Artifacts that impacted me the most (Foundations of Education Technology)

Discussions with peers: blogs, twitter, collaboration

What I found really useful during this class was the collaboration I had with my peers. The discussions throughout this course enlightened me on many things. I learned what programs or apps worked in the classroom and which ones did not. The different applications we used to discuss were also very helpful. I learned how to use blogs and twitter to discuss and it will help me incorporate it into my classroom. 

I found that twitter provides a trove of ideas and great resources to collaborate with people around the world. I follow many teachers around the country but also around the world who think very similar to me. Not only do we collaborate about similar things but they also have different ideas that can help me. As a learner you do not want to have someone that thinks just like you all the time. In order to get new innovative ideas you have to have someone that thinks differently and challenges you. 

Trends in technology research paper:

The research paper helped me discover a more in depth view of a flipped classroom. I have done it before but now I have found new creative ways to incorporate it into my classroom. A flipped classroom uses videos as a stepping stool to the actual lesson you will be teaching in the classroom. The students would watch a video and be prepared to use that video in an activity in the classroom. 

Taking away the lecture from the classroom allows students to really focus on what is important once we get to the classroom. I also feel I get a better student to teacher relationship because I am not too busy lecturing. I would recommend a flipped classroom for any teacher that is looking to take advantage of their time and classroom time. Now that we are doing more remote learning we can really take advantage of a flipped classroom.

Final Reflection:

I was excited to start this class and found it extremely useful for me and my future students. I recommend this class to any teacher looking for extra resources and great discussions with fellow peers. I learned to try new things and to put yourself out there. I was not very comfortable being in front of the camera but as I went through this class it became much more natural. 

The amount of resources and applications that are available to teachers is immense. Teachers, like myself, should take time and discuss with other colleagues on what is available to us. The problem is that there is so much information we do not have enough time to research it all. We must take what works best for us and our students one application at a time. The key for me and should be for other teachers is to continue to learn and explore but never stop learning.