Week #16

At the beginning of the semester I admit I was a bit skeptical of technology in the classroom, but I learned techniques about technology that helped me see how it can be useful. For one, I had no idea how easy it is to make a blog. I always thought that an email to parents is just as good but after using it, I see that having a blog makes it easier for parents to stay informed. They can easily go check the blog whenever they have questions or want to know what is going on. I also learned about the smart notebook. I had never heard of it before. Now I know that there are many activities or lessons that you can find online. I also learned that there are so many ways students can show or practice what they are learning. I could see myself giving the students time to use storyboard, flipsnack, vocaro, and Prezi  in my own classroom. I still think there is value in having student creating work and doing assignments without technology but I have come to the conclusion that if used at the right time and in the right way, technology can enhance student learning. 

This class was the first time I have ever worked with NETS but I feel like this class gave me a good understanding of them.  The ones I have practiced the most are  

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. I feel like these two are important because they talk about teachers using technology to enhance learning and creating assignments that can easily be assessed and include substantial content. Technology should engage students and help them better understand what they are learning about. It should also include all the areas they are working on and Teachers should be able to asses where students are at so they can modify their lesson to help their students gain a better understanding. Technology should not be the main focus of the lesson, but instead, a tool.