Reflection: Transitioning from Knowledge to Synthesis.

I was really challenged over the course of the last eight weeks or so reading about and studying the “new literacies” described in the course work. Students which meet the description of a digital native and should already be fairly well versed in some of the foundational skills required in order to move forward with the teaching of higher level skills, are unable to adequately perform. Others are well able. There seems to be a correlation between students who are capable in general academic areas and those who perform well in the technology areas. The students who struggle with academic performance really have a hard time with the “new literacies” as well. Observation of my students while engaged in some of the activities that fit the category of “new literacy” skills showed that they were not as engaged as I would have expected or hoped. This lack of engagement in the process will keep them from significant learning regardless of tools used in the process.
I came to a couple of conclusions about the things that we have been learning. Most of the “new literacies” that were described early in the course were not really all that new, and students will only learn when they are making an effort to do so. I believe that technology is an important tool that teachers can use in their classroom. I also believe that many of my students will require a new set of skills and literacies when they enter the work world. There is a need and a place for the integration of technology in the classroom, but students who know how to learn will be more than prepared to adapt to and learn the things that are required. My job is to use all of the tools at my disposal to help my students learn how to learn. In the end, I don’t think that my job is all that different than that of the teachers of the last generation or those that came before that.
I did find a tool that I can use in my classroom to aid in my job. The program Jing, is something that I plan on using. At first, I think that it will help me to give students some direction with some of the tasks that they need to accomplish on the computer. Eventually, I may have students use it to show how they have arrived at an end product. That way, if I have not been able to observe the process first hand I can get an idea of their thinking along the way.
One professional development goal that I would identify after the completion of this course would be to explore the area of using technology to aid in the learning process of students with learning disabilities. I still think that when students receive timely and accurate feedback, they will learn more and retain information longer. I think that this is even more important for students who struggle academically.