My students deserve an education that prepares them as thoroughly as possible for life in a technological world. It is my responsibility to integrate technology into my lessons as well as into their learning experience.  This way they both learn the application of technology as well as how to implement technology in their projects.

Technology development is continually changing, and teachers must stay with the advances.  I started this course with a good general understanding of computer technology -- hardware, networking and software -- but I had only created one website, many years ago, and I had never used digital audio or digital video tools.  These projects have been challenging yet rewarding.

I have had a frustrating but very educational experience already in my attempt to stay abreast of emerging technologies: my first digital movie, created with iMovie. Exhibit 2 links to a modified version of the original video (the one I handed in on DVD), as the original contains footage of children in the classroom. Through this project I was not only able to learn to use video equipment and to edit it on computer, but I also was able to watch myself teach from outside of myself and see first-hand where I could improve.

Exhibit 1 links to a WebQuest that I designed, which takes students on a virtual tour of Oregon. WebQuests are a fun and educational guide to support students as they explore a topic on the internet.  WebQuests provide a specific task, and take students to specific sites as they research the topic.  Some of the advantages of this are that the WebQuest creator can lead students to the best websites on the topic rather than having to compile a great deal of of information, and it saves students time searching through many sites to find the best ones.  The design gives teachers the opportunity to lead students to higher level thinking as they pull together what they learned on their "quest" to apply to a new situation in their finished project. When I develop WebQuests in the future they will likely be much simpler than this one was, with a simpler task as well. I tend to take on big projects for an initial learning project, and they take an incredible amount of time when learning as we're going, as this one did.

Podcasts are another learning tool that can be used to enhance student learning, both by watching the podcast and through creating a podcast in a small group. Exhibit 2 links to a podcast that I and another student created together on Jeannette Rankin, first woman elected to Congress. This is an example of a podcast that a teacher can prepare to have students watch, either individually, in small groups, or projected for the entire class. (Podcasts can also be downloaded from the internet.) However, the real value to me in creating this podcast is that I now know how and consequently can teach my students how to create podcasts for class projects. Not only does this provide an outstanding opportunity for students to apply what they learned, reaching higher levels of thinking, but it provides a unique authentic assessment that students can share worldwide, which encourages them to do their best.

It was very valuable to work on the podcast with another student. As we muddled through the editing together I felt that, although it took hours longer than we expected, it still would have taken a lot longer if I'd had to figure out the software and the process myself. Although I have not learned advanced features of the software, I feel very comfortable with the process and I plan to use podcasts in my teaching.

I had not finished the WebQuest when I wrote a lesson plan which utilized it, for a requirement for Social Studies Methods course. The professor gave me some very helpful feedback, which I will incorporate into the lesson plan before I use it with my fifth graders. Additionally, now that I have completed the WebQuest, I feel that I can do a better job on this lesson plan. I wanted to integrate the lesson plan requirement with this WebQuest; the difficulty was just in the timing.  None-the-less, the lesson plan demonstrates how the WebQuest can be used to "facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards."

The WebQuest provides a technology-enhanced environment, as well as applies technology to develop their higher order skills and creativity as they complete accompanying project.

Completing the Project TEAM iMovie requirement gave me the opportunity to use technology resources to analyze my own instruction to maximize student learning. This is a method I will put to use in my own classroom as I continually strive to improve my instruction methods throughout my career. Again, I am not attaching the original iMovie as it shows students.

Although it was not a requirement for this course, none-the-less I feel that my OTEN Grant application best exemplifies the planning I have put into how I will use technology to teach students to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to maximize student learning.

I plan to maintain a teacher webpage throughout my career. This page will include information on what we are studying and what projects we are working on, along with suggestions on how parents may enhance their children's higher learning on the topics, such as a Sunday at the historical society, a book they can read or movie they can view as a family, etc., helping to nurture student learning. This has the added benefit of supporting life-long learning for families. Additionally, I will include outside links that may be of interest to parents and students. This page will feature colors and graphics, with an educational theme and use of metaphor, that make it attractive to students as well as parents. Although I have yet to create this page, the website that I created for this course is an example of my learning in this area. I am excited about improving my skills in this area as I strive to create a useful and attractive page.

One way that technology can be applied to increase productivity is through digital recording of activities and projects. Paper-and-pencil documentation can be awkward at best when doing field work. A digital camera captures voice and video clips of the actual activity quickly and simply, in a way that cannot nearly be replicated with pencil and paper. Again, though it was not a requirement for this course, my grant application gives a clear, detailed example of the possibilities.

My WebQuest, "Kids' Trek Through Oregon," is a model of using ethical and human issues in technology resources. Some of its features are:

• It features natural or historical rather than commercial locations in the state (though it is impossible to completely escape commercialism in our society);
• It respects the Oregon Native Peoples, offering resources for their perspective of the European settling of Oregon;
• It avoids commercial websites in the quest;
• It gives credit to sources of information and tools used to create the WebQuest.

As students work in groups to create podcasts, all students, regardless of SES, have the opportunity for hands-on access to technology. They experience first-hand some of the possibilities that technology opens. Unfortunately, as the world moves ahead technologically, classrooms tend to lag behind. This is unacceptable, and it is particularly unacceptable for children who do not have access to technology outside of school. Schools should be on the cutting edge of technology, not riding on its tailwind. Podcasts, while perhaps not exactly "cutting edge" technology, are relatively simple and unique learning tools that are uncommon in elementary school instruction. They offer one method of giving all students high-quality technological experience that they can feel proud of.