My Narrative:

When I started this course, I knew how to use the Internet, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, and I had only had a little previous experience with Excel. As this course comes to a close, I feel extremely confident in my ability to use iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, Adobe GoLive, video cameras, iPhoto, iTunes, GraphicConverter and Inspiration. Through my experiences in this course, I now have the ability to make websites, WebQuests, podcasts and movies/dvds. I also have gained experience using Mac computers, because this was the type of computer with which I had much less experience using. I plan on keeping up with current trends in technology by maintaining my subscription to the International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) Magazine called Leading and Learning with Technology. This subscription is full of great ideas and activities I will use in my classroom, and it is also a wonderful resource for "current and emerging technologies." While taking this course, I also attended the Oregon Technology in Education Network (OTEN) Conference. This was a wonderful experience where I learned about podcasting, SMART boards and gathered many other ideas for incorporating technology into my classroom. I plan on attending technology conferences, such as the OTEN conference, in the future, because there is so much that I haven't learned about, and technology is constantly changing. I hope to continue learning as much as I can, so I will be able to apply and integrate it into my classroom.

Throughout this technology course, I have "designed many appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners." Two of these learning opportunities are the WebQuest I designed, as well as the podcast a partner and I created together. My WebQuest is about American symbols, because this is a topic my third grade students will study this year. I believe WebQuests are a great opportunity for guided discovery by the students. It's a fun, safe and appropriate way for students to explore and learn on their own. While creating this WebQuest, I had to "identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability." The podcast I helped create was on one of the most admired people of the 20th century, Eleanor Roosevelt. Students who listen to my podcast will learn just how hard this First Lady worked as a human rights activist and political leader. While creating my podcast, I planned "for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities." I am planning to teach about biographies in my third grade class, and I'm hoping to incorporate podcasting at the end of the unit. It will be a great experience for students to incorporate this type of technology, and a new way to demonstrate what they've learned.

This is an area where I have not yet had experience. To this day, I have yet to go beyond using an overhead projector in either of my placements to meet any of these standards. I have not yet "facilitated technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards." However, I plan on incorporating the use of WebQuests (perhaps mine) while student teaching, as well as the use of podcasts at the end of teaching my biography unit. These are both technology-enhanced experiences that will "develop students' higher order skills and creativity." I haven't had experience "managing student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment" yet, but I plan on doing so in both my kindergarten and third grade placements through the use of video, podcasting, WebQuests and other technological programs and resources. By the end of student teaching, I hope to have "implemented curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning."

Although I haven't had the opportunity to "apply technology in assessing student learning using a variety of assessment techniques," I have been learning how to do so. For instance, the grading rubric in my WebQuest was created to assess students using a variety of techniques. I also hope to continue learning more effective assessment and evaluation strategies for when I start student teaching. I haven't had the opportunity yet to "apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students' use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity." However, I plan on incorporating many different methods into my teaching and work sample units. I have "used technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning." This was accomplished through Project TEAM. For this project, I designed an expressive arts lesson plan inspired by Eric Carle and taught it to my kindergartners. My mentor teacher video taped the lesson. I then edited the film using iMovie and added music and transitions. Also, I used this documentation as an opportunity to reflect on my teaching, and I did this by adding commentary about my lesson throughout the video. Due to student confidentiality, I cannot post the video of the lesson. I did, however, provide the link to pictures of their finished artwork.

Through this course, I have already learned an enormous amount about technology, but I know my learning doesn't stop here. I will continue to "use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning." I plan to attend technology conferences in the future, as well as continue my membership and subscription to the ISTE magazine. When I start student teaching, I plan on "applying technology to increase productivity." I will do so in many ways including WebQuest projects and podcasting. The website I have created is a good start, and I plan on updating it regularly. I also plan on having a school/teacher website when I have my own classroom. This will allow me to use "technology to communicate and collaborate with my peers, parents and the community in order to nurture student learning." Teacher websites not only allow communication between parents and teachers, but they are a great resource for students too. It might include links to homework assignments and extra practice websites or homework help. The web is full of resources, and I hope to have many reliable, accurate and suitable websites available to my students all in one place.

Throughout my time at Pacific, I have definitely "modeled legal and ethical practices relating to technology use." This is evident in all of my technology projects through citations and references on my WebQuest, website, podcast and Project TEAM video. However, I have not yet had an opportunity to teach this important aspect of technology, but will do so when I start student teaching and "apply technology resources to enable and empower" all different learners. When I start student teaching, all students will have "equitable access to technology." However, before students have access to this technology, I will make sure to discuss "safe and healthy uses of technology." It is important for students to understand what makes a source reliable, how to be safe using these resources, and what constitutes legal and ethical practices. I will always model this behavior and promote safe, healthy, and responsible uses.