681 Reflection

The last eight weeks have been a whirlwind.  I feel that the focus has been more on the legal end of technology and therefore atmosphere was different from the previous courses.  The focus was on the legal side of technology and how technology benefits diverse learners. During the course, I learned that CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) allows for content to be filtered for student use in order to protect students from content that is not suitable for viewing.  I learned that FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) determines what can and can not be shared. Although the law leaves much to interpretation, student information needs to be kept private. For both English Language Learners and Special Education Students, technology builds student confidence.  Students are able to listen to text, use programs to aid in writing text, and use accessories that make using technology possible.

Many of the activities for this course are for the group presentation.  Although, an activity that stands out is the ideal classroom. My district provides each classroom with a Promethean board, 1 : 1 devices for the students, and teacher computers.  If i only had a million dollars! I would get the seating for them to have a relaxing environment to learn in. I would purchase maker space materials for them to build and create what is interesting to them.  Then reality sets back in. Another activity that comes to mind is the assignment from Module 4. The focus was on parent communication. Many parents are not aware of how to monitor their child when on the computer.  Not to mention the problems that arise when using the devices. I feel that the more we work with the parents, the better the students will be academically. Helping parents troubleshoot problems with technology and being aware of the sites the district uses will help them with monitoring their child.  

I will continue to be a connected educator by continuing to learn and stay abridged with what is out there.  I plan on helping the parents troubleshoot possible problems and showing them the technology resources their child is using in school and that they can uses these same resources while at home.  My fellow educators are my greatest resource and I look forward to learning with them.