Final thoughts.....

I thought I would share some final thoughts on the blog, because this could potentially be my last post. First of all, I have really enjoyed taking this class. I have sort of come full circle throughout the semester. What I mean by this is that I started off the semester by realizing that my limited knowledge of technology did not even scratch the surface of what was available to use. As we went through each class, I gained a little bit of confidence thinking that I was learning quite a bit. When I left class last night though it was with the realization that, although I have learned a significant amount, my knowledge about the use of technology is still very limited. There is just so much to know! Things are changing and additional programs and tools are literally being developed everyday.

So, I guess I will take with me the concept of TPACK. Technology is not an add-on or an after thought. It is an integral part of the teaching process. Keeping up to date and learning new applications is just another challenge of teaching. Novice and expert teachers need to meet the challenge for the sake of their students' learning! Leaders in this area are necessary in every school, so that the appropriate tools can be purchased, the technology is used, and students reep the benefits. Even though I am now interested in the higher ed setting, the challenge I will face is similar. I hope I can keep up!

Podcasts

After completing the readings, I am very excited to learn more about podcasts in class tomorrow night. I had never really thought of the field trip "guide" being a podcast. When I visited Alcatraz they gave me a headset and put me on a guided tour. I got to listen to all sorts of information as I walked around. I learned much more than I would have by walking around myself and it was much more time and cost efficient than having a walking tour guide. The funny thing is that I had never really thought of that as a podcast!

I see the potential for podcasts in the classroom even more than some of the other tools that we have discussed. I think that they would be potentially very useful in "frontloading", or teaching students about content before they read. I cannot wait to hear how people are already using them! (And how to do them...I have no idea.)

I have started to think, though. Does technology allow the "rich" to get richer and the "poor" to remain poor? By rich and poor, I mean, do school district that have lots of money and resources continue to offer children more and more while districts with tight budgets offer very little in terms of technology? For example, when I was teaching in one school district in Iowa there was one student computer for each classroom and no lab. The computer was dated and didn't offer any programs except for AR. Up the road 20 minutes at another school district the elementary school had a number of student computers in each classroom, a lab with multiple programs, and mobile labs. I would like to do more reading in terms of equibility in technology. I would expecially like to know more about states other than Iowa.