Reflection

Like shiny objects in a department store display case, my curiosity and adventurous nature to develop anything that makes my job as a classroom teacher easier attracted my attention to Teaching and Learning with Technology.  It never dawned on me 27 years ago that the very technology tool I spent hours on creating my computer generated grade book (Apple Works back then) could, and would, be used to enhance, individualize, and compliment classroom instruction.  It never occurred to me, back then, that the “visual aids” utilized in my classroom were actually the “technology tools” of our time. My tool bag consisted of two technologies, an overhead projector and tape recorder/headphones.  I can truly say I began my teaching career back in the “dark ages”! 

 

The fading sound of the 3:00 bell left me alone in my classroom preparing for the next day while sitting in a cloud of dust pounding erasers on the sidewalk contemplating what kind of spelling worksheet I was going to make on my Mac for tomorrow’s lesson.  I didn’t realize that when given the tool, I automatically began differentiating for instruction in my classroom.  As the years passed, new technology tools would be placed in my classroom, leaving me sitting, wondering what I was going to do with my new “toy”.  Training was not a priority during those days, which left me with my own curiosity for discovery.  I have truly been blessed to have had the opportunity to grow professionally, alongside classroom technology.

When I began this journey a little over a year ago, I was excited and surprised that most all of the applications introduced in the coursework, I had dabble with at some point in the past.  Using the various technology applications did not prove to be the challenge for me in our coursework, but the dedication to deadlines, coupled with a full time teaching career has pushed my limits several times.  I have learned how to be meticulously self-driven, which is difficult with ADD and a very close nit family who gather in a small North East Texas town that does not have Internet access!  I have put in many hours at a McDonald’s 45 minutes from the house, Skyping classmates as we collaborate on adding gadgets to our blogs and wikis.  I’ve made some lifelong friends all over the country who shared in my journey, as we crisscrossed paths in classes along the way. 

Now ending the final course in Teaching and Learning with Technology, the redesign process opens my eyes to the lack of understanding I had, while reading through my early discussions and assignments.  Not only has my knowledge grown in the process of instructional design principals, I also realize the correlation behind the impact that technology has on education today for our children.  In the movie Field of Dreams a voice is heard repeating, “If you build it, they will come”. As I have learned with technology, if given the tool, the individualized instruction will follow.   

Reference

Movieclips. (2011, September 2). Field of Dreams Official Trailer. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/