Developing Technology Skills

It amazes me that I didn't know what a Wiki really was a few short months ago and that I felt that blogging was something that people did who had too much time on their hands! This course has allowed me to explore technologies that I did not understand in ways that made them very user friendly and also allowed me to begin exploring how I could integrate them into my classroom. I am amazed at the power of blogging and Wiki-ing and wish that I was more tech savvy when I first started teaching over five years ago. The things I could have taught my students....oh well now I am looking forward and get excited for all that there is to come.

I hope to further expand my knowledge of podcasting and video editing to add depth and understanding to the Wiki we have created in my grade 9 class. I also would like to be able to be more efficient at linking with various sites on my blog. I know that if I do these two things my students will have more access to more knowledge and of course this will allow them to dig deeper and question more about what they are learning.

One goal I have to transform my classroom is to continue to create the wiki space for the grade 9 Integrated Science CXC course so that all of our classroom material is accessible to anyone on the web. The goal is that this site will help other students who have limited resources in the Caribbean to experience the science course and all of its labs and assignments thoroughly. The Wiki of course will become a place where knowledge can be added, changed or deleted depending on the findings of the students, as well as current events and knowledge. The class that I currently have is starting on this path and with them I hope to have the first draft finished by the end of this school year.

The second goal that I have is to do different things, not just do the same things differently. This saying really stuck out for me during this course and I feel as though it is a guiding motto for my classroom and my teaching style. I realize that I have to work within the confines of my curriculum and that my students still need to write standardized tests and do well on them. But this is no longer going to confine me and the integration of 21st century skills in my classroom. I am going to start with the curriculum and ask the students where we can go with it. Collaborate with the students and utilize their skills and understanding so that we can tap into the world at large for our learning. One major way that I am planning to facilitate this is through the removal of textbooks from my classroom. I plan to slowly decrease my reliance on them this year and by next year I hope to be textbook free which will force me to look beyond my classroom walls.