Class Reflections

I started this class thinking how much I hated technology. Computers have always frustrated me and I have always preferred to do my class work the old fashioned way-with a pen, paper, and a book. I've changed my views a lot over the semester. I still prefer to do my work the old fashioned way. There's just something I enjoy about opening up a book and taking it with me anywhere. It's nice too, when I'm writing, to not have to worry about a computer crashing or stress about how often I save what I'm doing. I also just don't like looking at computer screens! But...I've learned that technology has so much to offer, for me and my students. I've learned about all kinds of neat tools for teachers (powerpoint, interactive whiteboards, social bookmarking sites, and tons of useful websites), and while I don't enjoy spending all my time with technology, I've certainly come to appreciate it, understand it, and utilize it! My goal as a teacher is to make sure my students learn. It seems to me, that students learn better when technology is used (at least some of the time). I also am beginning to think that more teachers need to be taking a class like this one. Not enough teachers know how to use technology, many of them know even less than I knew when I started this class. There are so many technology related tools out there for teachers to use and they are being wasted because not enough teachers know they exist, or know how to use them.
This class was more work for me than I'm used to. Typically, I sign up for a class, do the readings and papers that are required and get an A. Nothing is out of my comfort zone. This class was waaay out of my comfort zone! But, because of that I think I've learned the most from it. I had to actually use the tools I was learning about, and that's why I learned so much. That's exactly what I feel my students need. They should be using technology to DO what they are learning. They need to be actively engaged to internalize what they're learning and technology is one of many ways to do that. Why not use it?