Reflection

My technology skills as a professional teacher have become better during this course. I was used to working with technology in the classroom but never thought of using podcasts, blogs and wikis. (Those were basically for student entertainment and did not have any educational interest). What was most important is the fact that this course opened my eyes to the fact that any technology may be used in the classroom if the teacher is able to find a way of effectively integrating it into the teaching and learning process.

I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process by having discovered technology that will help me:
§ monitor the student participation when they work in groups (wiki) and give the students a way of working together while each one is at their own home;
§ post student work to be viewed by other students and the public in general (blogs);
§ record important information that may be downloaded to mp3, iPods or computers for students to listen to anywhere (podcasts).

I am a learner-centered teacher and find that the technology I learned to use throughout this course will help me be able to make the learning process a much easier and interesting one for my students.

I aim to keep up with all the changing technology, and with this new changed view of the educational interest of all technology. Using technology has made it easier to increase student achievement as they are digital natives; technology is their mother tongue and the world in which they live since birth.

My first goal for transforming classroom environment has to do with the opportunities the students have to use a computer in their lessons. Many students bring their laptops to school and in that way they are able to overcome the obstacle of computer shortage for all students. The government has been installing computers in each classroom as well as a projector. This is not good because we need one computer per person.

My second goal has to do with student interest level, When we use new technology students will be more interested in their learning.

Maria

Profiling our younsters

Not having students at the moment I interviewed family members. My youngest daughter (Isabel), two nieces (Inez and Maria José) and a nephew (Fransisco). Their ages vary from 12 to 16 and grades vary between 6th and 11th grades. None of these students have learning difficulties, yet we are able to see that the boy loves playing video games with his little sister while the older girls, although being digital natives, also appreciate reading books.
As happens with most of our young generation, they all have their outdoor planned activities.

These are urban students that have English as a second language.


http://www.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/992