10-1 Reflection

Before this class, I admit to being disappointed with every technology training I had attended. I have always been a technology addict - loving it as it was being developed. I was fixing our home computer in high school, built my first in college, and then got to my first classroom where there was no technology just an overhead projector older than I was! As soon as I was able I started gathering technology to use in my room. By being on top of technology in my personal life, I was also ahead of it in the classroom. My first few years we had to attend trainings on how to use Powerpoint, projectors, and basic uses of computers. The earlier classes in my major were great for learning different tools available to teachers but I still wasn't learning anything new or thinking about technology in a different way.



However, this class has really taught me about being a technology integrator. Instead of the entire focus being about the tools in the classroom, we moved onto how we can work with others to improve their technology usage. We focused on behind the scenes - the costs, how to get and implement technology, how to think about trainings and teachers need. This was a different aspect that I had never really focused on before. I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out the best technology set ups and analyzing the pros and cons of them. I plan to bring the idea of Chromebooks to my administration since they have so many positives for such a low cost! This class has also motivated me to reach out to staff to help with technology issues since we don't have a technology integrator.


It is important to continue to work on our technology integration craft because technology will forever be changing (SNHU, 2014). As future technology specialists we need to make sure we are staying on top of new developments and different approaches to using the existing technology. We also need to work on our craft because all teachers will come with different amounts of experience and comfort levels. The teachers will need different amounts and types of support for them to be successful.



References:


SNHU. (2014). EDU 641 Module Ten Overview – Perfecting the Craft. Retrieved from https://bb.snhu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4766961-dt-content-rid-9925264_1/courses/EDU-641-15TW2-MASTER/EDU-641-14TW4-MASTER/edu_641_module10_overview.pdf