ePortfolio Reflective Journal

TAP 628

This course aside from giving me copious amounts of knowledge regarding

technology in the classroom, has given me the confidence I needed to continue to
grow. Comparing my pre and post assessment checklist, I noticed that any boxed
checked No or Maybe on Day 1, has now been checked to Yes or Maybe. On
paper it is clear that learning has been achieved, but this document doesnt come
close to show just how much knowledge has truly been acquired. Every box except
two on the post assessment has been checked off as Yes. The two boxes are both
Maybe and they read as follows: create (Audioboo) and edit digital audio
(Audacity) and exploit computer games for pedagogical purposes. I have the
confidence to say that I certainly could edit or even create digital audio, but I have
yet to use such programs, hence the Maybe. As for exploiting computer games for
pedagogical purposes, I also have yet to achieve such a feat, but feel as if I could
handle the task if needed.
Now, as a 21st century teacher, we have to look to the children for the
answer, for they are the ones who should be doing a majority of the talking, not us.
As a high school algebra teacher there are times when I have to lecture, and I often
have to introduce a topic through notes, because I have to guide them before they
can guide or teach each other. The course videos from Module 1 on 21 st century
teaching, made me reevaluate just how often I do lecture. Although I try to do
different activities with group work, and various instructional strategies I often
wonder if I am doing enough. Reading other trial discussion posts, watching the 21 st
century teaching videos, and filling out the pre-assessment, I realized how much
more I initially had to learn about the endless ways to bring technology to life in my
classroom and how vital it is to continuously evolve with the inevitable changing
times and be willing to try new things. Ive realized now that there is an infinite

ePortfolio Reflective Journal

TAP 628

number of technologies I can incorporate into my classroom, but simply adding

technology into a lesson does not instantly make the lesson any more meaningful or
engaging. The key to successful integration of technology into the classroom is not
how much or how frequently technology is used, [but rather] how technology is
used (Lei, 2009). The idea is quality over quantity, if the technology used in the
classroom is effective and assists rather than hinders the learning then it is worth
doing. If not monitored, researched, and used properly, the technology we use in
the classroom can make learning an empty quest which removes thinking or
understanding from the learning process (Kuleza, 2010). There is a thin line
between helpful and hurtful technology, in fact most technology has characteristics
of both, and it is up to the user of that technology, in this case the teacher to
present in such a way that is supports rather than limits the learning of the
students. I dont believe that technology will diminish education, in fact quite the
opposite, I think technology enhances our educational system, as long as it is used
in the right ways. However, some of the issues of my students can be linked to the
digital world and how they as digital natives were raised. As referenced in
Koutropoulos piece Digital Native: Ten Years After, Frand (2000) sheds light on the
digital natives thought process, in what he terms Nintendo over logic, which
claims that this generation doesnt read manuals and prefers a trial and error
approach, as one might find in a video game (Koutropoulos, 2011). This could be
why my students dont read instructions on math tests, and often freak out over
lengthy word problems, because they have been programmed to just skip over
the instructions and jump right into the game or in my case the math problem.
My favorite aspect of this course was that it allowed for me to be hands on
through the practicum assignments and lesson plans. I was able to create and use

ePortfolio Reflective Journal

TAP 628

apps, websites, and lessons in the courses I teach, which made these assignments
meaningful. I have used most of what I have created at least once in my class this
year, which includes; Remind101, Padlet, Socrative, Skitch, PollEverywhere and the
Flipped Classroom Model. Since the year is not over, I still have plans to use
Aurasma, Animoto, and Concept Maps once I get into the review stages of the
courses I teach. It is exciting for my students when I incorporate digital devices,
software and visuals into the math lessons I create, but what I find even more
exciting is when students are the creators. This course has opened my eyes to a
classroom filled with student made digital resources that can act as a study guide
for other students, and allow inner creativity to be represented in a foreign concept
such as math. Before this course, I had never considered incorporating digital
storytelling, using social networking sites, curating web content, or even bringing
digital concepts maps into the math curriculum, for I had never experienced such a
luxury in any previous math classroom. Now I can introduce my students to a digital
world where they can bring their math knowledge, skills, and imagination to life
through images, color, and technology. In education, Create is thought to be the
most complex cognitive process for a learner, based on the revised work of Blooms
original taxonomy of educational objectives (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). The
ability to create generally relies on a learners ability to remember, understand,
apply, analyze, and evaluate(Morphew, 2012). By allowing my students to create a
digital math story, contribute digital resources to a padlet page, and construct their
own concept maps, they may even realize their ability to make math beautiful.
Who has not marveled at one time or another at the outcome of human creativity?
Magnificent buildings, great literary works, beautiful melodies, and many other
forms of creative expression have helped elevate the mundane to the magnificent,

