Friday, July 23, 2010
CEdO 599 Post#3
As I conclude my work with my culminating project and portfolio, I can't help but reflect on this graduate program. It is hard to believe how far I have come in such a short period of time. My early posts lamented my fledgling knowledge of technology, and now my comfort level is significantly improved. My final project has come at the right time because the more time I spend on it, the more I realize that I am barely covering the basics. There is so much more that should be and will be explored with Google Wave. I also realize that as much time as I spent throughout this program trying to learn the materials, I have only begun to learn about technology. But the skills that I have learned, paired with a natural curiosity, have shown me how to be successful with technology. And now we all move to probably the most important phase of the graduate program. Will Richardson is an advocate of learning communities where individuals share their knowledge to help others improve. We now have the unique opportunity to share what we have learned with our school districts, and hopefully continue to learn about technology as it evolves. When I first started teaching, I was amazed at the amount of locked filing cabinets filled with pedagogical secrets. This lock and key system is being replaced with an environment built on the sharing of ideas. Sure, there are still those (probably more than we would like to admit) that do not embrace any new ways of thinking, but there are many more eager to share what they know to help others get better. I feel like I am now prepared to contribute to this environment, and I like the challenge of convincing others to challenge what they currently do in the classroom. We always have to remember why we do what we do. I chose teaching because of the students, and they will always guide my teaching and personal learning. Any ideas that help me make their experiences more rewarding will be welcomed until I am led out to the pasture and no longer teach. This program has opened my eyes to many new possibilities, and I look forward to where this new knowledge will lead me in the future.
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Ryan, well said. We have to remember that even though we started to touch our students lives, we are able to encourage our colleagues with all we have learned. Whether it is something mundane or revolutionary, as long as we are engaging everyone we work with then we're able to build learning communities all around us.
ReplyDeleteRyan, you are right, never be stagnant in what you do in the classroom. "You are either green and growing or ripe and beginning to rot!" Continue to challenge yourself, learn and grow, it will benefit you and your students for ever! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHey, just to let you know, you still owe me a bear a-hole. We need to get together before we go back to celebrate our completion of this class. Thanks for being a shoulder I could lean on throughout.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on all of your hard work. I hope you find ways to continue to expand and use what you have not as an ending but as a beginning as you continue to help students achieve. While the future of Google Wave may be nebulous, the ideas of what you want to accomplish are not. Best of luck with everything.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a wonderful blog in this class and throughout the program.