Reflection: Final Posting for Week 8

Before this class my perception of the uses of technology in the classroom was quite limited. My perceptions have been more than a little challenged. Having been exposed to the ideas of blogs, wikis, and podcasts has opened my eyes to the possibilities of things that I had no real knowledge of before we started. I need more time to be completely comfortable with their use in my classes, because I am not yet proficient enough to be comfortable with my own use of the technologies. The class did prod me to make a change in the infrastructure of my classroom. I have been working toward having enough computers in my classroom for each student to have access without a need to share. At the beginning of the year I had fifteen laptops for student use. They were connected to the school network via a wireless access point. I had forty five desktop computers that had been donated by the Air Force Base, but they were not configured to work on the network. Our ITS guys did not have time to do the work, so I learned how and did it myself. I now have a complete lab in my classroom for student use.
The biggest transition in my classroom beyond the hardware addition is the role that I seem to be taking on in the learning process of my students. My team of teachers joked a little at the beginning of this school year about how tired we were. After a summer of relaxation, the “sage on the stage” routine at the start of the year really took it out of us. As the year progressed and I was using more of the technology in the classroom, I found that there was less for me to do during class time. The transition is difficult still because I am not using time in class efficiently. Students do not need me to be up front dispensing knowledge, but I don’t always know what to do with myself. A shift in thinking regarding planning, my class role, and evaluation of student work is ongoing.
Hopefully, continued contact with others who are working through the process of integrating technology into their classrooms will keep me moving in the direction that I have chosen. Things will probably be more difficult next year, as I have recently learned that I will not be back in my current position. There is nothing definitive about what I will be doing next year. I don’t know site, grade level, whether I can take my technology with me, or if it will even be practical to do so. Only time will tell.

Walden Podcast Post

http://vmsteacher.podomatic.com/