It is difficult to believe that another semester has passed, and frankly, I'm proud to be at this point of finishing up my first semester of graduate school. The events of the last week have rocked my world, and I'm simply thankful to be writing from the position of hope for my mother's continued improvement after the brain hemorrhage.
With these personal matters aside, I feel that my attitude has changed somewhat from the first weeks of school regarding technology and its capabilities. I still have Luddite tendencies, and I probably always will. I believe that a personal note is better than an e-mail; I believe that, as journalist Prudence Mackintosh says in a Texas Monthly article and the song "Square Pegs" says, "One size does NOT fit all." I will continue to believe in the power of in-person visits, hugs, and holding hands. However, I feel a sea-change has come in that this course has familiarized me with the many technologies available and with their capabilities and limitations. I feel much better equipped and less afraid to embrace these as tools for my future profession and for my current work as a mother, student, and teacher. My sincere love of learning will continue to serve me in this endeavor; I aim to be a life-long learner, as my own mother is at the age of 66. We all have to learn and re-learn as we go along in life.
Once I have completed my classes at UNT, I plan to keep abreast of new technological developments through extensive reading of professional publications such as School Librarian, perusing online resources (e.g., ODLIS) and listervs, talking to students, and through attending continuing education seminars regarding technology and its proliferating tools.
As a result of taking SLIS 5720, I enjoy keeping up with my students and parents through Facebook. I aim to make technology a greater part of my preschool classroom (at this point) through my class' Facebook page and through (hopefully) purchasing a laptop which I can use in the classroom for demonstrations of age-appropriate websites and for stimulating visual presentations (e.g., regarding Asian or African cultures) to spark interest in our units. Songs, stories, rhymes, pretending, puppets, and lots of hands-on items will continue right along with any new approaches. I also want to begin creating digital portfolios for my students which will enhance my ability to evaluate my students continually and to pass on that information to parents and their future teachers easily. Undoubtedly, I am much more excited now about incorporating technology into my current educational setting.
No comments:
Post a Comment