EDLD5306+Reflections

Reflections--EDLD5306 Concepts of Educational Technology

During this introductory course, I learned some basic things about how technology is used in classrooms, how school, distircts, and the state measure/rate technology use, and what are some of Texas' long term goals in this area. During this course, we got to examine the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, look at the state's technology TEKS, pull up STaR charts for our campuses, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of our campus in light of our state overall. During this course I was able to connect what my school was doing with what was going on at the state level. The campus where I was teaching at that time was doing very in implementing and integrating technology in the classroom. It was good to be able to see that and to see how much more was possible going forward. Some of the readings during this course were very eye-opening for me. One article discussed the fight that exists in many schools for control of technology. I had first hand experience with that struggle in my previous district, and I could relate to that as an issue in education, not just on my campus, but everywhere. There were situations where certain departments were left without technology, while others were given an abundance of it. In those situations, there had to be a way to discern what was the right and equitable way to divide things up and give all students what they need to be successful. Another article talked about the growing problem of cyberbullying and what educators can do about it. As we give students more access and freedom to use technology, we also have to create a place for them that is safe and without the fear of being threatened in that arena. This article addressed this and gave some concrete things that we as educators can help our students learn to be safe when they use technology. Working with others throughout this course was a pleasure. It has been great for me throughout this program to get to know colleagues form all over Texas and learn from them and collaborate with them. I truly have appreciated some of the friendships I have made and the groups that we formed. In working on group projects, we did well in splitting up work, communicating, and keeping each other aware of what was needed and when. I would like to talk more with my site mentor and campus supervisor about how we can work toward more equitable distribution of access to technology for special education students. I am curious as to why in the districts and campuses where I have worked, the lack of support for technology in special education has been a common denominator.

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Works Cited

Hitchcock, JA. "Cyberbullies, Online Predators, & What to do About Them." //MultiMedia & Internet Schools//. May 2007.

Joseph, Linda. "Keeping Safe in CyberSpace." //MultiMedia & Internet Schools//. Jan 2007.

Price, Betsy. Who's in Control of the Technology-Integrated School?" //Principal Leadership//. Sept 2005.