Final Thoughts

     It's hard to believe that the two weeks of class are over!  I can't believe how much I learned in such a short amount of time!  The class started with learning about the federal and state funding of schools and how the federal government is slowly starting to take more control. Then we explored the ideas Social Constructivism, which I agree with, including the importance of collaboration, cooperative learning and the student being an active learner.  From there, we researched school choice and the significance of Home Schooling in today's world and how it has great benefits for students.  We then looked in to the role of technology in education, especially the issues that people with disabilities face when trying to access the technology.  I also learned more about how the Digital Divide impacts students in schools and what we could try and do about it.

Those were the issues that I was able to explore with my group, but I also learned from the other groups.  I especially gained knowledge from them on the variety of ways to display information (PowerPoint, Prezi, Creating Pdf's) and how to create a blog and a personal website.  I am hoping I will be able to incorporate this knowledge into my everyday teaching.  One of the greatest things I learned from this class is the power of collaboration.  I was lucky to have such a wonderful partner in Brian.  We were able to work well together, share our ideas and knowledge of technology.  It is one of the best experiences I have had when working in a group.  Thanks Brian!

As a last thought, I watched Sir Ken Robinson's video on the Paradigm Shift.  He said that as people get older, we think less creatively.  And I think he is right.  We often brush aside our creative thinking and focus on what is inside the box.  He also pointed out that technology is moving a lot faster than we are able to comprehend and this is creating a major problem.  This is why we have to change the way we are teaching in the classroom.  The traditional "chalk-and-talk" method is no longer as effective because we live in a new era.  As teachers, we have to use our creativitiy to integrate this technology into our curriculum to engage our students in learning.  It is a great task, but one that I'm sure we will be able to accomplish in time.