Reflective Essay

I have to say that this course has exceeded my expectations, and taught me a wealth of information! I am thrilled to be on track to transform my classroom to a place that motivates 21st century learners. This course has helped me in so many ways, and I feel confident that I will be able to use the knowledge that obtained to educate my, "digital natives," (Prensky, 2005). I have learned how to create a blog, utilize a wiki, and record and develop a podcast. By collaborating with my colleagues I have been exposed to many unique and creative lessons that I can use with my students.

I plan to continue and expand my knowledge of technology by reading and researching to find the lastest information for learning in the 21st century. I would like to sign up for professional development opportunities that my district has to offer in the area of technology, as well as use my own skills with web 2.0 to find the great things out there. I also am pursuing a part-time position in my district as an online instructor for virtual school. I am very excited about possibly having the opportunity to be a support system for on-line learners.

Two goals that I would like to obtain in the next two years would be to first set up a webpage that my students and parents can access on a daily basis. I want the site to consist of my lesson plans, homework, projects, etc. A tool to communicate and a resource to assist my students in their learning. Another goal is to create a wiki for collaboration assignments with my class. This wiki could also serve as a place where students can post questions that they have and express any comments or concerns that come about when they are completing an assignment. I will accomplish these goals by using my knowledge from this course and continuing to use on-line resources and professional books that are available to me. I think that the best way to feel comfortable and get the ball rolling is to play around with the resources and just simply jump right in and get started. I will embrace the technology and hopefully all will benefit from my experiences.

My First Podcast

This was my first experience pod casting. I had some trouble along the way and had to rerecord a couple of times, but in the end I think it turned out nicely. I am looking forward to pod casting with my students in the near future!

Here is the link to my podcast check it out!

http://stacyhetzel.podomatic.com/player/web/2010-04-04T09_24_11-07_00