Tool #11 - Time for Reflection (a.k.a. What am I going to do with all this stuff?)

I want to move to a Blog for next year as my way of keeping my students and parents up to date with the goings on in my classes.  I can also use my Blog as a place to put link to helpful documents and sites.  I will still have my school website but all I will keep on there will be basic contact information and a link to my Blog.  I have found it is much, much easier to post and link to information on the Blog than on the website provided to us by the District.  I also really like the features is Goggle Docs.  I like the ability for kids (and teachers) to share information and presentations they have created.  I plan to begin linking tutorials and examples to my Blog for students to watch as assignments and then asking kids to respond to a Form I created in Google Docs. I also plan to use Wordle at the beginning of the year to create a "map" of what students really think of when they hear the word Math.

I definitely plan to integrate more of the technologies in the classroom.  Asking the kids to do things outside the classroom with the technology is where I still have some roadblocks.  One roadblock is the fact that not all kids have access to internet at home.  OR, they could have access, but for whatever reason, the parents are not allowing them access.

I already notice a shift in my lesson planning.  I am more conscious of how much I do in the classroom with regards to technology and I do try to add more each week either through activities in the classroom or simply adding to my bank of site to go to for instructional examples.  With the addition of the netbooks and iTouches in my classroom, I realize I have some serious thinking to do about how to re-organize my teaching.  I still have the same curriculum to teach my kids.  i just have to figure out how and when the technology is best brought into play.

For the most part, I appreciated if not enjoyed the most of the Tools.  I was happy to have found what I believe is real value in some of the sites and online tools we were given the option to visit.  I am constantly expanding my PLN.  This project has made me more conscious of what is out there; I just need to seek it out and use it.  Overall, I fell this experience has been a positive one.  I hope the students like, appreciate and understand most, if not all we will bring into the classroom.