home

__MEDT 6401: Course Reflection__

I greatly benefited from taking MEDT 6401: Instructional Technology this semester. I’ve taken several courses throughout my Master’s Program and now my Ed.S. that emphasized different technologies and how to use them, but never before have I been exposed the unique applications that I’ve learned about in this course. After completing the different assignments, I feel more educated and familiar with the different uses of technology, and I plan on incorporating technology into various aspects of my Life Science content in the future. I feel like I’ve always incorporated technology into my lesson plans, but now I feel like I will actually be “designing,” meaning that I will create uses for technology with a designed purpose, not just to be used. Technology as a tool can be very powerful in the classroom and can reach a variety of students. This is the main idea that I have learned in this class.

Advise that I would offer to any future students of this program, and class, would be to make sure to check CourseDen on a daily basis. If they do not check CourseDen regularly, it is likely they may miss new assignments or announcements which may affect their overall grade. I would also recommend that the students budget their time wisely and be sure to complete their assignments in a timely manner. Procrastination may lead to incomplete work, late submissions, or even missing important steps for assignment completion. Another recommendation would be for the students to use other sources besides the ones that the professor includes in each assignment. Don’t be afraid to explore the materials further. I found that I increased my learning and understanding by accessing different resources on the internet and by reading different articles that I found online. Believe me, there are a ton of resources out there about technology usage in the 21st Century classroom. Be proactive in searching out these materials will benefit you not only in your courses, but in your profession as well. My final recommendation would be for all students to try and interact with each other, create collaborative groups, meet for coffee to discuss ideas. I know many people in your classes may be too far away, but you can Skype, FaceTime, etc. I was lucky enough to meet 4 different people during the course of my program work. Being able to share ideas, encourage one another, make sure deadlines are being met, and the fellowship have made the course work much more enjoyable. This course, as do many of the others in this degree program, offers ample group assignments. So, create your groups early and schedule regular meetings to help you keep up with your deadlines. Even though these are online classes, doesn’t mean that the human element must be completely eliminated.

I feel that my best work for this class was the unit plan that I created to incorporate technology. In this assignment I was able to take a concept that I’ve taught my students in Life Science the past 5 years, and apply technology to it to make it more meaningful, interactive, and exciting for my students. I plan on using this lesson this year and evaluating its success. In the lesson I created, students review and become familiar with basic genetic concepts and terms, such as DNA, chromosome, gene, allele, homozygous, heterozygous, recessive and dominant genes, genotype, phenotype, complex traits, Medelian inheritance, and Punnett Square. Students apply these to identify and examine several examples of simple and complex genetic traits in several characters from the movie //Harry Potter//. Students also examine inheritance patterns of magical ability in Harry Potter, and use the concepts they have learned to identify possible genotypes of the magical ability demonstrated by several characters in the series. Students will then demonstrate their knowledge of how genetics work by completing a Monster Lab, where they will create their own “new” Monster. This will serve as an evaluation of how well they understand the key genetics concepts. As opposed to just learning these key genetics concepts from a book, the students are asked to learn and create with technology to engage in a new learning experience.

My work in this course, as well as my others, has made me feel more “tech-savvy” than I’ve ever felt before. I’ve always been willing to try new technologies in my classroom, but this program has made me want to actively research and seek out the best technologies that I can use to benefit my students specifically. This is one of the keys to this program, it has made me a seeker of knowledge and has given me the tools to research and choose appropriate and beneficial practices that will meet the needs of my students. This program has also opened my eyes to what the needs of my students are, by giving me the knowledge of theories behind the cognitive sciences, as well as new technologies that are at the forefront of education, to help me to better understand my students. Through a better understanding of my students, I can better create an environment suitable for their learning needs.

Through this program, I have also learned that technology does not only have to be used to better the educational environments of the students, it can also be used to support and improve teachers’ performances. Through better instructional design, I’ve learned that I can utilize the same technological tools that I will use for my students, to foster better collaboration and professional development training. This technology focus will create a school atmosphere that sponsors and promotes learning, sharing, and continued development. Such a school environment is one that I want to be a part of and leading the way.