What did you learn or “take-away” from this course and how has your perspective about integrating technology into K to 6 education changed/grown throughout the course?
Key take-aways from this course include learning about different use cases for technology within a classroom setting and how these tools augment the teacher’s abilities to deliver an effective lesson. Through the course, I was able to explore new tools such as virtual tours, which I can foresee implementing in my future lessons. My perspective and ability to integrate technology into my lesson plans has seen significant growth over the term of the course. Through implementation of technology, students were able to work together in groups, especially due to the COVID-19-related restrictions that are in place. In this way, technology helped balance safety and effectiveness of group work. In my practicum, I noticed that students were much more engaged and focused while using technology while still learning and participating in lessons.
How did this course help you answer your “burning” question about the use of digital technologies in K to 6 education?
One of my burning questions was how I can use technology in combination with other teaching tools and practices to grow learning. The course helped answer this question by allowing me to experiment different implementations of technology such as YouTube videos and Jeopardy games, which proved to me how valuable and effective technology can be in a teaching environment.
How did you contribute to the learning of others? What did you learn from others?
Through technology, I was able to communicate with my peers and learn from one another’s shared resources. The entire semester showed me how technology can help obtain information and communicate in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. I will continue to explore different resources that I can use in my future teaching practice to help facilitate learning for students while supplementing my own knowledge of teaching by learning from others.
