Week2AssignmentReflection

EDLD 5362 Informational Systems Management

The teacher interview of a veteran teacher in the very first week of the course was very eye-opening. Being a digital native, I tend to take technology for granted because I have known it all my life. In speaking with a veteran teacher of thirty-six years, I was just amazed of all the amenities and luxuries we have now and are just so used to using. I don’t even know life before email, and she said that before email communication was very limited. This ties very closely in with the technology facilitator standard VII B.1 “discuss the history of technology use in schools.” We also evaluated our district’s student information system (SIS). This was interesting to learn more about because as a classroom teacher we just gather the information we need from the websites we get it from, without thinking to much about where that information comes from and how. The most meaningful task during this course for me was to look at what a classroom of the future would look like. The videos and articles we read to develop our ideal, model classroom were amazing! I wish we could make this a reality in all classrooms, if money weren’t an object! These classrooms are very much a 21st century goal.

EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology

In this class we, again, used our wikis that were created in our first course. This just reminded me how powerful of a tool wikis actually are. Information can be shared, viewed and edited with a click of a mouse! This was also the first course that I worked very closely and collaboratively with a group. We had to create a Google site to store and share all of the information gathered. While I found working from a distance from my group useful, it was also quite a challenge to make sure everyone was on the same page so to speak. Since we are all on different schedules, we had to schedule meetings (google chats) just like any other meetings. These meetings, which were basically online chats, were difficult to arrange, but in the end were much more efficient than face-to-face meetings. In a face-to-face meeting, there are can be a lot of sidebar conversations and the meetings can get off topic, but in an online meeting the conversations are much more direct and on topic, less room for getting off topic. Through this course, I learned it how easy it is to work in a collaborative group online. While it does pose its hardships, such as timing, the benefits definitely outweigh the negative parts.

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE’S technology facilitation and leadership standards : What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1). The internet and education: Findings of the pew internet and American life project. //Pew Internet// //and American Life Project//. Retrieved on January 16, 2010, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2001/PIP_Schools_Report.pdf.pdf Madden, M, & Jones, S. (2008). Networked workers. //Pew Internet & American Life// //Project//. Retrieved on January 16, 2010 from [|http://pewinternet.com/~/media//Files/Reports/2008/PIP_Networked_Workers_FI] NAL.pdf.pdf