As this course comes to a close, I have to say that this is one that has pushed me further in my efforts to incorporate technology into my teaching. Being required to think through a whole unit of instruction and include purposeful and appropriate technology tools stretched my thinking. Being an elementary educator, I chose a first grade ELA unit, but immediately found myself challenged with the types of technology that would be collaborative, engaging, yet appropriate for 6-7 year olds to navigate. After completing my e-Learning unit, I feel I met that challenge. Students will be using Brainpop, Padlet, Google Classroom, Screencasts, and more to keep them engaged.
As I look towards the 2017-2018 school year, My next challenge will be trying to incorporate more technology into my math instruction, which has become a stronger focus of my teaching as an interventionist. Throughout the discussion posts of other math educators including their use of technology in their teaching, I feel equipped to face this challenge head-on. While in my position as an elementary interventionist, I will never likely have a fully flipped classroom, I do believe I can improve upon having a more blended classroom. Goals for this year include using Google Classroom regularly, using screencasts, both on my personal Google Site for parents, and for student use and for students to more regularly use collaborative tools such as Padlet, or blogging with one another. Students are ready for this and I do not want to be the one holding them back. I am looking forward to the upcoming school year and inspired to engage my students more through technology.
