There are so many concepts
and ideas I gathered through this course of "Integrating Technology across the Content Areas" that I am honestly overwhelmed with all the information I have now. First
of all, I never heard before about the GAME plan process, which we all do at
certain points in our lives without realizing it, and, at the same time, it
helps us to stay updated in our teaching career, either to learn new concepts
and technology or stay updated about those we already know. Then, all the new
technologies that I did not know exist and could have so many applications in
our classrooms. At the end, it was great to learn more deeply about the problem-based
learning, the benefits of educational networking, and digital storytelling
because of the scope of ideas I have developed to help our students to reach
our main goal: master the content area concepts.
Through my path into the
GAME plan I developed, I learned so many new tools I can use with my students. I
decided to explore video making, which is one of my weaknesses, and I learned
so many ways of working with videos. I even edited some videos I had that my
mom sent me and made a small movie with them. Now I am working with pictures to
prepare something special about my dad for his birthday. As the reader can
notice, even that I had done the whole GAME plan process with videos, I am
going back again, checking new features and evaluating their results. My next
step with this particular GAME plan is with music features, which I know less
than with videos, and I am sure this particular tool could be pretty powerful
to use with some students. I also enjoyed doing the GAME plan implementing a
lesson. I found out it is pretty easy to prepare a well-designed lesson using
this template and it includes everything we need to cover with our students. I
will definitely use GAME plan to develop activities for my students and to
emphasize in them the importance of planning.
One of the immediate
adjustments I might consider to integrate in the classroom about technology is
the educational networking. I have never seen so many benefits the students can
gather from it as I noticed through this course. I definitely want to use the
GAME plan, not only as part of my instructional planning, but as part of the
students’ planning. Most of all, I have seen more broadly how to implement math
and technology in a more attractive, significant, and enriching way.
I have always liked to
integrate technology in every subject I have taught, even with the very young
students particularly because of the visual benefits it has. About
problem-based learning, it has been tough to integrate it because I am not used
to that kind of learning, and I am barely touching the surface about this
subject. Even though, I am more than willing to try it in my classroom because
of all the content areas, concepts, and skills that can be integrated and
developed through the process of only one problem-based project.
I would love to integrate
educational networking, not only for my students’ benefit, but for their
parents as well. This can provide them the quality time they need to spend
together, and they will both learn in the process. On the other hand, the
students learn how to communicate effectively among each other, and this
provides an excellent opportunity to make emphasis about Internet safety.
The digital storytelling
goes along with my personal teaching philosophy of “doing by learning.” This
will definitely be a special part of my curriculum, either digitally or with
hands-on activities. I have used it in the past, and it provides wonderful
results, not to tell about all the students learn from the process of talking
about others or explaining what they have learned.
In conclusion, this course
has been so enriching for me as a professional that I have done an index of all
the important concepts I have learned, keeping it handy for future use. I just
want to make emphasis in one single aspect that I have always mentioned. Even
that technology can provide the students with tools to help them master the
concepts and skills they will need for the 21st century workplace, we need to
keep a balance with technology and hands-on activities. The students should not
lose the skills of drawing, handwriting, and creating with their hands, even
that technology will be an integral part of their everyday lives in the future,
probably much more than it is today.
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