Topic 10 - Tech Skills

To be honest, when I started this class I thought I was somewhat "Tech Savvy". I am proficient in Word, Excel, and Power Point. I have a Promethean board. I use technology as part of my every day instruction. My specialization is going to be in technology, so I thought I would be right on track. I figured out pretty quickly that I have some learning to do! My first realization came when I took that MTT test...OH MY! All of those technical questions threw me for a loop! While I may be a more advanced technology teacher than some teachers in my building, I am far from being "Tech Savvy". I think I pretty much just know the basics.

Since the beginning of class, I have become more aware of what teaching tools are out there. One collaboration tool that I am excited about is blogging. I have never blogged before and I think my students would really love it. I think it is such a great way to interact with others and I think it allows you to get on a more personal level with people. I am also glad to have learned about Atomic Learning. I have not yet created my database, but I think the lessons provided on Atomic Learning are very helpful as tutorials. I am still not sure that I will use a database in my third grade classroom, but I can see how great it would be for high school aged students. I'm sure that webquests have been around for a while, but sadly enough, I had never heard of one! I think they sound awesome and I can't wait to try one with my students.

As I become more proficient with various instructional technologies, I plan to incorporate them more and more in my classroom. From reading the articles and learning more about distance learning, it sounds as if education is taking steps in that directions. While I still think F2F learning is very important, you can see the benefits of DL. I don't think DL should ever be the only choice for education, but I did like reading about the combined approach and incorporating both of them. I think that if children are going to be truly ready for college and the working world, they really need these technological skills. As a teacher, I think I need to look at some of the work I am giving my kids and see if it could be enhanced/improved with technology. I really want to have more collaboration via the Internet with my students and I want them to see what is available to them.

The Atomic Learning Self Assessment basically showed me that I have a lot to learn! The area where I struggled was the technological part. I wasn't quite sure about all of those technological terms. I think Atomic Learning is an excellent tool.