Final Reflection

Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

1.   Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. I would use technology for creative and innovative thinking by having the students use Pixie to create stories and charts and using the internet to search for ideas.

2.   Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. In some of my lessons I used online games from educational resources such as abcya.org to engage the students in real-world issues and problem solving. I also would have them research current events online to learn about real-world issues.

3.   Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. In my lessons I used quick writes for reflection. Using technology I would have my students create a blog online or do a video blog on the iPads. I would also have them use MindMup or other mind maps to plan projects.

4.   Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments. I would model collaborative knowledge construction by teaching the students to use technology such as Prezi and MindMup to learn together and create projects even if they are not face to face.

Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

1.   Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. I used various online games and manipulatives in my lessons to promote learning and creativity. One way that I could have used technology to promote learning and creativity was to allow students to create more final projects or presentations using Prezi or Pixie.

2.   Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. I would develop a technology-enriched environment by making sure they have access to iPads and computers as much as possible. I would also make sure that during centers and other hands on learning activities they would have access to the smart board to do learning activities and ways to pursue their curiosity. I would also have the students do their AR testing on the iPads so that they can keep track of their progress and always have access to it.  

3.   Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. The nice thing about using technology is it is very easy to change the levels to fit the diverse leaning needs. With technology you also are able to cater to visual, auditory and hands-on learners. Technology opens up the world so much wider to students because they can research and learn more then what is just in their community.

4.   Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching. I would use technology to allow students to take tests online, write blogs about what they were learning, and creating video blogs or short films on what they are learning. Then I would take this information to determine what we still need to focus our attention on.

Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning 

1.   Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations. We used technology to take situations and apply them in a different way. For example in our erosion lesson we showed them erosion in an online simulation and then we actually did an experiment to show it in real life.

2.   Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. I would use academic learning sites such as Brain Pop and abcya.com. I would also use online blogs that multiple students would have access to, online mind maps and Prezi for presentations.

3.   Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats. Ways that I would communicate relevant information would be weekly emails home and a class website or blog that would be updated as frequently as needed.

4.   model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning. I would make sure that I follow the trends and see what new technology is being used in classroom settings. I would then use this new technology in my classroom to help my students’ research and learn on their own.

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

1.   Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. The biggest thing that I would do is start off the class with responsibility on the internet. We would do a project similar to the one we did in this class where we researched what digital citizenship meant and how to be safe on the internet.

2.   Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. I would make sure that my students all had the same access to the different types of technology (computer, iPad, smart board) but make sure that if a student had trouble reading for example the technology would read to the student and help them learn the words.

3.   Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. I would make sure that our first focus would be that of being kind on the internet just like we are in class. For example we do not make fun of people or bully them online just because they can’t see us. We would also talk about how it is very important not to post personal information online because anyone could have access to it.

4.   Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools. We would research other cultures and see how they use technology and how it is different from the way we use technology. We would have digital pen-pals and learn more about them that way.