Friday, March 27, 2015

This is the end...

Well, another AQ course has come and gone and now it's time to wrap things up.  As I'm sitting here typing this, I feel that I have grown in how I see myself as a potential leader in regards to the integration of technology in education.  ICT has a role in all levels of learning, but more often than not it's those in education that are resistant to the change.  What was good years ago must still be good today, right?

The use of the SAMR model has been one of the largest things I can take away from this course.  Before January, I had little understanding of it and its purposefulness.  However, now I'm working to do my best to achieve what it asks.  I find my courses offer more opportunity for collaboration and I try things that were not even around when I was in school.  Now that I think about it, it's amazing how quickly technology changes.

Which bring me to my next point, the need to stay current and keep it authentic.  Students have to be engaged in their learning and to do so means to keep the material authentic to their interests and needs.  All because I didn't have an iPod or iPad when I was growing up doesn't mean they're not useful for education.  The students of today have grown up in a world where technology is their driving force.  When the battery dies of a wifi signal is lost, these students are lost themselves.  We as educators must understand the role technology plays in their lives and how it can help their learning.

This, in itself, is one of the main reasons I took this course and completed my specialist.  I want to be that leader advocating change and working to improve student learning.  I want to be able to have a staff work closely and explore new ways to push the envelope and drive students to do their best.  The best way to get the ball rolling is through technology.

So, in closing, I hope that I can help the revolution continue and promote students engagement and success.  Here's a video based on a situation in Noway that, surprisingly, doesn't seem too far off from  where we are in Ontario.

It's been fun!

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