What will you take away?

[Jane Krauss]

Your reflections on these two questions serve as further assessment of the RPBL course. One intent of this course is to help you expand your repertoire as a teacher.
What capabilities have you gained that you will apply to your professional work?
Will you use technologies in ways you did not before? Please explain.

[Crista Lawson]

Wow! This has been a whirlwind. I have learned so much. The most exciting piece of this whole journey is the collaborating with teachers from all over the world. I never thought about connecting with people like that. The technology options out there really make it possible. I love the idea that kids have a worldwide audience to showcase there work and their learning. I plan on using a blog and a wiki in class. I will use it to facilitate sharing and collaboration between students as well as with other teachers. I will use my delicious account to manage all my new found websites. I also will use Skype and Twitter to talk to new friends and teachers. The teaching piece of letting kids lead the learning and letting their interests guide instruction. This course will definitely change my teaching. I am walking away energized and inspired.

[Deirdre]

My Reflection of this course.
What capabilities have you gained that you will apply to your professional work? Will you use technologies in ways you did not before? Please explain.


I think that I was slow to pick up the applications that were introduced in this course. In some ways I felt overwhelmed by the vast amount of resources available to me as a teacher. After I got beyond the “I sure am behind the ball on this internet application stuff” feeling I was able to investigate the specific applications and how I might be able to use them in my curriculum. I am certain that I will be able to use the igoogle package, especially the google docs. I like the way that application allows for efficient collaboration between students. I am uncertain about how to use WIKI’s or social networking sites like the NING. At our school I have tried to plug into an application that is called edline. It is an internet application that acts a lot like a blog, in that it is one person writing information for a group to receive. I want to find a way to link these two types of applications together.
Those nuts and bolts aside, I took this class so that I could develop a project based unit of study for my biology class. I accomplished that goal. However, I found myself almost distracted from that goal with the overwhelming amount of resources presented. The project that I developed is something that I have been looking at for the past two years. With this class I was able to finally create a unit with a significant project that has integrated content standards with real life applications. I see information gained in this experience as a new foundation for approaching coarse planning in the future.

Thanks for your dedication to this group of students. I really respect your knowledge and feel like I have gained a new resourse for my teaching.
daj

[Jamie Nicholsen]

There are many seeds this class has planted within my mind. I am looking forward to implementing a few of the technology pieces right away with my class, such as our class wiki and class blog. Students will also be set up with an ePal the first few weeks of school. I think the most exciting piece for me as a teacher is the idea of teaching students "stuff" that really matters. It was great to go through the process of digging deeper into the "why's" of what we teach. I feel like me students are going to be more motivated to learn and the learning will last a lifetime!

[Sarah B. Jones]

What capabilities have you gained that you will apply to your professional work?

I think I will now look at a project backwards ( so to speak). I have also learned how to use a plethora of new technology to enhance projects, especially collaboration and communication. I have also learned a structure in which to organize and prepare projects.

Will you use technologies in ways you did not before? Please explain.

The most significant technology I learned about was Skype. I will use this to communicate, share, and collaborate with people associated with our projects.

[Susan]

A renewed appreciation for technology in the classroom! I also developed a sense of confidence with the new tools that we used and can share them with my colleagues. Plus...meeting a great group of teachers that share my thoughts about technology in the classroom. An awesome experience that I recommend to all!
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