When this course began, I did not realize the connection to technology integration. I thought it was just another course on being an effective instructional leader. I was pleasantly surprised to learn what I have about blogging, using wikis, and the ramifications of utilizing technology effectively and seamlessly in today’s classrooms. No longer can I sit back and wait for the technology craze to go away. It is here to stay and I had better get on board or move out of the way. I am more comfortable with the concept of utilizing technology in new ways. Granted, I will need extensive training to become adept at it, but there will always be new technology to learn about, I might as well start now with small steps. The scary thing is, I feel inept at using technology, but am actually quite a few steps ahead of some of my coworkers. Teachers, especially elementary teachers, must do some catching up if we want to have any head start on our 6-9 year olds.
Once I got a better understanding of the outcomes intended from this course, I knew I was headed for a challenge. While setting up a blog was “easy”, learning how to convert and embed content was challenging for me. I am proud of the fact that I was successful on the assignment, but still have not set up a blog for my third graders to use. That is in the plans for next semester. Working around the lack of technology at home, for my students, makes it more difficult to get excited about implementing some of these new ways to communicate. I am still concerned with the maturity level of my students and their ability to utilize a blog effectively. I know that extensive instruction in online safety must begin before we attempt any blogging. Keeping parents informed of our online adventures is also a necessity.
This course showed how important instructional leadership is in relation to supporting the use of technology. Utilizing new equipment and software is outside most teachers’ comfort zones. They need supported in their attempts to try something new. We can all learn from our mistakes and think of the learning the students will achieve when they see their teacher try something new and maybe make some mistakes along the way. I know that as a campus leader, I will have to be knowledgeable of the technology options and have some knowhow in its implementation before I can expect my teachers to be willing to venture out and be risk takers. The adage of practice what you preach really does hit home for an administrator. We should not ask someone to do something we are not willing to do ourselves.
In regard to actually completing the assignments for this course, I feel I was successful aside from the overwhelming amount of discussion posts. I did have to complete all my work at home where I have a large monitor and very fast internet access. The converting of the files to embed in the blog would have taken forever using the network at school. That network is quite frustrating at times. It is safer to do any surfing, research, or downloads at home then “transport” the data to the school computer due to the speed and unreliability of the wireless network at times. This frustration with the hardware is the cause of most teachers steering away from any attempts to integrate technology into their teaching. The only discussion board in which I participate is related to this coursework. I need to venture out and find others related to my interests, or one for future administrators. I doubt most teachers with which I work have set up a blog, or participate in discussions beyond Facebook.
The value of blogging to a 21st century learner is that it allows them to integrate technology which they are familiar with into their school day, a rather unpopular aspect of their lives. Blogging allows them to communicate with students around the world and experience points of view that they would never have otherwise encountered. Students are more likely to type and text responses to questions rather than use pen and paper, so this allows them their “freedom” to express their thoughts and in their own unique way. Before these students can be let loose to blog, they must be made aware of the dangers they may encounter on the web. No longer is it just “stranger danger” they need to watch out for. The danger may appear to be quite friendly and safe under cover of the internet. They need to be taught strategies to recognize threats as well as ways to keep their information safe. Pen names and restricting personal information that is used are essential to staying safe.
I do feel I have grown as an educator and as a leader from this course. It has forced me out of my comfort zone and made me try things I would probably not have experienced otherwise.
Monday, December 14, 2009
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