Module+4+Reflection

Reflection Prompt:Reflect on your thinking surrounding your developing a philosophy of Instructional Technology use for learning and your understanding of 21st Century Teaching and Learning **1. Description:** According to the ETech Report on Ohio Technology, "...much work still needs be done to fully recognize the benefits of technology in educating Ohioans. We must move beyond the walls of our classrooms and expand the learning environment into homes and the workplace." This quote really stood out to me as a definition of the problem and the solution of 21st Century Learning. As a state, we are recognizing the need for more and more technology integration in our classrooms each and every day. However, there are problems that lie within this plan. We recognize the benefits technology provides our students with- it teaches them to think beyond the literal and explore worlds unknown to themselves, it teaches them to research and continue to find more answers than they would in just a book, if used right, it can teach them to problem solve and create. There are so many benefits to the 21st century learning skills we should be teaching our students. While Reading the Ohio State's Educational Technology Plan 2009-2014, I was very interested in the comment that education is a 19th century institution, trying to make it work in a 21st century learning environment. This statement seems to encompass what I feel I am trying to do in my classroom as well as what our school and school district are trying to do. We are being told to integrate technology and create these 21st century classrooms, but we are given 19th century materials and tools. It is hard to build when you don't have the right blocks.

  **Intent:** After reading this, my first reaction is I want to be like Jane's teachers. I want to create a Digital Curriculum classroom where my students are engaged and exploring, problem solving, and being innovative. However, I am reminded of my restraints. I am not blessed with a 1:1 ratio of technology in my classroom. On a good day, I have a 3:1 ratio, of slow working and usually full of errors computers. This would pose a problem, but not completely hinder me. I still want to implement as much Digital Curriculum as possible. I intend to keep my paper pencil interactive writing journals, but I am going to add in online discussion of readings through Wiki's and Schoology. I will do pre and post quizzes on Schoology so students can have real-time results and understand their strengths and weaknesses. I plan to allow students to be more at the center of their online journaling by assigning a student to come up with a discussion prompt each day for the Schoology forum. For Social Studies, I plan to create collaborative blogs or wikis on topics we are learning about that students can build on to and add their research and discoveries. I intend to gear my classroom towards 21st Century Learning as much as possible, to try and close the digital divide, because I want to be like Jane's teachers! :)
 * Impact: ** The article that really engaged me the most was "The Digital Curriculum." I was floored by Jane's day. All I could think was, "I want to be in those classrooms!" What an amazing experience the students at Jane's school are receiving. I have often said I do not like using technology for technology sake, and this is far from it. I LOVE how this curriculum is truly taking advantage of all of the benefits that the Digital Curriculum and 21st Century Learning has to offer. Students like Jane are at the core of their own learning, they are exploring and problem solving, they are using technology that is  familiar   to them, and they are doing it in a way that is engaging and exciting. In this article they point out that if you use digital components in a Digital Curriculum it must be, "...powerful and transformative, yet invisible." In other words, giving our students an extended community and world to explore and be innovative, and making it so it is largely impacting their education, beyond what paper pencil can. Wow, what a powerful tool technology can be.