Running Head: REFLECTION

Reflection 1

Running Head: REFLECTION

Final Reflection

Bethany Stiefel

University of West Georgia

Final Reflection Paper

I have always enjoyed using technology in my personal day-to-day time and always tried to find ways to incorporate technology into my teaching practices. Since I started my teaching career in 2007, interactive white boards became very prominent in my school system. This only further developed my interest and passion for incorporating technology into everything I do. When I was in search of an Ed. S. program I was none too thrilled about monotonous regurgitation that was sure to ensue. Once I realized that there was an online program focused on integrating technology offered at my alma mater, I knew it would be a degree that I would not only gain extra money from completing, but also enjoy and actually use to improve my teaching practices.

Strengths

The greatest strength I bring to the Special Education classroom is my experience in the general education setting. I know how teachers in general education are implementing technology into the classroom. I recognize the importance of integrating technology into the curriculum and can apply this to my practices in the Special Education setting. I am also very energetic, creative, and passionate. I am full of energy and like for my students to have fun. My creativity is evident in my classroom because I constantly try to come up with new ways of presenting concepts to my students so they can make connections with information. Passion is one of my key strengths because I genuinely care about my students and want the best for them. I want them to be able to get the most out of their time with me, and my passion drives me to push further for them. All of these attributes work to my benefit, helping me to provide fun, meaningful technological experiences for my students.

I am very organized. Organization is very important in a classroom like mine where transition time is extremely important. The students in my class do not have the patience to wait for me to help my paraprofessionals find where I saved the material I need them to use. When using technology, I purposefully make the files, flipcharts, and activities I plan to use easy to access. Saving material in specifically labeled folders helps me as well as my support staff to locate instructional material quickly and easily.

Another major strength is the familiarity I have developed in this program with Web 2.0 applications, and how to use technology to make classroom learning more meaningful and more efficient. In a Special Education class, I am not able to gain the students’ attention by teacher-directed instruction simply using technology as an instructional tool. My students need student-directed instruction to become actively engaged. Through my coursework at UWG, becoming familiar with many Web 2.0 applications such as Voicethread ©, blogs, and digital storytelling software, I have been able to implement technology into my classroom practices while still keeping instruction student-centered.

Weaknesses

Some of the greatest weaknesses I have are personal character flaws with ones with whom I work. I am a perfectionist. I have a hard time being flexible because I like for things to be conducted as planned. Because I like for things to be executed as planned, I also have a hard time delegating tasks. For example, rather than showing my paraprofessionals how to complete day to day non-instructional tasks like creating my weekly newsletter, I find it easier to do it myself. This creates more work for me and causes me to become easily frustrated because I have so much to do. It would be more beneficial to invest the necessary time to teach the support staff to take care of tasks like this so as to maximize instructional time and alleviate stress.

Another weakness is my frustration with troubleshooting and unwillingness to ask for help. Since I have completed the UWG Ed. S. program, I have rarely found that I cannot fix a technical problem on my own. However, I become easily frustrated when I come across a problem and cannot seem to find the solution as quickly or easily as I anticipated. When this occurs in the classroom, it makes for an unproductive work environment. After working for a few minutes, I need to be better about admitting that I do not know how to fix the problem and ask for help from our technology coach rather than giving up valuable instructional time to troubleshoot.

Our school has adopted a program called Study Island © that general education teachers are using to help improve student achievement. I have found that the way Study Island is set up is too advanced for my students. In frustration, I simply have not used it in my classroom. Instead of not taking advantage of what Study Island can offer my students, I need to take time to learn how to use it to modify their instruction so that they can use it to be successful as well.

Opportunities

The coursework that I have completed in the Ed. S. program will also allow me to educate my co-workers with Web 2.0 applications as well as other software that may be unfamiliar to them. Introducing ways to use Web 2.0 in the classroom does not have to be limited to general education teachers. The instructional needs of students in a Special Education classroom are sometimes much less academic than that of general education students, therefore, many Special Education teachers at my school do not regularly implement technology in the classroom. Based on my experience in integrating technology into the general education classroom, I can help Special Education teachers do the same to meet the needs of their students. This implementation will allow students in Special Education settings to develop a basic understanding of technology and help prepare them for the future as well.

Another opportunity I feel I have gained through the research I have completed is to offer advice to administrators and special education personnel on decisions of the most beneficial software and hardware to purchase for the school system. Along with this, I will be able to demonstrate the positive affect technology has on students in the Special Education classroom so that technological updates are not exclusive to the general education setting.

Threats

One of the most obvious threats to successfully applying my knowledge of technology in the classroom is that of funding. With the economic crisis, schools are mainly focusing on keeping teachers’ jobs, so technology hardware and software updates have been shifted down the list of important things for which to pay. I have been very lucky to be at a school where the use of technology has been a top priority for years. Because of this, I have access to two ActivBoards to use for instruction. However, many Web 2.0 applications are blocked by our filtering system or must be bought which limits the Web 2.0 applications I can use in my classroom.

A personal threat I face is that I do not have much influence in my school system. Although I am passionate about implementing technology in the classroom to improve student achievement, my school system’s value is placed highly upon teachers who were born and raised in the area. In spite of the fact that I am pursuing an Ed. S. degree with a focus on technology integration, the technological suggestions from a teacher without any such degree who has always lived in the city where I work would be better received by administration.

Goals

My personal technology goal is to be instrumental in helping develop a quality technology inventory for the special education department in my school system. I also want to get teachers at my school and in my school system excited about the software I have learned about and demonstrate to them how to use these tools to improve student achievement. I want to introduce different programs to teachers, demonstrate how these programs will benefit students and teachers, and help teachers implement the programs into their classrooms. With technology constantly changing and improving, I want to avoid becoming complacent in my technology skills. I would like to build proficiency in the programs I have learned about as well as learn to use new programs. I want to make sure that technology is successfully implemented in all areas in our school system.

Plan

I feel like the coursework I have completed during Ed. S. program will be extremely instrumental in helping me achieve my goals. To educate peers and become more influential in the technological decisions of the school system, I intend to offer instructional workshops after school and at faculty meetings. Hopefully after meeting with the administration, teachers will receive professional learning units from attending the workshops. Another way I plan to make a difference in the school system is to write grants for technology funds. This would allow me to help provide teachers with access to the needed hardware and software needed to successfully implement student-centered technology into the classroom.