Technology Changing Over Time
By: Hope Andres
When I look back at the summer of 2009 and the goals that I set for myself to look forward to towards the end of my MAET program I am very proud of how much I have grown as a person in technology. Here are the goals that I set for myself:
1. Implementing technology into the classroom.
2. Always keeping up to date with the latest in technology.
3. Learning from your colleagues and students.
4. Still making sure that by implementing technology into the classroom the students are still excelling in their studies.
Technology Changing Over Time
Technology, for me, has changed drastically over the past three years. When looking back at my goal statements, I see how I’ve grown in technology. My accomplishments in setting and meeting goals are something to be proud of.
The two goals that I have met and maintained very well over the past three years are implementing technology into the classroom and learning from my colleagues and my students. When I first started MAET program I used technology in my classroom, but it was very minimal: using my document camera, having kids display work on the overhead, and using United Streaming to show videos. Now I am using so much technology in my class I sometimes think to myself I am on technology overload, but in a good way. Over the past three years I have been using my document camera for everything, not just showing students work. In addition to utilizing my document camera more effectively, I also frequent educational websites to enhance student learning. There are numerous choices but a few of my top picks are brainpopjr, freerice.com, kidpix, PowerPoint, Imovie, and GoogleEarth. These websites and software have helped my students grown in learning and made learning more fun and hands on.
Another area I have changed in is asking my colleagues for help with technology. Whether I am asking people from other classes in my MAET program or I am asking colleagues at school who are comfortable with technology, learning to network has been valuable to my continued growth. This year I have been working on PowerPoints with my students on certain subject areas and my technology director for elementary has been helping me with assisting all my students which has been a great help. I have learned that by asking others you are benefitting in the long run. You open up a whole new network of people to go for if you are seeking help in a certain area.
I have changed in making sure that I am keeping up with the latest technology, but I feel that technology comes out so quick and fast that it is hard to keep up to date with all the latest things that are out there. However, I do try my best to keep up to date with software or websites that I use on a daily basis in my classroom.
When I first started this program three years, ago one thing that I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose touch with was having students still do your basic pen and paper assignments. I say this because even though implementing technology is great students still need to know their basic everyday skills. I have made sure that this has continued in my classroom and that I still do both at an equal amount of time.
Overall, the past three years changed me as a person, student, and a teacher. I have reached many of my goals and am in a different place with technology than where I began. I strive to continue growing and changing over time with technology.
