Final Reflective Blog

I learned a lot from this course. Technology is necessary for successful instruction. After completing the Digital Storytelling project, I now know the logistics behind creating an educational presentation using Windows Moviemaker. Our constant updates on our blogs were "a preview of coming attractions." What I mean by this is that thanks to technology, our students will communicate with us via blogs and other means of communication. Giving students the opportunity to communicate with their teachers has the potential to dramatically improve academic achievement for future students. In the past, students would have to depend on a telephone call to contact their instructor. Now, thanks to technology, they can even send emails with attachments of their assignments for their teachers to critique. I fully intend to earn a reputation for constant feedback with my students because of the opportunities technology provides. When we completed the Copyright and Internet Safety assignments, I learned that integrating instructional technology is a privilege. We as teachers have certain rights and responsibilites when it comes to what we include in our lessons and how we include them. For example, if a video clip is longer than a certain length, we may be violating copyright laws and jeopardizing our careers. In conclusion, the integration of instructional technology will allow me to be more professional in my instruction. If I simply write on the chalkboard every day and ignore the advice of my fellow colleagues about how to integrate technology into the clasroom, then I am not taking advantage of the opportunities that make the content beign taught to my students more meaningful.