Coming
into this course, I did what I was told at school and the things that I
believed were swept under the rug. Technology and the idea of exploration was
somewhat of a “native” term. Every website that I explored was blocked, the
server is usually down, and student access is somewhat limited. However, it is
still my job to explore more technology and apply it to everyday life. When we
did our “This I Believe” statements, the light bulb went off! For my project, I
wanted to do something that I would use and use often. I chose two tools that
would help me on my journey of open communication with my students’ parents.
The first tool was easy, I needed to update
and make my website more user friendly. I added and changed things to make it
more of a center of my class rather then a tool that I say I use, and don’t. Second,
I was always told that social media was not a place for teachers (wrong again).
I would have never have thought of using social media
for parent communication particularly Facebook.
However, being that I have parents that
have a large language barrier, I wanted them to know that school is a place
that wants to work with them- not against. I am still a little skeptical on how
this will work and I am anticipating pushback from some colleagues, but I
believe in it. I know that if I want my parents to be informed, I need to go
where they are.
I once believed that I was a techno-traditionalist, after taking
this course I am moving toward the techno-constructivist area. Before this
class, I used to use gradebookwizard
as my grade book program, would use Google
Docs to share documents, and used my email religiously. Now I realized that
I am able to do so much more, even with my cash strapped district. I never
heard of the term "Virtual
field trip" I did some research and have now included it in my Civil
rights unit.
Aside from my project and tools that I have already used from my
toolbox, I will be scanning and using livebinder, screencastify, doceri, and google forms. I think that having all
of these tools for my students will make life so easy for them. Also, after
listening to Tina and our discussion on Disney Princesses, I have decided to
change one of my units. I will be going a unit on gender stereotypes. I am
trying to find a novel that fits the theme, but it is so important for them to
be exposed.
I think that I gained so many amazing things from this class. The
entire 8 days was fun and exciting. The content was awesome, Dr. Bogad was so supportive
and the entire class created a warm environment. I am so excited to bring back all that I have learned from the class and each other back to my classroom.