed to in this course. Of all the new tools I was introduced to, my favorite was probably Newsy. I have already planned lessons this year that incorporate Newsy and my students love it.

Not only did the course teach me about new technologies, but I also got to dig deeper on some that I was aware of but had never had the time to explore and really get familiar with. For me, this was a coding website called Tynker that I created a Voice Thread presentation for. In creating the presentation, I really had to become an expert on the site and learned a lot of things that I didn't previously know about it.

Technology in the classroom is not easy, and can be very intimidating and overwhelming at times. However, we need to prepare our students for a technological world, so we need to embrace and run with it! The tools and ideas I discovered in this course will definitely help me do that.