Another eight weeks have flown by and the course has come to an end. I have learned many new things in my journey through CEP 811, and would like to share them through the questions below:
What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?
I started taking the Educational Technology Program classes, I was nervous. I felt that I had no knowledge of how to teach with technology beyond the research paper. What a difference a few months makes. There are teaching strategies that I use everyday in the classroom that are easy to use with technology. Scaffolding is a basic technique used in physical education. It comes into play with technology using webquests and StAIRs. I believe that certain concepts in physical education can be taught with technology and be even more effective than the live, in class presentation. We have an online portfolio for our physical education students to complete, and this course validate the different types of teaching styles present in our portfolio. The addition of webquests and stairs will enhance the overall fitness portfolio for out students. Physical education should be an activity class, but there is information to be learned about keeping oneself healthy, and teaching some of that content through the use of technology and effective teaching strategies makes the course even more valuable.
How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
Using the web-based technologies has been a great help to me as a teacher. Learning how to use technology is the first step for a lot of teachers. The fear of the unknown is what, I believe, keeps a lot of teachers from using the technologies available. I was feeling lost and confused when we first started, even though I completed 810 previously. I did not know what FTP or AFS space was, I did not know how a web page was created, or that I could create my own, I did not know what CSS was or did, and did not know what UDL principals were. Being able to put my work online or on a website or wiki is an invaluable tool. It allows for access of material from any Internet connected computer. Being able to create my own web page or wiki will only allow more access to material and allow for discussion and collaboration for my students outside of the gym walls. The UDL principals opened my eyes to how some of the students can fall behind in a subject if their needs are not met. Applying these principals to my units and lessons will allow all students to have a fair opportunity to learn the material.
How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?
My goals for learning about technology integration have been met, but not satisfied. I wanted to learn how to use the technologies available to me in the physical education setting. We started meeting the online requirements with the introduction of the online fitness portfolio. I knew it was a good idea, but more could be done with it. Learning how to create StAIRs is the first step into making our online experience meaningful to the students. Increasing the collaboration and discussion between students in class will help them understand what others are thinking and learn from different perspectives. Learning to use the FTP Filezilla program was great. I wanted to learn to "put stuff out there", and now I have. Submitting items to MERLOT was also a great experience, I always thought that was for published articles, now I have a new perspective on the types of information available to me. Teachers having a space to collaborate and share is an invaluable tool. My goals have been met, this was a great course.
Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
My new goal is to become even more creative with the tools I have already learned. I believe this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what can be accomplished with tools like StAIRs, webquests, AFS space, and web pages. Our classes will be integrating more technology as the years progress and I want to be at the forefront of that movement. Our technology will not be limited to online content, the addition of heart-rate monitors and active gaming systems will also allow the students to see their development in the course work. My plan for achieving this goal is to keep creating and utilizing the resources available to me. One of the most important things I have learned is all of the different ways available for teachers to collaborate and share items to help on another. The final way to reach this goal is to keep exploring unfamiliar technology. The only way it becomes useful is to learn how to use it, and if I can't figure it out, someone out there if probably willing to show me. I will also be continuing to take classes from the MSU Edtech department again starting after football season is over.
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