Looking Back, Looking Ahead - A Reflection

What a Short, Fun Trip it's Been!

I am of an age where I can remember the world before and after technology.  The biggest changes in technology came after I was done with my undergraduate degree, so technology in education was not something I had a lot of first hand experience with.  But I don't live in a vacuum either, and I was using quite a bit of tech in my everyday life.  I usually embrace technology, so this class seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about the current role of technology in education.

My biggest take away from this class, is that there are so many teachers doing really cool things in their classrooms with the awesome tools that technology has brought us.  Whether it's making videos for class projects, creating a ThingLink for a social studies project, participating in a class discussion via Padlet or narrating a project with Screencastify.  These tools provide unique ways for students to be engaged in learning, opportunities for active learning and help prepare students for the digital lives they are sure to be leading in the future. It was fun to try out some of these digital tools as a student and also read about how other teachers are implementing them.  The world of Early Childhood Education is a little insular, so we don't often get to see what other grades and classrooms are doing.  I was also in a non-traditional school setting for many years, so it was exciting for me to learn more about what older students are working on these days. It also gave me some insight on how I can help prepare my young students for these experiences later in their school careers.

I wish there would have been a few ideas that could be specifically used for a preschool classroom, even though I prefer we be a little lower tech at that age.  I am excited to keep growing my Professional Learning Network on Twitter  and participate in more Twitter chats.  I think I'd like to keep up my blog as a way to log my professional development opportunities.  Not only will it be a nice reflection on the PD, it helps improve my portfolio and shows my growth as an education.  I enjoyed learning about so many great new tools and I am excited by the ways students and teachers can continue to grow and learn as new technologies continue to emerge.