From+The+Heart

 

= = =__From The Heart Now that I am done with my wiki, I have a few things I would like to share __=    



Wow! Creating my wiki was quite an adventure. I learned so much about technology, about being a teacher, and about myself. Through each assignment and process in creating my wiki, I was uncertain to how I was going to connect my lesson plans to fit each web 2.0 tool and vice versa. It took me a while to become acquainted with the technological practices, and I did hit quite a few bumps and technical frustrations along the way, but I was able to accomplish each mission. I was pleased with how much I learned and to find out what I was capable of doing with using educational technology. I found that this class was challenging, fun, and engaging, and not as difficult to do, as long as I took the time to familiarize myself with each practice, before jumping in.

What I learned about being a teacher, is that there is a lot that goes into creating a good lesson plan. It takes time, patience, and ability to see from various angles on how each subject matter can be taught and what and how it can be learned. Through the processes of creating my wiki and developing a unit and lesson plan, I have learned more about myself as a teacher. I have now, a greater understanding of how important it is to create and utilize unit and lesson plans to help develop and organize what and how a subject can be taught. I feel that technology and the various web 2.0 tools are a great way to make learning more interactive and interesting for students. I feel that using my wiki as well different web 2.0 tools, will be effective way to communicate with my students and scaffold my instructions. I feel that my wiki is conducive in modifying my lesson plan instructions in various ways to reach the diverse learning styles, needs, and interests of each individual student.

By creating my wiki, I am pleasantly surprised with how much I learned about technology and from developing my unit and lesson plans. I am most proud of how I was able to utilize my creative skills to present each wiki page to be inviting, aesthetically appealing, and somewhat user friendly. I feel that I was successful with making each assignment true to how I would like to teach, by making my lesson plans engaging, fun, and challenging. It was difficult at the start in developing ideas that I felt would make each wiki page and assignment, engaging, educational, as well practical for students and all other viewers. Next time, I would like to organize my wiki, so that the information needed for the project assignments is easier to find and not located on different pages.

What I learned about being a teacher, is that there is a lot that goes into creating a good lesson plan. It takes the ability to see from various angles on how a subject matter can be taught and what and how it can be learned, in order to obtain academic achievement. I have learned more about myself as a teacher, on how important it is to create and utilize unit and lesson plans to help develop and organize what and how a subject can be taught. I feel that technology and the various web 2.0 tools are a great way to make learning more interactive and interesting for students. I feel that using my wiki as well different web 2.0 tools, will hopefully be effective in how my instructions are communicated and conducive in modifying my lesson plan instructions to reach the diverse learning styles and needs of each individual student.

I am most proud of how I was able to utilize my creative skills to present each wiki page to be inviting, aesthetically appealing, and somewhat user friendly. I feel that I was successful with making each assignment true to how I would like to teach, by making my lesson plans engaging, fun, and challenging. Though it was sometimes difficult to develop ideas that I felt would make each wiki pages' and assignment, engaging, educational, as well practical for students and all other viewers. I do feel that I was able to reach most of these goals, and will continue to do so through time and practice. If I were to recreate my wiki again, I would like to organize my material, so that my instructions are easier for the viewer to follow without having to visit various pages retrieve information for their assignments and projects. I would also break down my instructions through a day by day stage process, by using dates and time-lines that the students would know what to expect and could follow a little easier.

Overall, creating my wiki provided me with a greater understanding about the practice and creative ways to develop lesson plan instructions that can be fun, creative, and engaging. This experience has given me a different perspective on how and what it means to teach in the 21st century, and how I can develop my own teaching practice to adhere to this new era of teaching and learning. I have enjoyed learning more about technology and the various web tools that are out there to enhance learning, and for personal creativity and enjoyment. I feel this class has opened my mind to the opportunities that technology can provide for educational purposes and personal interests. I am left inspired and driven to learn more about educational technology, where as before I felt intimidated and avoided the use of technology other than checking my email and researching through google. 

