Reflection on this semester by Jenna Simmonds

From this course I am going to be taking away the new knowledge of how to incorporate technology into the classroom. I have learned that it is a requirement for teachers to find beneficial and interesting ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. I have also learned the importance of introducing and encouraging students to use technology. It is imperative that students be well rounded in all types of education, including technological education. Students will be ready for the upper levels of school if they have been taught many different types of technologies and how to use them both in and out of the classroom. By teaching students how to be technologically literate it is preparing them for what they are going to be experiencing as they get older. If we teach them now, at a young age, they will consume the knowledge we want them too and be able to have their skills grow the more technology is brought into their classrooms. I am also going to be taking away being exposed to some new technologies that I have never heard of or dealt with before. Some of these new technologies are Inspiration, digital storytelling, sharepoint designer in Microsoft, web making and many more. With these technologies students are able to express themselves in a creative way while still performing the tasks we need them to that directly correspond with the curriculum.
Going forward, I would like to learn more about time management when using these particular technologies. I would like to know how teachers fit in the time to introduce these technologies to the classroom while still teaching their students every subject. I would also like to know how to incorporate “teaching to the test” into technology because let’s face it, no matter how much we don’t want to “teach to the test,” at some point it all comes down to whether my students will know that information or not. I would like to find a way to incorporate the Standardized testing information into technology in the classroom. Overall, I have learned just how important it is for students to have their dose of “good” technology incorporated into their classroom activities and when I have my future classroom, I will find a way to make that happen.