811 Reflection

Tai Kimmerly

Melissa Jane White

CEP 811- Adapting Innovative Technologies to Education

08/17/2011

Final Reflection

            Through this course, we have looked at many different teaching strategies and how they can involve technology. As a music specialist, my job is very different from most teachers. I see every child in the school two or three times per week. Most other elementary school teachers see their students for most of the day, every day. Since most of my classes last 30 minutes, with no time for setup or teardown in between, I have not been able to effectively add much technology into my classes.

            Through this class, we have explored UDL principles that show us how we can, by adjusting lessons, make material more accessible to all students. While some of them would be difficult in a music setting, such as helping a completely deaf student with a listening exercise, others, such as the use of manipulatives for students with visual impairments can also help students with 20/20 vision. Though not all of the items discussed in the face to face learning lecture will work for my classroom, things like “Inveractive Discussion with Experts,” will be quite useful. Wikis, however, may be more time consuming and problematic than simply having a class discussion. If I saw students every day, I might be able to ask them to do things at home. However, since I only see them a few times per week, music class is not enough of a part of their routine to expect them to remember outside work.

            Integrating web technologies forced me to think about what could actually be useful and appropriate for my classroom. Some technologies are simply not time efficient, or supportive enough of the material to be effective. And that is OK! Adding technology for technology’s sake is not the point. Adding technology to enable student learning and prepare them for a future rich in technology is the point. If the technology is not applicable, the students will know and the whole lesson will seem contrived and pointless.

            When I began these courses, my main goal was to come out with a better understanding of my MP3 player. Don’t get me wrong, I am interested in computers and know my way around them pretty well, I just didn’t really know what to say. I also wanted to learn how to integrate technology to improve assessment and engagement. That was what we were supposed to say, right? It is not that I wrote these things just to appease my professors. I truly did not know how far this could go. I knew nothing about blogs or wikis. I had never listened to, let alone created or understood the value of a podcast. Now I have these tools that I was unaware that I needed. Also not only can I use my MP3 player well, but since finding out about the new music cloud software, I do not need to use it at school! I can simply log into my account and have access to all of the music that I need.

            My new goals are a bit overwhelming. I have always had an interest in computers and how they work. I have never really understood them, but had a strong desire to know how to fix them, and even build my own. Throughout this summer, this desire has grown stronger and stronger. This may be because my computer is getting slower and slower. In CEP 812, I had to develop a solution for a “Wicked Problem.” The problem I chose to solve was my issue with keeping track of daily assessment records. Last year, I saw about eleven classes per day. Though I have folders for keeping track of their assessments, I would occasionally misplace them. There is also no system for averaging their grades. So, I developed a solution involving a tablet PC. I created a seating chart based grade book that automatically averaged and summarized each student’s grades for various areas. Though Excel worked fairly well, there are some things that I simply cannot or do not know how to make it do. Since Excel was not made for this purpose, I can’t really blame it. But if I knew more about how software functions, I may be able to write a piece of software specifically designed for my needs, as well as an android app to go with it. In order to do this, I am going to have to take some programming courses. Since I have not yet found a way to get on the masters pay scale with a degree in software engineering, that will have to wait until I am finished with my graduate degree. However, in the mean time, I will see what material I can find online and at my local library on the subject.