Reflecting on 505

I must admit I put this technology class off until the end of my time at Ashland University because I was slightly nervous about the content and I heard that it was going to be a great deal of work.  I wish I would have taken this class earlier in my graduate school career.  There was a great deal of work that went into this class, however it has also been one of the most practical classes that I have had while attending graduate school.  I have used my knowledge from this class several times this semester in other classes.  I have created a glog, used PowerPoint, and shared work on Googledocs several times this semester.  I see far reaching applications for many of the technology formats that we learned in this class.  I do have a slight reservation about over use of technology in the classroom.  It might be more of a suggestion than a reservation.  There is no doubt that our students will need technology knowledge in order to be successful in the twenty first century.  My only concern is that we prepare our students with the tools they need to be successful while using technology.  Preparing the human aspects of creativity, morals, and higher order thinking should be the foundations for our teaching while we introduce technology to our curriculum.   There is also the issue of safety when it comes to technology and young students.  Many of our assignments provided a platform for students to have access to the World Wide Web.  It is important for teachers to prepare their students for the world that is out there and how to use technology safely to enhance their learning experiences.

Googledocs and the classroom

Today's students are more technologically savvy than I am.  Their lives have been infused with cell phones, the Internet, and X-box live.  They communicate with one another and collaborate with one another in a very new way.  It has become imperative for teachers to adjust their teaching technique to this changing generation.  Through my technology class I have been exposed to many new forms of technology that have their place in today's physical or virtual classroom.  One of these has been the use of Googledocs.

I recently used Googledocs for a science class that I am currently enrolled.  My assignment was to work collaboratively with three other students on a presentation that would cover human fungal infections.  We all live in different areas of central Ohio and we all have extremely busy lives.  Googledocs allowed us a place to hold our PowerPoint presentation and for people to make comments on the groups progress.  It was easy to see that everyone was contributing to the project and that we were literally on the same page.

I can see Googledocs have a great impact on the classroom that I will enter someday.  Googledocs gives students a great tool for collaboration in many content areas.  All that is needed is access to the web and gmail email accounts that are free. Students can communicate and work in real time.  They do not have to wait until the next time they are in class or the next time they will see each other.  This technology also allows students to work with students in different time zones.  Why not collaborate with students on the other side of the world for a project?  Just remember to set good parameters about social media and putting your written word out in to the public world.