Course Reflection

When I began the class, I was not exactly sure what I was going to learn. The name of the course was Instructional Leadership. In my mind I thought I might be learning about how to lead my staff to improve their instruction while improving student achievement. I did achieve these outcomes, but in a different way than I had expected. My knowledge has been expanded due to the competencies I learned during this course. I now have a better understanding of technology and how it should be integrated into our school system. I am also familiar with the Texas STaR chart as an assessment piece for our technology implementation. As an administrator, I will use this resource as a guide for improving our technology instruction. My vision of this course did not align with the outcomes of what I actually learned due to the emphasis on technology. I was pleasantly surprised with my level of interest on this topic.
I have always used technology in my classroom. However, this class has helped me gain an even greater appreciation for implementing new innovative techniques into my teaching. Technology should be relevant in all of our jobs because we live in a digital society. We may have different levels of proficiency, but we all use technology to some degree. I really enjoyed learning about the blogs and posting my information. However, due to the nature of my position as a kindergarten teacher, I do not know that the students could use them for learning purposes. However, I like the idea of starting a class blog for the parents to read about what is happening in our classroom. I believe this would make our parents feel more connected to the classroom and the events that take place throughout the school day. A lot of the information I learned in this course was very beneficial for me as a future administrator and a digital immigrant. I feel a lot more technology savvy now than I did before the course.
There was nothing I did not achieve in this course. However, I did have to learn to be patient and persevere to complete some of the activities in assignment two. In the past, I would get frustrated with technology and just give up. Consequently, the assignment had to be turned in by a certain date. Therefore, it required me to work hard until I completed the job. Completing the assignments helped me feel confident in my technology abilities. In the beginning, I was very discouraged and wanted to give up, but I was very glad I did not because my confidence level went up after I was finished with the assignments. I believe I was discouraged in the beginning for a couple of reasons. The first reason is because the assignments seemed long and very daunting. The second reason is because I had never done the activities before. I wonder how many of our young students feel like this when we introduce technology to them or an assignment that might be too overwhelming for them to complete. I will keep my personal feelings in mind when working with my students.
I learned a lot about myself from this course. Technology has not always been my strong subject, but I learned that I can read articles to gather information in order to form my own opinion and to gain more knowledge. I also realized I can commit to becoming more technology savvy in order to improve my instruction. The kids learn in all different forms. Therefore, I need to incorporate technology to ensure they are receiving the information they need for their future. As a leader, I realized the power in seeking out information from our staff to learn more about what is going on around campus. My interviews with staff members and students gave me more insight about what resources are available to the teachers and who actually implements them into the classroom.
Students can use blogs as a communication tool. They can communicate with their classmates as well as with students halfway around the world. It is an amazing tool as one can post papers, slide shows, pictures, etc. It provides them with real world experience. The blog allows the student to work and learn in a non-threatening environment. For example, a student can post a writing paper on the blog for the teacher to grade. It can be a useful tool if used properly.
The biggest concern with using blogs in education is student safety. The nature of the blog is to post your thoughts/assignments and others can access your work. Well, “others” can be anyone. Students need to be aware of the dangers of cyberspace. Bullies and child predators are lurking and waiting to attack our young students. It is our job to ensure the students receive proper education regarding the dangers of the internet.
Educators can use blogs to communicate with school stakeholders by posting weekly or monthly newsletters, making important announcements, and sharing school information. It also allows stakeholders to make comments and ask questions. It is a great way to communicate verses a website. A website is one way communication where as a blog is two way communication.
This course has opened my eyes to the wonderful world of technology. I plan to approach the digital world with a new mindset. I am encouraged to learn more about all that technology has to offer.