Reflective Essay

In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills?

This course has helped me to develop my own technology skills by introducing me to different technologies that I can use in my classroom such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts. I also learned different ways that I can effectively integrate these technologies into my classroom.

In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of technology integration with the aim of increasing student achievement?

One way that I will continue to expand my knowledge of technology integration with the aim of student achievement will be to continue with the courses required for my master's degree in Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Another way will be to keep up with new and emerging technologies by reading educational journals and blogs on the subject.

Set two long-term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment into a place where technology is integrated seamlessly to meet instructional goals and increase student achievement. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?

The first goal that I have set for my classroom with respect to integrating technology seamlessly to increase student achievement is to create a class blog where my students will be expected to respond to an entry each week. On the blog I would also like to post class notes with examples so that students who miss class or need extra help could look for assistance. This will increase student achievement because students will be expected to read about the math that they are learning and then respond. My students need practice reading mathematics, and by writing about what they learn, they will reinforce the concepts even more. I hope to accomplish this goal for next school year. To accomplish it, I will take more time to learn about blogs and all of the various ways that they can be used. Once it is in place, I will maintain it by spending time each day as needed to update the blog and read my students' responses.

The second goal that I have for transforming my classroom is to allow my students more time for online learning through websites like usatestprep.com where they will play games, answer drill questions, and practice other various mathematics topics. This will increase student achievement by allowing them time to learn new topics on their own and allowing them to drill on topics that they are having trouble with instant feedback. I will accomplish this goal by signing up to use the computer lab on a weekly basis. I will then spend time researching websites that can be used to increase student achievement in mathematics. Students will be taught how to use and navigate each website at the beginning of the semester. They will rotate websites from week to week after that.

Technology Podcast

This is a link to a podcast that I created to gauge the amount of technology that my students have access to and use on a daily basis at home and at school. Enjoy!

http://moores.podbean.com/