Reflection on Literacy and Technology

As I reflect upon the last eight weeks I realize how much I learned about using technology to enhance the educational experience of my students. Today literacy goes beyond knowing how to simple read and write. Literacy for the 21st century learner involves not only having the fundamental skills of literacy but also using them as a foundation to build upon the literacy skills needed to effectivley communicate their ideas with others using a multitude of resources including technology. Through this course I was able to take an idea I had for my students many months ago and develop it into a well developed inquiry based project using various literacy skills. Not only was I studying and creating this unit for this course I was putting it into practice at the same time. I was able to learn from my students as well as teach them how they can successfully use technology and other resources to gather information and put it together in the form of a book that they will use to teach my ninth grade students. There was a deep sense of accomplishment and joy for both me and my students as we carefully put the pieces together to create the final masterpiece. As I go through each course and learn more about literacy skills and technology I see myself becoming a better teacher every day. I am now able to create lessons and introduce new skills to my students that they will need to be successful in their futures.

In order to continue growing as an educator I must continue learning. Being a life-long learner is something everyone must commit themselves to becoming, especially educators. The way our students learn, work, and communicate is changing the more our society advances. It is my responsibility to stay updated and to be familiar with these changes if I want to be a true asset in their learning. My goal is to continue learning and growing both as an educator and an individual. After completeing this masters program I will continue to seek out professional development opportunites to stay informed of what is new in education and in technology. As I learn new things the next step woul dbe to carefully incorporate what I learn into my lesson planning and instruction. By putting in into real practice I will be able to see what works and what doesn't work well with my students. I will also be preparing them with the necessary skills they will need after high school.