Effective Bridging of Technology and Instruction: Reflection

This course has introduced me to new educational and technology resources that I believe will be very beneficial in my teaching practice. I do not believe, though, that the ideas from this course have changed my ideas about my personal theory of learning. I still believe that every student has their own, personal learning style. While each student differs in their learning style and educational experience, they all share common learning characteristics that teachers must use and build on in order to create an effective learning environment. My personal beliefs about student learning revolve around the idea that all students have their own unique learning style, but that all learners share common learning capabilities. The majority of students can learn through using visual, aural, reading, or kinesthetic styles, but have personal strengths in one or more of those areas. This is why I believe in the importance of varied instruction. Students’ differing learning styles demand for teachers to be receptive and adaptive in their own teaching methods. I still follow these same beliefs about learning, and the resources and materials from this course have helped to strengthen those beliefs.

I have found that integrating technology into my classroom has been very supportive in helping to vary my teaching style to fit the multiple learning styles of my students. Technology resources seem to work as a bridge to connect multiple learning styles. Students seem to adapt to the use of technological tools regardless of the learning style modalities that they normally rely on. I have been able to immediately implement several technology resources from this course into my class lessons. In both my Geography and World History classes I have incorporated virtual field trips into our lessons. These activities have offered students a visual experience of the topics we cover that help to form better connections to the material and create lasting knowledge of the content covered. I have also used Voice Thread to expand how students communicate and develop projects and lessons. This tool has helped to open communication back and forth between the students and myself, and also as a tool that has helped students to communicate with one another outside of the classroom.

The two long-term goals that I have for my classes are to implement new technology resources into all units of study, and to use learning technology resources that develop student-centered learning, rather than depending on instructional technology tools and resources. I have learned about many new technology resources through this course and others, but I have not been quick to implement them into my own students’ work. I would like to focus on putting new learning strategies to work immediately in my classes. This will require the tweaking of many of my current lessons, but I think the results will be very beneficial for both the students and myself. I also need to do a better job of making sure that my technology implementation uses learning technology tools rather than instructional tools. Reflecting on my own teaching practice, I have to admit that I am guilty of using instructional technology tools to “teach” rather than focusing on learning tools to help my students engage and learn. I have spent a great deal of time over the past year trying to change my teaching style to incorporate a more learner-centered approach. Continuing this practice will help my students to engage with course material and create more meaningful work.