Class Reflection

My personal learning theory at the beginning of this course mainly consisted of students reinforcing ideas and concepts. By this I mean that students are shown how to approach a problem, what to look for and then how to solve. When a student understands what the question is look for, they most likely already know how to solve. They just need to remember that connecting link and it will come to them. I have tried to use more technology in my class such as concept mapping. This little bit of technology allows students to physically see the connections and recall them at a later date.

I think that I am doing fine with the integrating technology part in my class. I try to use as many available programs and ideas to keep my students engaged and motivated. Excel, power point and other web sources keep students interested and make for an easier class. I would like to use a smart board in the class more often. With the help of Excel, a project can be set up for students to do and it can be displayed on the screen. Presentations can be done and students can have practice speaking in front of others. Since the students will work with others, social interaction will happen more often and soon students will become accustomed to the daily routines. Keeping students interested in what the lesson is about is very hard, but with the technology today students can concentrate and have fun at the same time.

I would like to try to have more interaction in my class by having groups set up for most of the semester. These students will have to learn to get along since their grade will depend on it. By students working together, they will learn to depend on each other for support if someone doesn't understand. Another can explain it to the group until they understand. New tricks might be discovered and they can be expressed to others. Another goal for me is to use more technology in the future as it comes. I try to use as much as possible, but there isn't time for it all. I think it would be a good idea to try to introduce new ideas to myself as well as my students. These new programs might be useful or introduce new ideas for students to learn and use. Technology is coming along at an incredible rate and will only continue to advance.