Final Reflection

The format of Technerd immersed me into the world of the 'technology classroom'.  I think students may react intellectually and emotionally in many of the same ways that I did:  with trepidation, frustration, avoidance, determination and excitement at new possibilities.  I am still trying to wrap my head around how to incorporate the many varied and interesting tools that I was exposed to.  Learning each tool took hours, so I hope that I can retain enough of what I learned to use them more efficiently to create efficient and impactful lessons and resources for students.  I hope I am able to explain how they can use the tools without confusing them.  I sat in two TIES classes this summer, one was very frustrating because the instructors were learning as they taught, the other was great because the instructors knew what they were teaching ahead of time.

I look forward to working with a technology PLC this year and to ongoing discussion about the proper role of technology and balancing its use with face-to-face interaction with students.

My goal will be to first incorporate some of the new resources through my website in order to instruct parents.  This will give me the chance to become more fluent with the tools through repetition.  I was very glad to have studied Digital Citizenship.  I plan to use the first couple of months with my third graders slowly building a culture of respect and proper usage before expecting them to use the Chromebooks throughout the school day.

The staff support through Technerd 2.0 was wonderful!  I appreciated the patience that Jenna showed with me, and the positive interactions and support at the help sessions I was able to attend.