Week+4+Reflection

[] __December 13, 2009__

This week, we continued to work on our group project and expand the lessons we created last week using the CAST Lesson Builder to include more technology and modify for diverse learners. Our group is collaborating nicely as we move more towards our finished product to the given scenario. Most of the things I worked on this week were designing modifications for hearing impaired, visual impaired, and gifted students. I have never had a blind student in class, but do have a hearing impaired student this year. She sits on the front row and just this last week she asked me to wear a little clip-on device with a microphone. She has an earpiece in her ear to hear better. I am surprised this week was the first she had ever asked me to wear it! She struggles, but usually does okay. I am impressed that she has decided to take such a challenging course as PreCalculus.

Amongst our reading this week we had a couple of articles about professional development in order to teach teachers how to use and implement technology into their instruction regularly. One of the articles was a study done by McRel and also a chapter in one of our textbooks, //Web 2.0 new tools, new schools//. The gist of most articles or studies done on this subject is how important it is to make sure teachers have training to implement technology correctly in their classrooms and into their curriculum. Just because teachers use technology, doesn't mean they are using it in the right way. Some teachers think that teaching with a PowerPoint presentation or using a Digital Camera is "implementing technology" into the classroom. This is new technology for the teacher, but the students aren't using it. The teacher is just using another method, instead of an overhead projector, to give the notes and have students take them. The students are not using and engaging the technology at all--the teacher is. Another important aspect of training new teachers is the use of a mentoring system or a collaborative community of practice. Teachers need to be supported by their colleagues, technology experts, and administrators to make the shift towards daily technology use. Most importantly, adminstrators need to model and be held accountable for not only using technology themselves, but making sure teachers are using it as well.

Two of my favorite videos this week was an interview with the founding principal and CEO of High Tech High, Larry Rosenstock, and the video of a physics teacher and an art teacher who team-teach using technology to have students produce an interdisciplinary project. I know most public schools are not ready for this type of total integration and submersion into a technology-based curriculum, but this is the direction we should be heading. Educators and Legislatures need to be following the lead of this approach to education and holding adminstrators and school districts accountable for making significant technological advances. If the leaders of school districts and schools make a point to make technology integration a main priority, then the rest will follow. When will we realize that we must make this shift to reach the 21st Century learner and prepare our students for the global and technological advanced society and workforce they will shortly be a part of?