Inclusion By Way of Technology- A New Way of Thinking

Over the semester I have learned a great deal about new technology I did not know how to use. I have learned how to use new technology and how to apply it to my classroom. As I started this class I was very skeptical about the class. I was unsure if I would apply anything that I learned in it to my classroom. When the year began I didn’t like technology because I didn’t know how to use and I felt too many teachers were using technology to run their classrooms. Now, if I looked back on myself three months ago, I would call myself old school. Through my many encounters with technology this semester, I have learned that technology can be a great ally in the classroom.

One great thing I learned this semester is technology can be used to help your students teach themselves and create their own learning goals. One way I learned to do this with students would be through a webquest. Throughout school I thought this was a mindless worksheet you filled out and passed in. But through innovative thinking you can have your students direct their own learning process and have the experience become meaningful to your students. I think that by being able to give your students power over their learning they will strive to reach higher goals for themselves. By creating a website students can share they work and be proud of it. As a teacher, I think seeing the look on their faces when they are proud of their work is one of the best moments throughout the day. My goal is to use technology to help my students feel they created something that is their own and that they can be proud of.

My thoughts about technology have shifted from thinking technology should just be used for students with disabilities. In the beginning of the year I thought technology was just one small tool in a toolbox of learning aids. Now I understand technology can be used as a large window to show your students new ways of learning and thinking about new ideas. One thing I learned, from the ACTEM conference I attended, is that technology is about connecting to others around the world. Technology is a way to share and communicate as an active part of the world you live in. As a teacher you can connect your students to anyone anywhere in the world. Having that capability inside a classroom in rural Maine is fantastic. As a teacher you can open doors that lead your students into places they would never be able to go on there own. I now believe it is a teacher’s obligation to their students to explore technology in the classroom. If you are not using technology in your classroom you are not providing your students with all the tools they need to learn and become successful.