After 11 Tools: Reflection

1. Some of the tools I enjoyed exploring and would like to use in the classroom are the blogs, wordle, digital bulletin board, digital stories, and the mobile technology and apps. I may try my original idea of creating a Homework Help Blog where students can ask for help and also help one another. I also like Seda Dawson's idea of asking students to each post a summary of what was learned that day or to respond to a question/prompt to encourage writing in math. I would also like to use wordle to display vocabulary words in the classroom. I would have students responsible for certain chapters or sections and create a word cloud of the vocabulary words. I like the digital bulletin board and digital stories to use as projects to assess the students' knowledge of the content taught. As for the mobile technology and apps, I would actually like to use the free apps I looked at in Tool #10. Would I need an Itouch to do that? I can see myself using the apps as either a time filler for those students who move quicker than other students or as a learning center.

2. I have definitely been thinking more about incorporating technology in the classroom besides the use of my Activboard and projector, especially in a math class. I like the idea of getting away from the "old school" book, paper, pencil and calculator as the only piece of technology in the classroom and going to the "new school" of laptops, netbooks, Itouches, and internet. I would love to see my students take ownership of their education and become self determined learners able to use other tools than the textbook and teacher to support their learning.

3. Participating in the T3 grant, I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the thought of trying to "streamline" the use of technology in my classroom. After going through the 11 Tools and becoming more familiar with web 2.0 technologies, I am unexpectedly feeling excited and optimistic about incorporating technology into my classroom and look forward to trying new things.