“Paths in My EdTech Landscape v3” by technovore is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Throughout the semester I have become much more confident in my ability to try out new technology. Before taking this course, I thought that using various forms of technology was something only the “tech savy” teachers could do. I now feel that I could integrate technology in my classroom in so many more ways and realize the effort I put into creating lessons using various technology platforms can really pay off for my students learning. Once I have developed the lessons and set up the technology, I can also use it over and over again with minimal set up time. I am also excited to use my Technology Integration Activity with my grade 8 Science class in the fourth quarter and be able to compare and contrast it to the original, paper version I used in the first quarter this year. I feel much more confident in this activity since it is blog based and I feel that after communicating each week through blog posts for this course, I have a better understanding of how my students will interact with the activity.

As I continue my exploration of digital technologies, I think the PLN that I developed in this course will be invaluable in providing me with guidance, ideas and the confidence to try new things in the classroom. One tool that I would like to explore further is Nearpod. Some of my colleagues have recently used it and found that students were really engaged with the lessons. I plan to use my colleagues as part of my PLN to learn more about Nearpod’s uses and to create some lessons over the winter break. Other skills that I would like to continue to develop is using the SECTIONS (Bates, 2015) and TAM (Recker, 2015) model to help me chose appropriate EdTech and to purposefully think about accessibilty concepts before implementing the technology I have chosen. Previously, I have always selected technology based on cost and if I know someone that has used it effectively. I have realised there is much more to consider when creating activities and will be more mindful of this moving forward.

References

Bates, A. W. (2015). Chapter 8: Choosing and using media in education: The SECTIONS model. In Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. Vancouver, BC: Tony Bates Associates Ltd. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/9-pedagogical-differences-between-media/

Recker, J. (2015, February 25). Technology Acceptance Model [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ydIFH1q2NHw

W3C. (2018). Accessibility. Retrieved from https://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility