Final Pause and Ponder

Personally, this course has been very worthwhile. After teaching for 26 years, it is wonderful to find so many new things to try in my classroom. I am aware how my students have changed over the years, but with today’s technology, the change is immeasurable. Students don’t want to simply look in a literature book and answer questions. They want to be active learners. This course had made me personally feel a little better prepared to help them. My beliefs have changed in that now I don’t think the most important thing to do is read as many stories out of the literature book as possible. I no longer think I have to be in front of the classroom all the time. Also I now think students have more than one way to show they are smart.
Some additional areas I would like to develop are using the track changes program in Word among others. The fact that I can give suggestions for improving the students’ writing (including voice and tutorial lessons) is awesome. I have already showed it to a few of my sixth graders, and they really like it. They like that they can talk back on the program and ask me questions.
To find resources on any of these topics I can go to You Tube and get tutorials on whatever I need. There are also several techno-savy teachers down the hall from me who are always willing to help me. I at least know more about what to ask for now than I did before this class.
I am looking forward to seeking out more information on topics discussed in this course this summer when I am planning for the fall semester. I will be going for my National Board re-certification next fall, and these things will really help in that pursuit.
The teachers on my hall and my media specialist think I am a guru now when they hear me talking about embedding things on my blog or uploading something to you tube. When they heard I was doing a voice thread, they all wanted to come in and watch what I was doing. Really, my professional abilities have been enhanced tremendously since I was just a novice when I started this class. I feel much more confident. I am not afraid to try new things now.
I have used the track changes program with a couple of students who email me their weekly responses. I have assigned adding images to my students’ journals that they keep with the novel they are reading. They take on the personage of the main character and write a journal entry for each chapter. I have done this for years, but this time I told them they had to find an image online and insert it in their journals. We just started this this week, but they are enjoying it so far. I have so many plans for applying other things in the fall at the beginning of the new year. I can’t wait.