MY FINAL CULMINATING STATEMENT

The semester has finally come to an end and everyone will be getting their well deserved break. Reflecting back on my first post on this new and strange blog, there have been many technologies, skills and issues that have challenged, changed and shaped the way I view technology. Experiences in my education and at home left me with a negative attitude towards technology. I found it very hard during high school where friends would be typing 50 words a minute while I struggled to type 15 words using 2 to 3 fingers. Friends would have personal laptops and smart phones while my financial circumstances couldn't afford it. So the digital divide is very real to me, it may cause students to see technology as overwhelming, scary or difficult to grasp. Today I still find some technologies challenging but through professional experience 3 I have discovered a network of resources such as youtube videos, articles and blogs to help me become more digitally confident.


Throughout this semester in professional experience 3, my knowledge of integrating learning technologies into the classroom has greatly developed. The first lesson taught me that technology was not just about computers and laptops or another substitute for books and worksheets. It is a tool that enhances and facilitates learning by providing an engaging environment for students. My practical experience has also exemplified this where I integrated the IWB into the classroom. I found that students were engaged with the learning content and were able to construct higher levels of cognition. Not only were the students able to process information, they could categorise it and translate it into their own work. 


Readings throughout the semester further shaped my views and skills as a future teacher. I found that learning technologies were fun and engaging. For example, in the reading by Koehler (2011), the TPACK  model presented technology as an interconnected part of teaching pedagogy and content. When used correctly, technology can become a rich learning and teaching tool by aiding research, presenting information in an engaging way and acting as a means of communication. Furthermore, I initially approached the tutorial on IWBs very sceptically because I had never had any prior experience with it and there were a few times when the IWB failed to do the job even though my tutor is an expert. To think that I had to do an assignment on making a notebook file totally threw me into panic. I quickly learned however that having an open mind, time and a little research would change all that. Beauchamp, Higgins and Miller (2007) argue that the IWB is an important and powerful tool that facilitates meaningful learning. Thus I believe that all teachers should try to deliver lessons that integrate this technology as it is fast playing a key role in many classrooms.  In my posts on prac, I decided to test out my new found skills with my practicum class. I believe the lessons to be a success and so did my prac teacher, however she was still close minded to the idea and did not change her mind to using it.

More important issues were raised during the tutorial on the Digital Divide and Gender Equity. These issues were of great significance to me both because of my own personal experiences and those I have seen on prac. The digital divide highlighted that there may be many differences within school, between schools, states and countries. Factors such as socio-economics, gender, funding, policies, internet access, technology access, learning and practical development impacted on the way equity. This may result in many students, schools or countries being disadvantaged. Implications for my teaching involve; making sure students have enough access to computers and internet at schools, providing materials that both sexes can relate and engage with and integrating and implementing technologies and skills required into my lessons.

Overall, Professional experience 3 has impacted on my role as a teacher and learner significantly. I am now more open minded to new educational technologies as it will always be an important part of this ever changing world and because I see it as an educational tool that can afford students opportunities to connect with the world, engage with content and develop life long skills.


Posts reacting to readings / commentary (Blue) – 6

Posts reacting to students’ posts, staff posts and responding to comments (Green) – 5

Posts reflecting on other stimulating experiences (Orange) – 5



Reference List



A school’s duty of care for students to whom it gives access to cyberspace: Data in (Content Regulation) and Data Out (Privacy).
Retrieved from: www.netsafe.org.nz/Doc…/netsafepapers_grahambassett_duty.pdf.

Davis, A., &McGrail, E. (2011). The influence of classroom blogging on elementary student writing. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 25 (4), 415-437.

Higgins, S., Beauchamp, G. & Miller, D. (2007). Reviewing the literature on interactive whiteboards. Learning, Media and Technology, 32(3), 213-225.

Koehler, M. (2011). TPACK. Technological, pedagogical and content knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.tpck.org/tpck/index.php?title=Main_Page

Reid, D. & Ostashewski, N. (2011). iPads in the Classroom – New technologies, old issues: Are they worth the effort?. in T. Bastiaens & M. Ebner (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2011 (pp. 1689-1694). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/38089

Roblyer, M (2006). Teaching with instructional software. In M. Roblyer (Ed). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (4th ed.). Merrill. Prentice Hall. Columbus, Ohio. Chapter 3.