What it Means to Me

Throughout this course, we have had exposure to multiple scenarios, topics to research, and thought provoking questions to answer.  I believe that I have taken a  reflective mindset to this class, especially since I am fortunate enough to work in a technologically advanced school.  Throughout this class, the question I have constantly reflected on is what does this mean to me?

One, there is more technology out there than I ever could have imagined.  More so than the amount of technology is the rationale to use different forms of technology.  Recently, I engaged in a debate on one-to-one technology (chrome-book versus the iPad), and it led me to a new thinking process in some ways.  I know technology is a great tool and one-to-one technology will inevitably be a significant part of classrooms very quickly.  Many schools districts are already in the process of incorporating one-to-one technology. Integrating technology is not a concept of the future, but integrating technology must be a part of education today.  It is my belief that a school has the responsibility to determine resources that will enhance all students' educational experience and the advancement of prepared, twenty-first century learners.

Next, even though I did not specifically complete this module, as a teacher and aspiring administrator, I have the responsibility to promote the ethical use of technology.  Used correctly, social networking, social media, and widely used technology in general can enhance education much beyond when I was a student.  However, technology is much like a car for a in an inexperienced driver.  Give the keys to a car to the wrong person, who is untrained and inexperienced, a disastrous event may occur.  We must teach students how to network properly, increase their educational knowledge, and be responsible with technology in order to become a generation of prepared learners.


Lastly, we must be risk takes as teachers and future leaders (Sheninger, 2014, p.43). It is very easy to use the technology that we have as simply a note-taking device, a presentation tool, or fall back for a lesson. However, students will likely find this to be unengaging and ineffective use of technology. Many teachers, myself included earlier in the semester, find parts of technology to be scary, specifically regarding social media. A simple question that I have, when was the last time a student read something, discussed it, smiled about it, and passionately shared it multiple times in a class period during your class? This happens frequently when students use social medial, and students are actively connected to social media. It may be a scary part of technology, but it does allow students to make an immediate connection with content and increases engagement.


Just for Fun Thoughts: Personal Growth
I had a couple of technology hurdles that I had to cross this year. One of the areas of technology that I was unaware to be a beneficial educational tool was Twitter. I have used it as a head coach for wrestling and other athletic events, but I was unaware of the tremendous benefit it would have on my personal growth. Secondly, I do not find myself to be a great writer, and I am very well aware that it is a weakness of mine. Writing a weekly blog post was something that concerned me greatly. I thought that it was something that would be an overwhelming task to write on a website that was visible by the public. I was then hit with a massive reality check on weekly postings. I am at 178 page views on my blog. It is still counting, but I am sure the vast majority of the viewers are fellow classmates. It proves two things to me. One, the internet is much bigger than what I would imagine. Lastly, I can write in a manner that expresses my thoughts, provide a reflective outlet as a teacher and aspiring leader.