Reflections on CED523

Coming into this class, I truly felt like I had a good basic understanding of the Internet and World Wide Web. I knew how to do advanced searches, find decent instructional resources, and even use some software to put together a web page. Really, how much more could there be to learn? Within the first hour of class, my (suddenly) naive understanding of the web was being pushed to new limits. I was completely amazed at the plethora of resources which were easy to use and available for free!

As a resource teacher with very young children, many of the applications explored in class posed little relevance for my students. However, I challenged myself to find other practical applications to be used in my interactions with colleagues and parents. The most powerful time-management strategies I saw were Google Calendar and Google Docs. Calendar could allow us to schedule IEPs, the computer lab, field trips, and conference rooms. Docs could be used to keep collaborative documentation on students' progress towards goals, exchange ideas, and even more without the hassle of e-mailing files back and forth. Additionally, a Wiki could be used to share much of the same information but in a more public way. For instance, a Wiki could be used for us to share our Professional Learning Community (PLC) data and goals with everyone in our building or district. In this way, PLCs could group together collaboratively over the Internet, thus breaking group or building barriers typically put upon us by the constraints of the school day and meeting arrangement.

I also challenged myself to see the idea of a blog in a new light. Blogging could provide a medium through which I could post exceptional educational websites, share successful reinforcement strategies, and discuss other pertinent topics to parents of children with disabilities. This medium could provide a method of sharing the somewhat random ideas that often pop into my head and may be relevant but do not typically belong in an e-mail or notebook.

While this course was relatively short in duration, I felt like my knowledge of practical applications for the Internet grew immensely, constantly challenging me to see the Internet in a new light and find new ways to use an existing resource to extend my abilities as a teacher and collaborator.