I began this program so that I could be more knowledgeable in using technology as resources for my classroom. This course, Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology, has been very helpful in helping me acquire my goal. Actually, it has been the first class to really broaden my understanding of how to incorporate technology in my class. It has also given me several very useful tools, both technological and instructional, that I know will be very beneficial in the success of my students.
During our first week, I described my personal learning theory as a mixture of several theories. Behaviorism would probably have been the best description. I feel that my views on my learning theory have not changed. I still feel like a good combination of theories is the best method of teaching. I am actually more sure of this now then before the class started. However, after taking this class, I have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories. This understanding will help me be more effective at incorporating the many strategies and theories that I believe is essential in our 21st century classrooms.
The most beneficial information I received from this course was the technology tools that we had to incorporate into our lessons for Walden. I have already began to use SpiderScribe and our math department has began working on a wiki. I have already had the opportunity to use response systems in my classroom. Adding SpiderScribe and a wiki for my classes will hopefully engage more students in my lessons. I feel that SpiderScribe is a great way for students keep their notes and thoughts organized and they enjoy it much more than flipping through their hand written notes which are often not legible and scattered in thought. The wiki we are creating will give students a place to go and receive additional help, assignments, and communicate with one another outside the classroom.
In the future I would like to try and create more interactive assignments into my lessons. My lessons do not usually consist of constructivism and I feel this is an area that would greatly benefit my students. Another goal that I need to achieve is finding more useful technology to introduce to my students that can be beneficial for their math lessons. My eyes have been opened during the last five weeks concerning technology and it’s uses. I never would have known about tools such as Voicethread and Spiderscribe without this class. The use of these tools, as well as others that I have not discovered, are also very beneficial for remediation, diversity, and most of all differentiation.
Technology is very important in today’s classroom as well as in today’s world. School is changing as is our method for learning and teaching. To achieve success we must embrace technology and make it a part of our schools. I still believe that the most important factor to successful teaching is good classroom management. I am believe that technology can hinder learning as much as it can be beneficial, so we must be careful as educators to have a method for our madness.
