Caylee Robillard

Dr. Yi Jin

ITEC

3 May 2019

Technology Reflection

Technology within the Classroom

This ITEC class opened my eyes to all the various ways in which technology can be used within

my future classroom. I knew that I planned on integrating a significant amount of technology

into my class, however I was unaware of the massive scope of what resources are out there to

use. I think that one of the greatest benefits to living in the age of technology is that it is a way to

enhance student learning and engage in the classroom. Technology gives access to resources and

programs in which we can channel the highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. I also plan on

integrating technology standards within to my class so that my students will feel empowered and

engaged by their technology capabilities. Throughout this class, I have come across many

monitoring systems and other technologies that can help manage technology within the

classroom.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Classroom

In my classroom I want to be an advocate for my students and one way to do that is through

the Universal Design for learning. I want to use all three principles so that every single

student in my class feels capable and supported. Differentiating through the use of technology

is one way to do that as well as using visual, auditory and kinesthetic methods to teach

content. Whether that be through the use of an audio file of the book or closed captioning – I

want every student to feel like they are being given everything they need to demonstrate their
knowledge and understand content to the best of their ability. It is my job to make sure that I

am supporting all of my students through engagement, representation and action.

Technology Troubleshooting Tips

1. Safety is important! Make sure that all permission forms are filled out and signed by

parents before students are granted access to technology.

2. Reboot technology if there is troubleshooting or things become frozen. Sometimes

computers just need a chance to reset and recalibrate before they can solve the issues.

3. Save often! Remind students to save work as often as possible to avoid any work loss.

As well as the use of programs like google Drive which save work as it is created!

4. If you are unsure if a site is appropriate or school approved – ASK! The best way to

avoid trouble is to be proactive and ask your teacher if you are allowed on specific

programs or sites that you might need while researching or working individually.

5. Keep files and projects organized. Create folders and space for every project and

assignment so that you always know where to find it when it comes time to submit!

Online/Blended Activities and Student Learning

It is completely understandable for administrators and parents to be concerned about the

use of technology in the classroom and blended assignments considering how vast the

internet is. But, the best way to handle this is through the use of education and permission.

They want their children to be safe and protected on the internet, so creating a resource

page on the class blog is one way to help. This page would include information as well as

forms for parents to complete that cover all the permissions regarding internet safety.

Hosting a workshop is another way to create an environment in which everyone feels

 empowered by online classwork and activities. The use of technology as a blended activity

is important because it gives students a chance to create and share work to audiences that

value their content as well as publish things that they are proud of.

Social Media as a Professional Learning Network (PLN)

I absolutely plan on using social media as a way to connect with other education professionals

and as a source for collaboration. Just within creating a professional Twitter account I have

found a plentiful amount of resources, new technologies and educators that I now keep up

with. I plan to continue to do that throughout my career. As far as implementation is

concerned, I think the key to successfully using social media as a professional learning tool is

supervision and monitoring as well as keeping the students very educated and aware o f the

power and benefits to social media. Things like Edmodo and Class Dojo will serve as very

important tools for communication and learning within my classroom.

Coding and Computational Thinking

I think that coding is very applicable with middle school classrooms and the key to integrating it

is knowledge. The more we educate administration and other educators, the easier it will be to

get it into our classrooms. When I used Scratch for the first time, I was shocked by how I was

able to figure out and create new things just by playing around. I think that coding can be taught

by anyone and used within any content area. In my social studies classroom, I plan on using it to

demonstrate how a bill becomes a law by coding the process through our legislative system.