ePortfolio Reflective Journal

TAP 628

the ordinary to the remarkable, and the forgotten to the memorable (Morphew,
2012). My students see math in black and white, right and wrong, numbers and
letters, but it can be so much more, and maybe through these tools of creation,
they can see that as well.
From class discussions, I truly valued the peer input, for it allowed me to see
in a different view, think on a deeper level, and gather ideas to bring into my own
classroom, as well as connect with fellow classmates. For instance, in Module 4, I
had not chosen to use Padlet in a practicum assignment, so I was unfamiliar with
the site, until I read a post by a classmate. From this post, I was intrigued, and
explored the padlet website, soon discovering that I could incorporate the online
sticky note into a math lesson that very week. I also chose to use Padlet as an
artifact for my eportfolio to show how I have used this in class, and how easy and
visually appealing it can be. After further researching padlet I learned that Perhaps
the most significant tool for an educator here is the ability to moderate posts. This
means that anything that is posted on the wall will need to be approved by the
teacher before it appears on the wall(Gibbons, 2015). This privacy adjustment still
allows students to collaborate, share knowledge and create resources to use at any
available time, but it does so in a safe and school-approved way. With social
media tools such as padlet, my students can start to take control of their own
learning rather than waiting for me to give the answers. As a result of student
participation within these online venues the roles of students has changed from
being consumers to being producers of content and knowledge (Phirangee, 2013).
This change allows for my students to start becoming independent learners, a skill
that will aid in the rest of their lives.

ePortfolio Reflective Journal

TAP 628

Aside from padlet, I also chose to display the Animoto video I created for a
quick review, and a concept map I constructed linking the four ways to solving a
quadratic equation. I chose the Animoto review video for it could appeal to the
visual learner. I have a variety of different learners in my class, some who are highly
logical thinkers, who like to see a step-by-step process seated next to students who
cant follow a precise pattern but rather understand through diagrams and visuals. I
have students who prefer collaborative group projects and students who would
rather complete worksheets own their own. No two of my students are the same in
the way they think, learn, or process information, which is amazing, but also, as
their teacher, at times exhausting. For this reason, I chose to create a Animoto
video for students to watch at home. They can pause when they need to, listen to
the music in the background if they like, and visually see the various topics covered
and the formulas they will be asked to remember. The other artifact I chose for my
eportfolio was a concept map I created from MindMeister. This concept map shows
the students in one image, how multiple topics are connected. It reveals all four
ways to solve a quadratic equation, and reinforces the methods and steps needed
for each procedure. This is also visually appealing and could reach a multitude of
learners. Perhaps a visual learner understands based on the picture displayed,
where a logical learner can make the connection from the steps listed.
Each module has continued to reveal more ways I can further excite,
challenge, and teach my students and regardless of the amount of work that these
tools and resources require, it will all be worth it in the end if my students are
positively impacted. These tools, allowing my students to show creativity in a
subject area that is known for facts and figures, could give my less successful
students the confidence they need to see that they can succeed in math, or allow

ePortfolio Reflective Journal

TAP 628

my span of learners various outlets to be seen and heard. I know that my students
do not all learn and understand math like I do, I dont expect them to, all I expect
out of my students is that they continue to try, and hopefully with these
technological tools, that effort remains. If my expectation is that my students each
year will learn from me, then I need to be willing to in turn learn from them, and the
world around me, which is exactly what this course has allowed. For as John Cotton
Dana once said, Who dares to teach must never cease to learn (Themces, 2010,).

References
Gibbons, J. (2015, August 11). [Updated] Apps in Action: Increase Student
Participation and
Collaboration with Padlet. Retrieved April 08, 2016, from
https://thatedtechguy.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/apps-in-action-increasecollaboration-withpadlet/
Koutropoulos, A. (2011, December). Digital Natives: Ten Years After - Journal of
Online
Learning. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from
https://blackboard.albany.edu/bbcswebdav/ pid-2047850-dt-contentrid9368191_ 1/courses/2163-ETAP-5247283/Course%20Readings/Module
%202/Digital
.Natives_Ten.Years.After.pdf
Kulesza, J., DeHondt II, G., & Nezlek, G. (2010). More Technology, Less Learning?.
Information Systems Educators Conference Proceedings, 27 (1333). Retrieved
from
http://proc.isecon.org/2010/pdf/1333.pdf
Lei, J. (2009). Quantity verses quality: A new approach to examine the relationship
between
technology use and student outcomes. British Journal of Educational
Technology,
41
(3), 455-472.

ePortfolio Reflective Journal

TAP 628

Morphew, V.N. (2012), A Constructivist Approach to the National Educational

Technology
Standards for Teachers. ISTE

Themcesc. (2010, February 28). A Vision of 21st Century Teachers [video file].
Retrieved
from
https://blackboard.albany.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?
course_id=_85189_1&content_id=_2104116_1