EDLD+5370+Reading+Reflection+for+Technology+Facilitator+Standard+II

Technology Facilitator Standard II deals with the planning and designing learning environments and experiences. This was something that I struggled with myself early because I did not know what was available and how it could be used. Most teachers think that if I just use a power point presentation every now and then, that means I have a technology based classroom. According to the reading, this is the farthest thing from the truth. Technology is to be used to enhance the learning environment and experience. I was previously one of the teachers. After reading standard II, I began to use technology to foster critical thinking in my students.

One of the things that I did in my classroom was to incorporate using the clickers we have when doing test reviews. I invited a few teachers to my classroom so that they could see the technology in action and how they may be able to also use it. The students always get real excited when we use them. I guess it reminds them of the joystick they are accustomed to holding. This was a fantastic tool to use because it gets all the students involved. They can answer and not be afraid of getting it wrong because no one else knows what clicker they have.

I am constantly learning new ways to effectively implement technology. With all the advances taking place, this will be a life long task. As soon as you master something, there is something new coming out. I only see things becoming easier as I continue to implement this standard. The only real obstacle is time. Many teachers are reluctant to trying to implement something new during the course of the school year, especially if there might be a learning curve involved. The perfect time to get some of these thing implemented is during the summer months. I am currently in the process of trying to get staff development hours for technology during the summer months so that teachers may have some of these things in place before the start of school in the fall.

Time is the key component to learning and implementing new technology. This is my only concern.