Part of becoming a better technology using teaching is doing a self assessment of your skills.. what are some areas that you need to work on to make more meaningful use of technology in your job. If you are not sure how to answer this.. ask your coworkers or fellow students - they might be able to tell you..
Make sure to tell me, why it limits you, or your teaching..
I can identify 3 areas where there is room for improvement.
1. Paradigm shift. As I wrote in my previous blog, I first need to change the way I see technology in the classroom. As a member of the "old school" 1st Gen, I have viewed technology as a gimmick. A gimmick that has no solid value in the classroom. The types of technology I tend to think of are games with cheesy story-lines which require students to use math to complete a puzzle.
Instead, I need see technology as more than games and social networks. The can be tools to be used to hone skills, reinforce topics presented in the classroom or facilitate discussions.
2. Knowledge is power. More often than not, I find learn about new tech via students or the evening news. Even after a new tech is more mainstream, I am slow to investigate it's mainstream uses. Add that to my lack of foresight (due to my opinion of tech in the classroom) and I advance my use of technology slower than the US government.
3. Think outside the box. Assuming I manage the first two changes ( I'm working on it), the next task would be looking beyond the mainstream uses for tech and think of ways to use the tech in the classroom. I'm not an experienced teacher (working on certification with M.Ed). With experience, as my teacher friends tell me, I will become more familiar with the tasks assigned in the classroom. With that familiarity, I can start to imagine how to incorporate tech into the classroom (or virtual classroom) in a way that isn't gimmicky or "just because I can".
I'm sure there are many other areas where I can improve. These will be revealed in my attempts to become more tech oriented.
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