From Fear to Freedom - OETS and Me!

WOW! I am so glad that this course was a requirement! I have never taken a computer class of any sort and up until now what I had learned was through trial and error. I have learned about so many helpful technological tools these last few months! I have thoroughly enjoyed the hands on experience the assignments provided and look forward to employing some of these tools in the classroom. I felt like this course was a "sink or swim" experience for me and I know now that although it might look like a "dog paddle" I can swim in the deep end of this technology world! Thanks to the professors and their tireless effort to help both in and out of class!
As a parent I have been very cautious about allowing my kids to use the internet. I now feel better educated about safety, useful tools, appropriate classroom use, digital citizenship, and so much more. This course has not only helped me be a better parent in this regard but also a teacher who is equip with the necessary tools to provide instruction to students in a way that will meet the Oregon Educational Technology Standards (OETS).
Beginning next school year the state wide technology standards for students will be enforced. These standards must be fulfilled at all grade levels and in any/all subject matter in order to prepare our students for graduation. There are six criteria in the OETS: Creativity & Innovation, Communication & Collaboration, Research & Information Fluency, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving & Decision Making, Digital Citizenship, and Technology Operations & Concepts. As I mentioned earlier the assignments have provided a great foundation of some hands on experience in some of these areas.
There are several ways I can visualize using technology in my classroom. To begin with I want to emphasize the importance of safety on line. To do so I will have a class web page with privacy. There the students will have opportunities to interact with each other and myself while learning about digital citizenship. Another example is using skype and tokbox to bring people into the class via the internet. I want to have internet pals with a peer class in Costa Rica and my students. There are several family members who are in education in Costa Rica and I want to utilize these communication tools to share language lessons, learn about different cultures, and incorporate social studies in a "real time" lesson. Also, if there is someone we would like to have as a guest in our room, no matter what time zone they are in we can communicate through video on tokbox. Doing so will provide hands on experiences for the students to communicate and collaborate with others using technology. I also am excited about having my students use great tools such as podcasting to present speeches. This will allow them to share their presentations even with family members that otherwise would not be able to see it. If there are any students who have a parent living elsewhere (i.e.:serving in the military) we can use tokbox and other web tools to share presentations online. Of course I will also model the importance of technology as I use it for assessments, incorporate it in lessons, personal use and more. This has been a real eye openner and I am excited to put these tools into practice!