Conclusion

What specific plans do you have for implementing technology in an educational setting as a result of what you have learned in 5720?


I think that I've learned a lot about different types of technologies and ideas on how to implement them in my classroom.  I love the idea of using social networking to communicate with students.  While I currently have a Facebook class page, it does have some limitations.  The biggest drawbacks that I've found are that not all my students use Facebook and that it's blocked from school.  The fact that it's blocked prevents me from being able to go in to the page and update it at school; it also means that students can't access it if they have a question or need to refer to the page for any reason.  Many of my students have pointed out that Twitter has several advantages: it can be viewed from school, students can receive the updates as a text message on their phone, and it keeps everything short and sweet for updates, reminders, extra credit offers, etc.

I also love the program that I worked with for the final technology project.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize that there's a time lapse from when I finish the project to when it is posted (that information isn't anywhere until you get ready to post).  So that's something that I'll definitely have to warn my students about, but I'm thinking of using Museum Box for my students when we read a play.  I can see if they've picked up the information without having to make them write a paper on the play.

As a librarian, I can see offering these resources to classroom teachers regardless of what subject they teach.  Museum Box and social networking can be used in any subject, and so can creating a website.  I think a great recommendation could be to create a blog from the point of view of a character in a story or historical figure.

This class has made me excited about incorporating more technology into my class and to keep trying out new sites to see what they can provide.  Here's to the future!