Thoughtful+Analysis

When I first realized I had to take a class titled "Educational Media and Technology," I was very hesitant and nervous. I knew I was not very good at using technology, let alone being able to incorporate it into my teaching and lesson plans. However, this class was not as scary as I thought it would be. I learned a lot of useful information and am now able to use a lot more technology in my lesson plans.

My Educational Media and Technology class covered a lot of topics in a short period of time. We first began with blogging. I had never used a blog before, but came to find that it is very easy to use. Blogging proved itself a valuable resource in any classroom environment. Next, we covered Google Apps. This was very difficult for me because of the many different applications Google has to offer. Honestly, I did not know a lot about any of the applications. After breaking up into groups and learning a lot about one specific application, my class was able to teach each other. We learned a little about a lot of different Google Apps. After this we discussed the Pennsylvania Standards Aligned System. I had already been introduced to this website while creating lesson plans, however I did not know that it had as much as it has to offer. Not only does it include standards, but lesson plans and much more. We then covered video conferencing. This was my favorite lesson. My class was actually able to participate in a video conference that involved a lot of different schools! Podcasting was next on our list. Using GarageBand, my class broke up into groups and each created a podcast of a children's book. We read the book aloud and added sound effects to enhance the story. With just a few weeks left in the semester, my class discussed the importance of date analysis and the many different kinds there are including Poll Everywhere, Survey Monkey, and CPS. Last, each student created a newsletter that could be used to communicate with parents in the classroom. I decided to create a "December" newsletter that discussed upcoming events and extended thanks to parents who had recently helped out in the classroom.

Within these topics, I had my strengths and my weaknesses. I feel that blogging, data analysis, and newsletters were my strengths. I was able to understand how to create these projects and really enjoyed making them. However, Google Apps and podcasting were weaknesses of mine. These concepts were difficult for me to grasp and, in turn, created troubles when I had to create a lesson plan using Google Apps and in creating a podcast. Despite these weakness, I was still able to create a great lesson plan and podcast.

Out of all the topics my class covered, video conferecning was my favorite. I was amazed to see how useful video conferencing really is and how many educational doors it can open. Not only does it allow for students to be fully engaged in the lesson, it allows teachers to connect with other teachers and to collaborate within lessons.

In my future classroom, I hope to incorporate many of these pieces of technology such as blogging, certain Google Apps, and video conferencing. I feel that these resources will prove to be very beneficial to my students and myself as I expand my professional development.

As technology becomes more available in the classroom setting, I feel that it will not only be an interesting piece of equipment to use it, but a required one. In the future, I hope to see most educators incorporating more and more technology into the classroom. It is no longer acceptable to use a PowerPoint in a lesson and deem it as incorporating technology. These new devices are being created every day and must be used in the classroom to teach this upcoming generation of technologically savvy students.