Week 8: Conclusion: A New Mind-set - Reflection

• In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?

- Prior to this course, my knowledge about integrating Web 2.0 applications in classroom was very little. It was a very interesting to learn many ways to integrate applications such as Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts in education. These applications were never of my educational tools, but by completing this course, my technology skills in this matter have been improved and I feel that I can take the first step towards using technology in the classroom.

• In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?

- This course has made a very clear point. Learning by doing is the best way that today’s students can learn, because when students get excited, they learn better without even knowing that the are engaged in a learning process. Using technology in classrooms will definitely get students excited because if a student likes music, it is there. If a student likes making videos, it is there. Graphics, pictures, sound recording, telling stories, and much more, they are all there and they all can be integrated in the classroom.

• In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?

- Being in the last week of this course, I learned that the best way to get students to work collaboratively is by using technology in their assignments. This method allows students to share information and communicate with each other. On the other hand, the teacher’s role will be to facilitate instead of being the only source of information in the classroom.

• In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?

- For the fact that the world outside the classroom changes at a high speed, teachers who are willing and trying to use technology in their classroom may get overwhelmed. And the truth is that teachers who are lecturing while their students are only listeners are going to be like foreigners who speak a different language. But I am planning to expose myself to all possible opportunities, which may provide me with more knowledge about using new technologies in my classroom. Attend more workshops, professional development courses, read and research more about new technologies.

• Set two long-tem goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?

- One of the goals I would like to accomplish within the next two years is setting a blog space for each of my classes, where students can communicate about the subject content and their assignments. The blog also can be used to post announcements and assignments for students who were absent to school. My second goal is to incorporate more technology in my AP Calculus class, like planning lessons with my students on a Wiki page before teaching them in class. Actually, I am planning to start doing this second goal very soon, after my students take their AP exam this May, we will have about a month left in the school year which can be used for doing such projects. And it will be a good chance to use this technology in classroom with students who already completed the course, and have their feedback about what went well and what needs improvement before I use it with new students next year.