The one idea that has stuck with me through this course was introduced early on. I wrote the following notes from our week two lecture video. Technology does not save a learner from poor teaching decisions, and technology amplifies what I am already doing in whether it is good or bad. These two sentences stuck with me as I evaluated and analyzed the different technology tools each week. Technology is just that, a tool. It is not the end all be all in education. How we use technology can make us or break us a teachers. You cannot cover up a mediocre lesson with some sound effects on a PowerPoint. There has to be a reason for using that piece of technology, and that reason must fit in with the standards being taught. Kids are smart. They know when you are not prepared. Technology cannot make up for being unprepared as a teacher. Technology is not the teacher, I am. The decisions I make will determine the success or failure of a lesson. Technology will either showcase my success or highlight my failure.
This course taught me to look at educational technology in a different way. By keeping the learning goals and outcomes at the center of the planning process, I can incorporate a piece of technology that will allow me to accomplish my learning goals. I can evaluate pieces of technology to see how they will enhance what I am doing with my students. I can then offer suggestions to the classroom teachers. I would never want to suggest a piece of technology that I was not comfortable with to my peers. This class has given me the skill set to find, evaluate, and use technology to enhance the curriculum.
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