Journal,+Module+8


 * Prompt: Summarize your learning for this term. How will you use the knowledge you have constructed to improve your use of technology for learning in your class and for your own personal and professional development? **

More than anything else, the thing that has stuck with me from everything that we have learned this semester is that technology education, facilitation and leadership is made of a vast array of tools that are ever expanding; there is not set tool box. Twenty five years ago teachers had books and paper, pencils and crayons, chalkboards, students, and themselves as their toolbox. Today, between the continual growth of hardware (Smartboards, IPads, graphing calculators, etc), educational software (Moodle, Smart Notebook, Progressbook, etc), productivity tools (Google sites, Dropbox, email, etc) and the new theory and policy that is trying to keep up with these changes, our field has moved into a world of wicked problems with limitless solutions. A teacher today could move from one school where they have mastered all the technology tools available to them into a new school that has chosen an entirely different set of tools and have to find ways to adapt and change and innovate in this new environment. These changes have required of our teachers, technology departments, administrators and family a new way of looking at learning and teaching that is absolutely fluid and dynamic. Not only does this mean that continued professional development must be of higher priority than ever before for both districts and individuals, but it also means that district-wide planning focused absolutely on intentional utilization of technology must be the new mindset.
 *  Description **

While all of this sounds daunting, because no one likes change and no one likes complex problems, this new tsunami of tools and options is giving us the ability to do the same thing we have been working to do for years: find what works best for our students, teachers, schools and families. I have learned that we must approach these wicked problems and complex solutions with the optimism that all our hard work will pay off for our students. I have learned that choice in terms of available tools is an opportunity to find something that truly meets our needs and future goals. And the same is true in terms of choosing methods of instruction. The option to choose an all-online and at home curriculum facilitated by professional educators and delivers by the state department of education should be seen as a opportunity to differentiate beyond what is possible in a traditional classroom rather then being seen as a slight to public schools. Flipped classrooms and 1:1 programs and computer-based remediation are giving us more options than ever to innovate and create new ways to help students allowing us to help more students. I have learned that there are many ways to accomplish the same objective, whether it be through different instructional methods or different tools, and no one method is right for every teacher. No two methods will produce the same path to the objectives. Because of this, it is more important than ever for teachers, schools and districts to intentionally choose and utilize technology tools and then to reflect back on how they work and adjust their approach as needed. Just as the types of technology are always changing, educators must also be always looking to adapt, update, and improve methods as well as tools. I have learned that technology, approached with a positive attitude and a spring of innovation can take us father with more students than would be possible without all of these tools. This makes working on the wicked problems worth it.
 *  Impact **

Ultimately, I will leave this semester with an optimistic outlook, one that will allow me to be a better English teacher and professional colleague as well as a supportive technology facilitator and leader. I leave this semester ready to learn about the many different tools and the new pedagogy surrounding these tools in order to find ways to help more students. Yes, I have learned a lot about what it means to be a technology facilitator and leader, but it is more this understanding of technology as possibility that will stick with me.
 *  Intent **